Wattpad Block Party - Winter Edition III

Bella_Higgin Presents: Writing Advice - Dissected

Writing Advice - Dissected

Most people with writing aspirations will, at some point, encounter certain pieces of writing advice – show, don't tell, and write what you know being two prominent examples. They've been handed out so many times that they have become stock phrases.

But what do they actually mean?

In my time, I have encountered many aspiring writers who struggle to fully grasp the true meanings of these phrases – or worse, take them way too literally. I even recently read some blog posts that attacked several staple pieces of advice, denouncing them as plain bad advice, but it seems to me that the bloggers missed the point. So today I'm going to dissect what I consider the five most common pieces of writing advice. I hope everyone finds it helpful.

Write What You Know

This is probably one of the most misinterpreted pieces of writing advice ever. Far too many people think this means they can only write about their job at the Post Office or their hobby as a train-spotter. They think it means there is no way they can write a spy novel or a sprawling sci-fi epic, because they themselves are not spies or astronauts.

But think about it.

JK Rowling is not really a wizard.

Suzanne Collins has never fought for her life in a government-sanctioned arena.

Anna Sewell was not a horse.

Patricia Cornwell has (hopefully) never murdered anyone.

Write what you know does not mean you are restricted to your immediate job, hobbies, or interests. It means you need to research.

Example 1: I was twelve when I started what would become my first completed novel. At the time I was immensely proud of it, but it was only when I looked back, older and wiser, that I realised how much was wrong with it. One thing that really stood out – I knew absolutely nothing about horses. A particular scene featured my characters riding horses for the first time, but at twelve years old I knew nothing about the subject matter. As a result, I was writing nonsense. This was a definitely a write what you know scenario. But rather than give up writing about horses, I researched them. I even learned to ride. Now I am more able to write horse-riding scenes because I made it something I knew about.

Example 2: For a short story I wrote a few years ago, I needed information regarding military missions. I've never been in the army so I don't know how it all works. If I wrote anything without doing research, it would be laughably inaccurate at best and downright stupid at worst. I couldn't write something when I didn't know anything about it. Luckily I have several friends who have served in the army – some for many years. They volunteered their knowledge and experience to help me get everything right.

Example 3: Most of my books are set in fictional places because I prefer the freedom of getting to make everything up. As a general rule, I hate having to adhere to the geography of a specific place. But sometimes it is necessary. And when that happens, research is also necessary. I cannot write about places that I have never visited unless I extensively research them. Sometimes this is a case of studying road maps to understand which road goes where, and what the general layout of a town/city is. Sometimes I have to go more in depth and study the local flora and fauna of a place, what it looks like, when it can be seen, where it grows etc If I really want people to take my story seriously then I need to make sure I get these things right.

Write what you know means researching and learning. If you want to write something but you don't know anything about it, then change that. Learn about your subject matter.