Instead of trying to, 'write what you know' and getting frustrated by it, try, 'writing what you love'![/caption]As a writer myself I have heard a lot of different takes on the craft, I have heard that the only way to become a writer is to spend an inordinate time taking creative writing courses when you are in High School and in College, I have heard that you are supposed to become a member of as many amateur writing clubs as humanly possible, and to have your own support group and 12 step program, and all sorts and kinds of other nonsense... And you want to know what that has resulted in? That has resulted in almost everyone I have ever met who has tried their hand at writing taking literally, YEARS to finish their novels, short stories, or what ever they were writing!
That's insane!
No offense, but to those of you guys out there that are looking to start a writing career, listen, it is true that you need to go to School to learn to write, I mean you need to learn how to form sentences and grammar and the like, but in all truth, you don't need to go to college to get a degree in how to write a story! I am going to give you one tip, and one tip only... WRITE!
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All the support groups in the world won't prepare you for the one thing you need in this world, and that is to just, 'WRITE!'[/caption]That's right folks, most people say that you should, 'write what you know,' and you know what? That is a good point, but for me (and I have been writing in various forms since I was, '5',) instead of starting with, 'write what you know', try, 'write what you love'... And don't get overly caught up in every single detail down to where the rocks in the story are located!
Now before I go on I should say that you should try to make your story as accurate as possible, all I am saying is to let the words flow out of you, and if you need to research something for historical accuracy, or something about a mechanical device or whatever, do so, just don't spend six months planning out, 'chapter 1' in extreme detail, and then another 6 months researching... let's say, 'A Pentium 3 computer' down to the history of the factory where the metal that was used to build the case came from. Just write what you love, and the words will flow from you, and as you need to do research on something the, 'write what you know' part will come to play!
So rather or not you are a Science Fiction fan and want to write the next great intergalactic epic, or are a romance writer and want to write about the latest and greatest love affair, try, 'writing what you love,' and then the, 'writing what you know,' will come as you write, and trust me when I say that the words will flow freely... And well, in the end you may not always come out with the next great American novel, you will get to a novel that I assure you, that you will love reading as much as writing... But in the end despite all else, don't plan to write, just do what the Nike commercials used to say and, 'Just Do It!'
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Trust me when I say that, 'when you write what you love,' you will, 'love what you wrote!'[/caption]
