“Write what you know” is one of the more confounding pieces of writerly advice. It can, unfortunately, be interpreted as “write what you have experienced.” I say unfortunately because, for most of us, that would result in deadly dull fiction. I used to complain to my mother about having been raised in white-bread suburbia. Way too boring to write about that. I would much rather have had the sort … [Read more...]
What If?
Photo by Kaique Rocha from Pexels What If? is the title of a terrific book on writing by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter. The book contains plenty of worthwhile advice and prompts, but I love the title alone: What If? Those two words can be the start of numerous inspiring prompts. To give you a real-life example, consider the song “Taxi” by Harry Chapin, the song that launched his successful … [Read more...]
Mostly Agree with Hemingway
While cruising the internet recently, I found this: http://www.openculture.com/2013/02/seven_tips_from_ernest_hemingway_on_how_to_write_fiction.html My thanks to Open Culture for putting together this list and explanations of Hemingway’s advice. I mostly agree with Hemingway. But hey, put ten writers in a room and you’ll get twenty different ideas of the best way to write. So, where do I agree … [Read more...]
Outline or Not
Creative writing has few hard and fast rules, and certainly there is no rule—or consensus—on whether to outline or not when you start a novel. (A nonfiction book is different.) Open any book on writing, attend any writers’ conference, talk to any successful novelist, and you’ll get a variety of answers. My answer to whether you should write an outline or not is a resounding … sometimes. As I … [Read more...]
Adventures in Research
An oft-repeated piece of advice for writers is “Write what you know.” That advice, strictly followed, could result in boring books. There might be a few experiences in my life, maybe a couple of people I’ve known, that can be fictionalized and sensationalized enough to warrant being the catalyst for a novel. By and large, though, my imagination is sparked by things I don’t know. I often develop a … [Read more...]
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