Write What You Know...
Love it or hate it, “write what you know” has endured for a long time in the writing advice lexicon. People have argued against it and for it, and in the end there’s no “right” answer. Like all advice, not everything works for everyone.
As a young writer, I took “write what you know” to heart by using my hometown as the setting for all my stories. I added little details from my house and the houses of my friends when I got stuck describing things. I added little wardrobe details from my own closet or gave characters items I wanted for myself. Over the years, as I worked and reworked my drafts, I employed “write what you know” in many other ways to give the story what I hoped was a more authentic feel.
However, recently I feel I’m coming to the end of that writing strategy. More and more, it’s looking like my 4th novel may be the last time I really “write what I know.” And the 4th novel is already quite different from my others! While the setting is familiar, Will as a protagonist is unlike anyone I’ve written before. He’s probably the least similar to myself. Finding his character’s logic was a really neat challenge, and it’s making me think it might be time for an even bigger change once I finish my revisions.
For a while now, I’ve felt a bit stuck with my writing. I’ve thought a few times over that it may be time to quit, or at least take an extended break. But as I’m working on this draft, it occurs to me that maybe all I need to do is stretch out my writing muscles more. Writing what I know has worked up to this point, but that doesn’t mean I need to do it forever. Maybe in order to feel inspired once more, I need bigger challenges.
I have a lot of old plot ideas kicking around, some of which felt too big to properly write when I was younger. I’m feeling more and more like their time is coming soon. When that time comes, I’ll be excited to show you all what I’m working on. I think I will test out a few concepts and see which one inspires me to stick with it.
In the meantime, I still have a little over half of my document to revise. I’m trying to go slowly and thoughtfully, as I’m getting to the part of the novel I feel is the weakest section. I’ve been making some difficult decisions and cutting some scenes, but I think it’s overall making the story much stronger. I’m really enjoying the process. It’s just very time consuming
In other news…
I’m going back to my roots and have made an author Tumblr! I’ve been sharing more writing thoughts there, as well as photos and artwork that I like. I don’t post that often, but I’ve been having fun with it. If you’re also on Tumblr, consider giving me a follow!
And that’s all from me for this month! I hope you’ve all been enjoying your summers and staying happy and healthy. Recently, I was visiting some friends from university. We had a lovely time hanging out and getting caught up. Here’s a photo I took from that time. Now, I need to get out of vacation mode and back to writing mode!
