. . . And Sometimes What You Don't Know
by Jennifer Walker
One of the most common pieces of advice bandied about by
experienced authors is that you should write about what you know. This is
definitely a good piece of advice! It drives me crazy when I read a book or see
a movie with wildly inaccurate facts...horses that do things real horses don't
do, dance scenes that don't look anything like the dance they're supposed to
portray, etc. Some of these things would be so easy to correct with a modicum
of research.
Beyond getting the basic facts right, when you live
something, there is a depth of knowledge you have that cannot be replicated by
someone who has never spent much time with that thing. For example, my thing is
horses (big surprise if you've read anything about my books). One thing that is
common among reactions to the books is that my knowledge of horses comes
through. On the other side of the coin, I was once asked to write some reviews
of high end luxury sports cars for a magazine. I knew I couldn't do justice to
them, so I handed the assignment over to my husband. He claims he's not a car
guy, but secretly he is. He did a fantastic job--way better than I could have
done. I could have presented the facts about the cars OK, but when he did it,
his enthusiasm for the subject matter shone through because he's spent a lot
more time studying and drooling over cars than I have.
All that said, I think it's good to step outside of your
comfort zone every once in a while. For NaNoWriMo this last year, I wrote a
middle grade fiction that had no horses whatsoever. That took some effort! I
also have some other story ideas that are way outside my comfort zone. I'm
going to have to do a lot of research, because I want to get everything exactly
right. And that's the key right there: if you do decide to go into unknown
territory, make sure you do your research. If you're talking about something
you don't have a background in, you might find a beta reader who knows the
subject well just to check on you so your story rings true.
Above all, keep writing...no matter what the topic!
Jennifer is the author of the Green Meadow Series (for middle grade girls), one of which I recently read and reviewed - Bubba to the Rescue. There is still time to comment to win a copy of her short story, Leslie and the Lion.
