Write what you don't know

Isabel, an MFA in Creative Writing, emailed me recently. "My teachers encourage me to write what I know, and what I understand from their cryptic advice is to not write fantasy."

Ah yes, WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. The four words of advice/command that hang over every writer's head.

The most famous instance of this advice is in Anne of Green Gables. Anne writes fanciful romances and is rejected time and again. Then Gilbert advises her to write what she knows. (In the movie anyway--in the books, did anyone advise or this? I can't remember.) So she writes a book about a small town like her own with people a lot like her neighbors, and is published.

Hey, it worked for Anne. It could work for you too! As for me, I get bored easily. I'm not interested in writing my own life. I don't want to write about myself. I already live it, I'm already telling that story in a three-dimensional fashion. When I write, I want to experience something new.

So, sure, write what you know. And if you want to write something you don't yet know, then learn it. Study it. Make it your own.

I know Bayern. I know Danland and the Eight Realms. I know fire-speaking and quarry speech and how to sing to a she-yak. I know how to sling a stone with deadly accuracy and whip outlaws with my magically-long braids. These things I studied in my mind and learned on paper.

Other things I didn't have to study: I know how it feels to swoon for Mr. Darcy (though I've never vacationed in Austenland). I know what it's like to feel pain (though I've never been attacked by a wolf). I know how it feels to be betrayed (though my friend didn't try to kill me). I've been afraid, excited, thrilled, worried, heartsick, depressed, curious, lonely. I've lived as a human being in this world and been close to other human beings. No matter if these things happened in the twentieth century in the Western US or long ago and far away, people are people. And when you're reading a good book, no matter that these things are happening to the character, not to us, we still feel them in a way. Writing and reading are both forms of storytelling. Would the Wise advise us as well to only read what we know?

I humbly offer a change to that old four-word phrase: Write what fascinates you.

Comments

[Erin]

I've heard the "write what you know" before and never paid it any mind. What I know isn't anywhere near as interesting as what no one can really know: fantasy. I'm glad you posted about this, because no on should feel trapped when it comes to something as personal and creative as writing!

[Melissa Walker]

Yes--I love the idea of writing what fascinates you. Finding out about other worlds is always an exciting process, and if you love what you're learning, it'll show in the writing.

We just shared some blog love with you:
http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/2008/12/thanks-for-blog-love.html

xo,
readergirlz

[Jennifer Bradbury]

"These things I studied in my mind and learned on paper.'

Amen!

Jen

[Beca]

I think this is where imagination comes in. There are some people who do not have enough imagination to make up stories of something they didn't know. Then there are amazing people like Shannon Hale who has a great imagination and can make it become realistic in her books! These are the writers that change the world! Go, go Shannon Hale! Yay!

[gettsr]

"Write what you know." If we followed this advice then we would be without the following:J.R.R Tolkein, Ursula Leguin, Superman, etc. I could go on. Anything that involves fantasy/magic/science fiction would be out the window. The best C.W. teacher I ever had said "Write what you don't know. Use your imagination." Perhaps writing "what you know" will get you started like "Anne" and "Jo March" but it's great to stretch beyond that. BTW Great blog post.

[Celes]

Thanks Shannon.

I've had a great time in my creative writing class this semester. However, I've felt that my professor has been encouraging us away from fantasy, and that just hasn't been good for me. Thanks for the small reassurance that it's okay to go back, and more than that, it's GOOD to write what fascinates ME.

P.S. TOTALLY brag about stalking you all the time in that class. ;)

[Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury]

I've noticed variations on the Anne of Green Gables (tv version) story advice in LITTLE WOMEN (remember Jo writing about Beth?) and in THE WALTONS (John Boy didn't sell his writings until he wrote about "the folks back home.")

I think "just folks" stories are fine, but they can only say so much. Fantasy, science fiction, adventure stories, etc, can say even more about people because they deal with people in situations that are not mundane, day-to-day, and they let readers experience those unusual things as well.

[Q]

Ooh, that's good advice!

[JJ]

I believe it is Mr. Harrison in Anne of Avonlea who says something to the effect of "write what you know." (Actually, I think he says to "cut out all that high-falutin' mumbo-jumbo and write about real people with real emotions." Or something like that.) Am I an avid Anne fan? Absolutely.

I take the "write what you know" advice to mean exactly that: write what I know to be true. I know the logic of my world. I know how people interact with each other. Emotions and dialogue and character should be "what I know," but more than that, what I know to be true. I write fantasy, yes (or "magical realism" someone else called it, but I am firmly on the side of "It's fantasy, thank you"), but I also write what I know: people, relationships, and emotions.

[Heather Z.]

Amen.

[Chantele]

You have such good advice! I love reading about what you have to say! Thanks for this post about writing and reading fantasy. I LOVE reading fantasy books! Your books are some of my all time favorites especially!

[Libbi]

That's interesting. Because if you think about it, Anne's books were about fanciful romance. She'd never really experienced that, so that's why it didn't work out. However, she could have written a book about an orphan with magical powers quite well since she knows what it's like to be an orphan. Hmmm...

[L.T. Elliot]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

There's a big difference between writing what you know and writing what you know ABOUT.

You're the first author I know who has come right out and said it. On behalf of writers everywhere, THANK YOU!

[Melissa]

That's the most refreshing piece of advice I've heard in a long time.

Amen.

[shelli wells]

I agree. Also write what you live. What gets you up in morning and makes you work late at night.
shelli
http://www.faeriality.blogspot.com/

[Mary]

I initially thought that when teachers told me to write what I know they meant to write about the time I learned to ride a bike, or some other stupid thing like that.

But then I just decided to change what it meant for me. I didn't ditch it, or take up a new phrase, I just tweaked it.

I took it to mean that you have to put little pieces of what you know into a character or situation, not that you should just rewrite about a situation that happened to you. I think that if you take it that way, it works.

People write stories about animals or aliens or any number of strange, foreign things, but even though all the wild differences interest us, I think it's really all the humanity that they put into the character that really makes it work. The stories are about the human realities that the author knows and that they put into the character they're writing, not about any real truth about an animal. If it were really from an animal or an alien perspective, I don't think we wouldn't connect to it.

Anyway, that's how I took it.

[Scarlet Knight]

Hey! I'm taking a c.w. class and my teacher encourages us to write something new every week, as long as it's fiction. She rocks! I love fantasy and somehow I always end up writing it, so it's a good thing!
Love your blog, makes me happy =)

[Carson]

Brilliant.

[Carroie]

lol i seriously love ur writing shannon hale i am a 12 year old girl in georgia and stayed up all last night finishing Enna Burning! i love ALL of your books every time i read another one i say it is the best! i ham already on page 24 of River Secrets and just started reading it an hour ago! plz keep up the goor work! i love ur writting SO much! I have read (IN THIS ORDER)- Princess Academy, Book of a Thousand Days, The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and reading the river secrets! idk what I am going 2 do after i have read ALL of your books!

[Ruby Diamond]

I like that a lot. Thanks. :)

[Dr. Sallie N. Cheinsteen]

I have a question and please, anyone answer it. I've been debating this with myself for a long time.
I've been trying for the last seven months to write a book. Sitting down and starting the first page was so hard (I'm writing fantasy by the way). I kind of knew my direction, but not really. I wrote it because I wanted to please the people who read it. My book got dejected for a while. I wasn't excited anymore. Suddenly, just recently, I've found my purpose, found where I want to go, what I want to write about. This is HUGE for me. But the thing is, my main idea... it's not copying anyone, but it's related to a whole bunch of books at the same time. Books that I've read. So will people read this and think, "This is a fake!" Is it bad that it can be compared to these other books? I've written eighty five single spaced pages of this book and it's been a dilly. It takes place somewhere I've never even been so I guess I'm going beyond the "WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW" box. But what do I do if my story gets compared? How do you get a story that's completely your own?

[Beca]

If you we all write what we know, books would be tedious boring and old. nothing new will ever be learned, nothing to dream of, or imagine. there would be no thinking of what could have been or what can be.
Hey, we could all still be stuck in caves drawing stick figures on the ceilings if we stuck to what we know.
Step out of that. Jump into the unknown waters and let yourself sink in. That is when you learn to swim.
and then you can write what you know (because its you who creates that).
:)

[Rebecca Joy]

*applause* (:

[Jackee]

I've always interpreted "write what you know" to be write what emotions you know--what bits of human nature you've experienced. When Stephen Crane wrote Red Badge of Courage, he hadn't experienced war. And yet the book is celebrated for capturing what the Civil War really felt like. When someone says "write what you know," I only hear "write what you feel or have felt."

[Lois Moss]

"Write what fascinates you!" Here's a hearty "Amen!" to that!

[mb]

Hmm, and I always thought of it as "for now" advice. It's not the worst idea in the world to start by writing incidents out of your own life, learning to find the story arc in them, shaping them, making them more dramatic. But, except for some very gifted people who can turn this into something fabulous, it's an exercise. Start with what you know and work outward, maybe. Or not.

Re the question about how do you write a story that's your own: all writers are thieves. It's all in how you put the pieces together.

[calandria]

I'm nearly finished listening to the audiobook of Nancy Farmer's Sea of Trolls right now, and boy, am I glad she didn't write "what she knew" in the narrow sense it could mean! This book is an incredible blend of history and fantasy--my favorite genre. I am so happy it's only the first in a trilogy so I'll have two more to enjoy.

[mb]

Calandria -- I was just reading Nancy Farmer's bio on her website, and, amazingly, some of the more bizarre incidents in her fiction are taken directly from her life!

But then, maybe you don't have a life like that unless you have imagination!

[Heather Z.]

mb - because of you I just found out that Nancy Farmer has a website now (finally!). Thank you! You have just made my entire rest of the year, because not only that, I've found out she's doing a sequel to House of the Scorpion! It's like Christmas early.

[mb]

Nancy Farmer doesn't just have a website -- she has the most fascinating website I've ever read. Glad I could steer you to it!

[Miss Erin]

Thank you thank you thank you for saying this.

[Lainey]

Thank you, Shannon. You've cleared up a question I've always been confused on. My English teachers (that I trusted to give me advice on my writing) always told me to write what I knew, and I agreed, but always with reservations. Now I realize what my mind has been trying to figure out for ages: Write what you can imagine. Or you put it much better when you said:Write what fascinates you. So thank you. :)

[jenelcc]

I also think this reflects that bias in many creative writing programs for "gritty real life" and usually painfully depressing story telling. (As Shannon wrote about in her School Library Journal article) I think that creative writing classes (I've taken everything from low key ones to graduate level ones) are great for teaching craft, but they aren't all that great at teaching passion and heart. Most of the pieces I did for those classes were technically proficient, but weren't anywhere near as good (I think) as the "genre" novels I'm currently working on.

[jenelcc]

I also think this reflects that bias in many creative writing programs for "gritty real life" and usually painfully depressing story telling. (As Shannon wrote about in her School Library Journal article) I think that creative writing classes (I've taken everything from low key ones to graduate level ones) are great for teaching craft, but they aren't all that great at teaching passion and heart. Most of the pieces I did for those classes were technically proficient, but weren't anywhere near as good (I think) as the "genre" novels I'm currently working on.

[Maribeth]

I'm liking it. :D

[Calliope1of9]

Excellent advise. I couldn't agree more.

[Christen]

Shannon, you never cease to amaze me! Writing what facinates you is certainly better advice than writing what you know, because the only thing I know for sure is me and nobody wants to read about that. The other thing I know is what I create, and that is just about anything I want. It's important to write experiences realistically, but if I limited myself to only writing experiences I've had is limiting my ability to tell the story. Imagination works fine enough in the place of experience. I can feel just as well as any of my fantasy characters, so while I'm sure, like you said, that I've never, oh... fought in a magical war or gotten married to a secretive and sulky man, I can sure imagine to make up for it. Feelings, if expressed properly, can make up for any lack in experience on paper. :D

You rock.

[Carrie :)]

lol i seriously love ur writing shannon hale i am a 12 year old girl in georgia and stayed up all last night finishing Enna Burning! i love ALL of your books every time i read another one i say it is the best! i am already on page 166 of River Secrets and just started reading it 1 day ago! plz keep up the goor work! i love ur writting SO much! I have read (IN THIS ORDER)- Princess Academy, Book of a Thousand Days, The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and reading the river secrets! idk what I am going 2 do after i have read ALL of your books!

[Vicarious Reader]

The phrase "writing what you know about" is exceedingly broad. As Ms. Hale said in the above article, heartache, hope, and trust are things that can be learned, and then placed in worlds that parallel our own. I do not know nearly enough yet.

[Laura Z M]

"Write what you know" is actually very good advice, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the English teachers who have generously dispensed this wisdom over the years. It's too bad that more journalists and politicians haven't taken the advice to heart!

I entirely agree with you, Shannon, about writing what fascinates, and I'd bet most English teachers would agree as well. When English teachers tell their students, "Write what you know," I don't think they are trying to place limits on their students' creativity or squelch their imagination. I think it must be a response to something they've seen in their students' writing. Perhaps they sense that the students are out of their depth, that they are writing about subject matter they haven't studied or are taking on issues and emotions they haven't fully explored.

This advice is spot on, Shannon: "If you want to write something you don't yet know, then learn it. Study it. Make it your own." Few things grate this reader's nerves as much as botched facts. For example, there is a story that features a baseball game as a pivotal point in the plot. At a particularly intense moment the coach gives an impassioned pep talk to the pitcher. Problem is, any player (or even a casual fan) of the game would recognize that the scenario the coach describes could not possibly occur in the game of baseball. The writer clearly didn't do his homework.

And writing fantasy doesn't exempt a writer from doing research. Even a writer who creates an entirely new, fantastical world must tie it down with threads of truth to our own world, or readers will not be able to relate. The rich, resonant context of Princess Academy is created by the details derived from your research regarding stone quarries, Scandinavian foods, commerce, diplomacy, chain gang songs, etc. Because you studied these real-world topics and wrote "what you know," Miri's story plays out in front of a believable backdrop.

In short, I don't see the advice "write what you know" as a limitation, but as an invitation. It's an invitation to learn anything and to explore anywhere our imagination might take us. And then to write about it.

[shannon hale]

Hmm...While I agree with much of what you're saying, Laura Z M, I disagree with some as well. Quite often in my life, when someone has told me "write what you know" it was indeed to specifically discourage me from writing fantasy.

I agree that writers should do research and understand whatever subject they're writing that's beyond their intimate experience, but I don't think that we should keep ourselves from writing what we don't know. What I'm saying is, I don't think one need to KNOW something before writing it. For me, writing fiction is more exploration than explanation. This is true of all writing in some way, but especially for young writers, especially for all that glorious practice writing we do that will never be published.

You wrote that English teachers might give this advice to younger readers to warn them against "taking on issues and emotions they haven't fully explored." But isn't a creative writing paper a perfect place to probe issues and emotions a young person hasn't yet fully explored? Perhaps the quality of the story would be better if a young writer only wrote what they knew in immediate and real terms. But maybe the process is more important than the result here. I think the purpose of writing is much like the purpose of reading--to explore, to experience, to wrestle unto understanding. While some can interpret "write what you know" to mean whatever is most helpful to them, others can feel chained and squashed by these words. I can see that my POV on this issue certainly isn't the only valid one, but I'm going to stick with "write what fascinates you." Fascinate is an invigorating verb, encouraging, and works toward truth. If something fascinates me, I'm motivated to work to understand it.

[DaNae]

To fill in what happened in the "real" non-Sullivinaized life of Anne. She never did write about her town, instead she wrote fanciful stories that were sold to children. As a matter of fact one of her sons, I forget if it was Gem or Walter, had to defend her honor when a chum accused his mother of writing lies.

[Laura Z M]

Oooo, yeah. I see your point, Shannon. And you're right. What better way is there to explore our emotions and test the boundaries of what we know than through writing? I wasn't seeing the issue that way, and I appreciate your better perspective.

Must just be the academician in me coming through.

I need to loosen up.

But I have to ask, would you agree with "publish what you know"?

[*Emily*]

Your post and all the comments fascinate me. I understand the idea "write what you know" but for me, a wonderful way to learn is by writing! I often get the idea for a story with aspects I don't know anything/very much about, but because of the plot I've invented, I'm inspired to learn more about the other aspects and then also invent some things of my own, if I'm writing fantasy.

To sum it up, I really like what Shannon said about this and I agree. Thank you for posting this! It really insprired me!

[Loretta Torossian]

I recently read Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks and he actually speaks at length about this. Since the advice came from a fantasy writer (and that's what I love to write), I paid close attention. He said that the phrase is used loosely - not so much write only details and facts you know, but what you know about relationships and charactersistics and maybe people's personalities. You can put your characters in extraordinary situations and see what they will do. In some way or fashion, a writer needs to make sure their reader relates to the characters and to the writing. I've taken this advice to heart. I hated "write what you know" until I read Brooks's book and now it makes perfect sense!

Loretta

[Loretta Torossian]

By the way, I LOVE the change you suggested! "Write What Fascinates You" is way better than "Write What You Know."

[Catherine]

Thank you! I have never had an English teacher who told me anything other than "write what you know." I feel that if I take it to mean anything other than"write about something that's happend to you" I will get a 0 for the whole essay. Actually, I did have to rewrite an essay once becouse it wasn't exacly what the teacher wanted. "Writing frome experience," as they say on standarized tests, is realy boring. And pointless. "Writing what facinates you" is much, much better! Thanks agien!

[Heather]

New York Times Best Seller or not, Newberry Award winner or not, already adored by millions or not -I'm sure you still like to hear the news that yet another person has fallen in love with your writing. Am I right?
You are fabulous!

[Cassie]

I've actually often been told in English class that if you don't have any good experiences, make them up! And though I do believe that it is important to go beyond what you know and explore new realms, I think that we should always use a part of what we know in writing. I have difficulty reading a story if I find the characters unrealistic. I think that authors should use their personal knowledge of human nature and how people vary from that as a base for their exploration. And I do believe that knowledge gained from reading books counts as personal knowledge.

[Cando]

What better way to get out of everyday life than to write or read a book about something that we don't experience everyday? Shannon, I like that you just put what you think out there for everyone to read. I agree with you.