Write What You Know/Write What You Like to Read

I'm sure we've all read a lot from both schools of thought, and as a wannabe I'm still trying to figure out which writing style I prefer.   Over the years and after poring over my "Starts and Fits" folder it seems I've favored the latter, preferring what I consider an offbeat taste in fiction to personal experience, knowledge or researched data. 

Ultimately, I realize I've mixed the two in many of my stories, leaning on my upbringing, my youth, my memories and my life experiences.  From there I've either taken some liberties or gone off in unexpected directions.  Any thoughts?

Comments

  1. Mary KirklandMay 9, 2021 at 2:36 PM

    I was always the, "Write what you know" kind of person. still am I guess. I wrote a whole mess of small animal care articles for a websites years ago. Because that was what I knew and it was easy to write about what you know. Now if I tried writing a romance novel, which is what I like to read...I don't think I would be very successful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. presstfortimeMay 11, 2021 at 3:12 AM

      Years ago, I tried the small town rag thing, complete with interviews with locals, research, etc., and found that I really didn't like it much. Many brief stories I've written began during a particularly dark period, and with a brighter outlook I sometimes dig them out and go "man, what the hell...". I still prefer writing what I'd like to read, even though it's hard to find it.

      Delete
  2. J E OneilMay 10, 2021 at 11:26 AM

    I've heard that "write what you know" before, but honestly, I never think of writing in those terms. I suppose that makes me more in the write what you like camp, since I just write what I feel like writing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. presstfortimeMay 11, 2021 at 3:12 AM

      That's pretty much where I stand. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. Debra She Who SeeksMay 11, 2021 at 7:17 AM

    I'm not much of a writer but I find my personal emotional reactions to experiences showing up in stories that are definitely not about my own personal experiences. I don't see how a mixture of the two would NOT occur.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. presstfortimeMay 12, 2021 at 2:42 AM

      Some of my writing is my personal reaction to actual experiences, Debra. I do take some liberties, though.

      Delete
  4. Sandra CoxMay 11, 2021 at 9:03 AM

    I'm all for mixing and melding story lines:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Liz A.May 11, 2021 at 5:40 PM

    Whatever works, right? No bit of writing advice that is widely disseminated (I think that's the word I want) ever tells the whole story, so to speak. If it feels right, it's probably right.

    ReplyDelete
  6. LiesbetMay 22, 2021 at 2:21 PM

    My writing preferences are very, very easy and straightforward: I stick to creative non-fiction as I have thousands of stories and experiences to share about my relatively unique lifestyle. This comes easy to me. I never tried my hand at fiction for three reasons: I feel the real world is exciting enough, I don't think I would be good at it, and this way I never have to worry about inconsistencies or going overboard. So, to refer to your title and answer your question, I am obviously writing "what I know." :-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

(Cruisin' on the) Beer B(l)oat

Image
  My wonderful, loving, caring much younger wife has helped me over the years convert my beerlove from an almost-12-pack-a-night cheap lite shit habit to a more refined occasional local-microbrew-or-two per week one, and my health's all the better for it.  Honestly.  I'm healthier and feel better in my fifties than I did in my twenties and thirties thanks to her.   Between the above-mentioned habit shift and an almost 80 lb. weight loss over a few years I quite literally owe her my life.  Stepping on our scale is a morning routine, and this morning I found myself feeling bloated while undressing for my shower.  Yesterday we picked up a sixer of one of many awesome local Octoberfests (wifey's a fiend) now that they're coming out, and we each sipped a couple while Netflixing and enjoying an intensely heavy thunderstorm.   So this morning I stripped naked and, after observing my paunch in the mirror reluctantly stepped on the old honesty meter.  Disappointed? Sure, but I k
Read more

Are You Afraid of Dying?

  Are you afraid to die?   During a recent hike I thought about this, and the notion has taken up residence in my head since then.  A trail my wife and I were on had a section that was quite hazardous with slick, moss-carpeted rocks and a steep downward slope on one side.  As happens often my imagination got the best of me, and I envisioned myself slipping on the rocks and dropping over the edge, my scream echoing off the surrounding mountains we'd been admiring only minutes earlier. I imagined the pain my death would cause my wife and children, and the horror my wife would feel seeing me disappear, my screams most certainly haunting her for eternity. I suppose I'm not afraid to die; the older I get, the more I think, "Well, when it's my time, it's my time."   I think what actually scares me is dying a painful death.  That makes me a sissy, sure, but there you have it.  The pain, and also- and this is probably ridiculous- the idiotic concern that the way I die
Read more

Paying Tribute to What, I'm Not Exactly Sure

I'm trying to determine whether this is a record review, a rant or a sad nod to a failing memory- I've had a love/hate relationship with Elton John since the early seventies.  I wish I could remember which of his fantastic hits was the first I'd heard, or where/when, exactly, I heard it.  Sadly, my brain has failed me over the years, and these are among the memories that have slipped into a void, never to be retrieved. I used to be the proud owner of a gargantuan vinyl collection, a good portion of which was the majority of Elton's catalog.  One of the very first albums I bought was "11-17-70", his first live album, broadcast by WABC in New York.   "Sixty Years On", one of my all-time favorites, is a fantastic tune which takes the studio version 10 steps further in my opinion, though both versions have their own qualities. My opening sentence is only partially true.  I've actually loved Elton's music since day one, with the exception of parts
Read more