Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Writing What You Know

Write what you know.  Every new writer has heard this bit of advice over and over again but few grasp what it actually means.  Hell, I didn't at first.  I kept thinking who wants to hear about cows giving birth or being milked?  That's what I knew, life on a farm.  It took a long time to realize it wasn't just about the things I knew how to do, it was about the people I knew.  Our fiction comes alive when we use the life lessons we've learned to bring our characters to life.  Stina Leicht has an excellent post on her blog today about "Writing What You Know".

2 comments:

pattinase (abbott) said...

I think that "the people you know" is the key for me. They have far better stories than I do.

sandra seamans said...

Yes, studying and watching how people react in different situations help immensely in creating a "real" person in fiction.