I think one of the most confusing pieces of advice aspiring writers get is “write what you know.”
On the surface, this is good advice. If you’re writing a novel about a white, middle-aged, divorced college professor, and you happen to be a white, middle-aged, divorced college professor, naturally your job will — in theory — be easier.
But if you’re not a PI and you want to write a PI novel…what then?
Well, that’s what research and imagination are for.
Strangely, it’s more in the little details where stories seem to feel real or fake, versus the big obvious plot points. Not always, of course, but someone who can translate the sensory details of what it might feel like to ride a camel or eat a crispy tarantula…who makes you smell the chlorine or taste the salty sweat or feel the fire-prickle of cholla cactus…
So what are three things you know or can do that have served you well in your writing? Have you ever taken a course or studied up in order to be proficient at something simply for your writing?
Are you writing what you know or are you learning things in order to be able to write about them? And is that technically cheating?
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Being an engineer, I’m an avid researcher. I have about 2,000 hours of research into my first book. In fact, in my second story, the book opens with an explosion in an Atlantic City casino and I’ve just made an appointment to visit the security and surveillence department of Harrah’s, here in St. Louis. I want to get the details and lingo correct.
A Lazy writer might watch the TV series Vegas a few times and use the stuff they see there.
I’m writing things that I know and I’m researching the things I don’t know. Like I said, I’m an engineer, not a doctor, and I’m writing biological thrillers. So, besides the resaerch and making the CDC website a daily read, I had several doctors and nurses read my first book and give me feedback about the information.
So I guess, in a word, RESEARCH! And use the stuff you know to wrap around the research and make it real.
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This is a great question, as I’ve been told that I’m crazy for trying to get some details exactly right. Things like weather and city buildings in Cleveland in spring of 1998, can be sort of generalized, but if I say my character is going to a movie, do I just say ‘movie’ or do I try to find out exactly what movies might have opened here to provide a ‘real deal?’ In a way it’s fun, and in a way it’s a huge expense of time. ‘Not sure yet if it’ll matter, so I can’t wait to hear others opinions.
by Kate Hathway
on June 11th, 2007 at 8:19 am
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So I guess, in a word, RESEARCH! And use the stuff you know to wrap around the research and make it real.
I agree with Will. I usually research the heck out of everything and then weave my personal experiences around it. My WIP, though, is based almost entirely on what I know, and it’s proving to be the hardest of the four to write. *shrug*
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I love doing research, but I also use some personal experience. Like setting books in places I’ve lived or having my characters in jobs I’ve held. But sometimes I’d rather do research for research’s sake. 
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Oh, I LOVE research. I could get lost in the details and never get back to writing. I have to watch myself. I like the way B.E. put it: research and then wrap that in what you know. I’ve been researching Hurricane Katrina, pop culture from the late 90s, and personality profiles. So much fun!
by Sara
on June 11th, 2007 at 8:44 am
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I am a stickler for the details too–so for my WIP I’ve had the fun of tracking down details about Hyde Park and University of Chicago in 1958. I’ve loved finding otu what sings were popular then (and in 1962) and picking which ones my character would be humming. I tend to set books where I’ve been or lived–just so I can imagine a specific house or street. I do both–research what I don’t know and steal from what I do (but I also think “writing what I know” is sometimes more about emotions, fears, character traits, etc.). That said, I have vowed that my next novel will not have the main character’s job teaching high school English like my first two.
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I’ve always thought the advice should be “Write what you’re passionate about.” That can be something you don’t know yet. But you’re sure as hell going to find out about it.
I’m not one for putting details like car brands, etc. in my books (though I made an exception recently since it went to character) but things that might be in conversation - that kind of stuff should be accurate. In my first novel, which I worked on for a space of years, one conversation between two characters had to be changed three times since the Orioles baseball players mentioned kept getting traded!
I changed my major in college a dozen times because I was passionate about so many different subjects. Writing is the one profession wherein I can make professional use of all of my passions.
Now, back to writing the gardening series - (another passion).
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I’d like to add a caviat here because I’ve seen it in the works of several local authors here in St. Louis (no, not you Laura). Some people who set a novel in their home town, or an area where they have intimate knowledge tend to get bogged down in details that only very local people will get or catch. They lose sight of moving the plot forward so they can get details in.
I guess that goes for research too. Just because its well researched, doesn’t mean it has to go into the book.
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Three things I knew that I used:
1. Claymore mines.
2. The State Department.
3. Panama.
Things I’ve researched:
1. Sailing.
2. Washington DC in 1941 (including weather and what movies were playing in the neighborhood).
3. The beginnings of the OSS.
I’ve also walked through the booking process, been inside Central Prison’s gas chamber, fired automatic weapons at Quantico, talked my way into the Patterson house on DuPont Circle, witnessed an autopsy and learned how to tie sutures.
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My WIP is set in a part of the country where I’ve never lived or even visited. It involved a fair bit of research, mostly to what the architecture looks like - it’s a DIY-renovating series, so house-styles are important - and what kinds of birds and trees one might expect to see up there. The small town itself is fictional - another publisher requirement, and one which I don’t like, but which has its benefits; read on - and small towns are the same everywhere, so no problem there. (I much prefer real settings, though. When I have a choice, that’s what I do.) I don’t mind doing research for my writing, and often work it so the protagonist is learning right along with me, although it’s a lot easier when your character (characters plural if you write from multiple POVs) has enough of you in their background and make-up so that every page isn’t a struggle.
by JennieB
on June 11th, 2007 at 11:00 am
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Very impressive, Will. You’re the kind of writer I admire. I admit I generally stick to armchair research — not that you can’t get a lot of mileage out of an armchair and a laptop and phone, but there’s something to be said for going on location.
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Hey, Kate, I’m a big believer in quality of detail rather than quantity. I think it’s good to be as exact as possible but it’s easy to overbalance into too much information. Like if I’m mentioning a movie title, I’ll try and figure out one that might be signficant to the theme or the characters as well as be accurate as far as date and place.
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My WIP, though, is based almost entirely on what I know, and it’s proving to be the hardest of the four to write. *shrug*
Hey, B.E., why do you think that is, though? Is it maybe hitting too close to home?
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Me too, Tori. I LOVE research. Well, depending on what I’m researching. I can get lost for days, weeks, months if I indulge because one tidbit leads to another and pretty soon…I’m missing my deadline by a mile.
But I know everything you’d ever want to know about WWI aircraft. 
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Research is fun, Sara, I agree. Which is why it’s puzzling to me when writers don’t bother — and it shows.
I guess this is why I have trouble watching or reading anything set in a school — or why my cop friends and family can’t stand to watch anything to do with cops or police.
I mean, we ALL make mistakes, even with research, granted. Hummingbirds, anyone?
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I do both–research what I don’t know and steal from what I do (but I also think “writing what I know” is sometimes more about emotions, fears, character traits, etc.).
EXACTLY! I may have to look up details on ghosts and hauntings, but I don’t need to research what it feels like to be spooked — and learning to convey that effectively is the real trick of writing.
That said, I have vowed that my next novel will not have the main character’s job teaching high school English like my first two.
Hahahahahahah! See my earlier comment on not being able to read anything set in a school. Although, it’s certainly different if the writer has actually spent time teaching!
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changed my major in college a dozen times because I was passionate about so many different subjects. Writing is the one profession wherein I can make professional use of all of my passions.
Sing it loud, sister! Amen.
Hey, Reggie, I envy you your garden time. I think I’ve made it out to the backyard three times so far this season. It’s like I’m under house arrest.
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I guess that goes for research too. Just because its well researched, doesn’t mean it has to go into the book.
Hey, Will, I’m in complete agreement. Too many beginning writers get caught in the trap of wanting to actually put all that extensive research into the book. Research is sort of its own reward–you write from a position of authority and confidence. But it’s quality of detail, not quantity that makes the difference.
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David, what a great wealth of information to draw upon. You’d need to be a writer or a spy. Possibly both.
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Hey, Jennie, I’ve come to appreciate the advantage of setting my stories in fictional towns or villages. I like the freedom of being able to add a a revival theater or remove a Starbucks as necessary. But I always surround my fictional homebase with real geography and other real locales. I don’t know if that adds versimilitude or simply makes it more confusing for the reader.
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Diana (and everyone else) - I’m trying to use details in fleshing out character development (what kind of books, movies, music etc. she likes) and I just ended up writing a really nice chapter and realized it did absolutely nothing to move the story along, but it’s also information I sort of wish the reader knew about the character. How to balance this is my problem.
by Kate Hathway
on June 11th, 2007 at 11:51 am
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Diana (and everyone else) - I’m trying to use details in fleshing out character development (what kind of books, movies, music etc. she likes) and I just ended up writing a really nice chapter and realized it did absolutely nothing to move the story along, but it’s also information I sort of wish the reader knew about the character. How to balance this is my problem.
Kate, is it possible to weave bits of this information into the story along the way? That’s what I usually do if I find I have a large chunk of necessary backstory, etc. Break it up into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle it through the mix as needed.
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It all just flowed as I was having her be unsettled and refective after finding the bad guy in extremis, but I’m not sure yet how to pick it apart and reinsert it into the next scenes (and it’s got me floundering a bit), so now I’m sitting here like a lump wondering where to go - urrr!
by Kate Hathway
on June 11th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
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It all just flowed as I was having her be unsettled and refective after
finding the bad guy in extremis, but I’m not sure yet how to pick it
apart and reinsert it into the next scenes (and it’s got me floundering a
bit), so now I’m sitting here like a lump wondering where to go - urrr!
Yep, sounds like a perfect example. Break it apart bit by bit — select the first most important piece of info you need the reader to know, and start going back and seeing where you can seamlessly drop it in.
You’ll find that some of the info isn’t crucial — those bits you just have to let go of. The other stuff will be invisible if you do it right.
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If I use any of it I need to drop in in forthcoming scenes, and that’s were I’m stuck. I just am a little bit discouraged, cause it was such nice info and it got out of hand. I got off track with where the story is going, and need to figure out how to move forward and put some (not all) of the stuff in later.
by Kate Hathway
on June 11th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
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If I may offer some advice, too…? Don’t put it all later. Go back and insert some into what you’ve already written, as well. The scene that made your protagonist have all those thoughts and feelings will be stronger if the reader knows how the protag will react, and why, before she gets to that point. Just my $0.02; hope no one minds the input.
by JennieB
on June 11th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
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Kate, cut the entire chunk and literally physically move it to the end of the file/document. Once you’ve written the next scenes — or even at the very end of the rough draft — you can start going back and looking at where you want to sprinkle in the necessary bits.
Don’t worry about it for now. Save it and move on to the next scene. Follow the instinct that tells you this isn’t moving the story ahead and chop everything from the point that you found yourself going off course. But don’t delete it. Just move it to the very end, where you can use it if you need it later.
And, Jennie, yes, starting at the front and seeing if any of it will work there is the right place to start. (Feel free to jump in anytime!)
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About fictional places–the author who springs to mind is Stephen King. And I think it’s a great thing he loves Maine. But I find most of his fictional Maine towns are all alike & that’something to look out for.
Years ago I had a job that seemed really NOT me, in the sense I felt like I had to put most of my personality in a box before walking in the door every day. I was in high-end jewelry on the East Coast and totally not into it. I know it’s hard for many to imagine, but I don’t find diamonds remotely interesting (or shoes, for that matter). I handled all the repair stuff & had gobs of security training, too. I think there’s a potential story there, but haven’t come up with characters yet.
Any thoughts about research hanging around, waiting for a story?
by Cynthia
on June 11th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
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Any thoughts about research hanging around, waiting for a story?
Take it for a test drive in a short story format. There’s less pressure and you don’t have to make a huge investment in the characters. Then, if it works for you, you can develop and spin out to longer format.
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You guys will never believe this, but just as I was shaking my head, saying “But I don’t know what comes next!” my city’s fire trucks went out (all of them, I’d guess) and my dogs started howling along, and now I’ve got a new scene! Talk about perfect timing!
by Kate Hathway
on June 11th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
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Cynthia, you can borrow my half-baked plot from a couple of weeks back, with the retired middle-aged female jewelry thief, if you want. I could totally see it work. The brain is spinning now…
Seriously, though, you’ve freaked me out with your comment about Stephen King’s Maine towns. That’s where MY fictional town is!
by JennieB
on June 11th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
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Thanks for the tips, Diane & Jenny.
And Jenny, sorry to freak you out. But my 2 cnts worth is that little towns should have just a coupl
by Cynthia
on June 11th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
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ooops! intervention by progeny, there.
Little towns do better to have just a couple of distinctive features, I think: a cozy ice cream store OR a hideous monument AND a dotty librarian who wears the same color every day, but not all three!
by Cynthia
on June 11th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
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I was puzzling and puzzling over what a coup could be. Surely not violent overthrow of the little town’s tubby mayor? And yet….hmmm….
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Thanks, Cynthia. I’ll certainly take that under advisement. So far I have a fabulous B&B, a small private college, and two Maine Coon cats, but I’m only on page 91…
by JennieB
on June 11th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
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Kate,
As far as the writing goes, I had my three best chapters take place in China. It set up the plot and tied back in late in the story. I travel a lot to China, so I had a lot of really cool details that most people don’t know about China. As it turns out, I had to ultimately cut htem out, because the consensus was that the it seemed like two different stories.
I had to cut out 80 pages, and then weave the necessary details back into the story. Very painful for me. I believe they call it killing your darlings.
I’m still not convinced the story is any better for it, but my editor seems to think it is.
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had to cut out 80 pages, and then weave the necessary details back into the story. Very painful for me. I believe they call it killing your darlings.
Yes, this is always a painful process — and some of the very best bits of writing go. I try to lessen the pain by saving the cut bits in a saved file to cannabalize at a later date. And sometimes I have actually found a use for those sections, oddly enough.
Usually I go by a concensus of opinion. If the majority of readers feels like something is a problem, then I figure I’m probably blind to it and just need to let go.
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Anybody here read Silko’s novel, “The Almanac of the Dead”? It’s a very ambitious piece, serious & not just entertainment(not sure she entirely succeeds, but I couldn’t put it down). She wrote in some private letters that were published that a great deal of that novel was put together from her scrap bin.
by Cynthia
on June 11th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
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I have a darling-file. (Several, actually. One for each series at least. Maybe even one for each book.) Occasionally I pull something out of it for later, but mostly I just open it and read what’s there and gloat over how talented I am and how well I turn a phrase. And then I go back to writing what actually works. I guess that’s OK as long as I don’t actually let it stop me from writing what works, right?
by JennieB
on June 11th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
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Diana, I just had an AHA! moment when I read Will’s first comment “…get bogged down in details that only very local people will get or catch. They lose sight of moving the plot forward so they can get details in.”
I’ve been so busy getting the details right, I lost sight of the plot. Shazam! I can’t believe I fell into that trap and didn’t see it coming. Wow. Thanks guys, this really helped me out a lot.
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Cynthia, I haven’t read Silko’s novel, but what a satisfying thing to hear! I knew there was a reason I was hanging on to all these bits and pieces.
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Hey, Jennie, I actually have used some of my carefully preserved darlings — even if only to kickstart my brain into thinking of something workable.
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B.E., that’s one of the perks of hanging out here — it’s sort of a marketplace of ideas. Only with great accessories.
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