Write What You DON'T Know

My writing friend K.M. Weiland recently asked on Twitter what the worst piece of writing advice you've ever received is.

I had a prompt response:

Write what you know.

While this piece of advice is common in writer's circles, I'd have to say my stories would be pretty boring if I wrote about what I know. Who really wants to read about a stay-at-home mom nursing her infant son or trying to figure out how to get hand lotion out of her two-year-old's curly locks? Sounds pretty boring to me--and I've done both of these in the last 24 hours.

I write mystery and science fiction. Have I ever stumbled over a dead body? As long as you don't count the funerals I've gone to, no. Have I ever solved a crime? No. Have I ever flown in space? Okay, that one could get a varied response based on who you ask--some may say I'm a space cadet. Technically, the answer is no. (Not that I wouldn't if offered!)

I've done all these things while writing, yet I have no personal knowledge of any of them.

Research is the answer. Even a romance book requires some research. Unless a writer was raised in an Amish or closed community, how else are they going to know how to write so-called "bonnet romances"? Research. If I need to know the difference between a Glock G26 and a Saturday Night Special, what do I do? Research.

My point is that instead of "writing what we know," the creative use of research allows us as writers to fill in the blanks that we don't know, sometimes with mundane, but most of the time with interesting facts we've discovered. It gives us a chance to get it right: talking to a homicide detective about how they solve a crime, for instance.

My local writing buddy, Juliet Kincaid, taught a lesson at a Sisters in Crime meeting a few years ago. I wish she had that lesson online so I could share it with you, but it basically shared some creative places to do your research. She writes primarily historical mysteries, so she makes good use of librarians--I would never have thought of asking a librarian before her talk!

For more on research, I highly recommend this post by K.M. Weiland.

So, going back to K.M.'s question, what's the worst piece of writing advice you've ever received?

Until next time,



P.S. K.M. Weiland covered this topic as well yesterday her blog. Check it out here.

My Favorite Resources

I thought today I'd share with you some of my favorite places on the web that have really made me think about my writing and how to improve it. While this list is nowhere near comprehensive, I hope the sampling provides you with some new places to visit frequently.

Agent/Editor Blogs

The Rejectionist -- This isn't an agent/editor blog per se, however this person is an assistant to what I suspect is a major NY agent. His/her rants are quite comical at times, but usually right on the mark, especially if they share any quotes from queries they've received. This person does seem to be mildly obsessed with Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, and will occasionally go into spurts of talking like him. (One of the categories that they regularly post in is We hates it precioussss.)

Evil Editor -- I haven't quite cracked the nut on this one yet. It seems most of the time, the posts break down a persons plot and explains why it won't work. Other times, it's a query letter. A few comics are spread throughout. Regardless, I usually get some nugget from reading the posts.

Query Shark -- In my opinion, this is one of the best teaching tools for wannabe published writers. As she receives worthy queries, Janet Reid critiques submitted queries and explains why they don't work--or why they do and why she'd request additional chapters. If you want to put your query through the ringer, though, be sure to read EVERYTHING that's been posted, or you'll quickly be rejected! And, read the rules, too. It gets you into good practice for when you start submitting your work.

Miss Snark's First Victim -- If you're not familiar with Miss Snark, and admittedly, I'm not, you may find the title of this blog a bit odd. However, when you get into the meat of this blog, you'll find it very helpful--I have. Once a month, this blog hosts a 'mystery guest', which is a literary agent. You're invited to submit the first 250 words +/- of your completed, polished novel if you fit the requirements. Then everyone can critique your work--including the mystery agent. At the end, the agent is revealed, and s/he selects a few works they want to see more of, so you have an opportunity if you're one of the lucky few to pitch your book. If you don't get picked, you still get some good advice. I put Homebody through the paces there in November.

Rachelle Gardner -- Okay, I'll admit it. At the moment, I think Rachelle Gardner is my dream agent. Of all the agent blogs I follow, and the agents I follow on Twitter, I think she's probably one of the classiest. Reading her blog posts, you can really tell that she truly cares about the people she represents, and respects authors in general (not that other agents don't). Her blog is always helpful and thought provoking. Now if I can just craft or edit a book that she may be interested in! Homebody and Cora's Song are too rough around the edges, and I think Beyond Dead, once it's edited, will contain too many sci-fi elements. *sigh*


Author Blogs

K.M. Weiland's Wordplay -- K.M. has become a good cyber-friend, so I may be a little biased, but I truly think her blog Wordplay is fabulous. Each Sunday, she posts on a topic pertinent to becoming a better writer. Regardless of the topic, she makes you think, even if you don't think the topic is applicable to your particular style of writing. Her companion podcast is also superb, and you can find it (and subscribe!) on iTunes, or listen to it on her site. She's also begun a new Wednesday feature with a video podcast.

AuthorCulture -- Along with Linda Yezak and Lynnette Bonner, K.M. Weiland also writes for AuthorCulture. These three ladies always have something interesting to say, and frequently use examples from their own projects. At the end of the month, they share a roundup of resources they've uncovered over the month that may help you, and you sure don't want to miss Fabulously Fun Fridays at AuthorCulture--it's like a box of chocolates; you never know what you'll get!

777 Peppermint Place -- Linda Yezak, pre-published author, shares about personal goings-on, but most often about her writing life. Whether it's regarding her adventures of rewriting her book, finding an agent, or mulling over her diet, her posts are always fun.

The Graveyard Shift -- Non-fiction author and former cop Lee Lofland's blog is always informative, especially if you're writing crime fiction. He reviews episodes of ABC's Castle, detailing why things wouldn't work from a cop's perspective, but also details topics pertinent to those writing crime fiction, or are even just curious about how things work. His book, Police Procedure & Investigation was published through Writer's Digest Books, and is extremely helpful. He also is a member of a Yahoo! group on writing crime fiction, crimescenewriter.


Miscellaneous Blogs

The Character Therapist -- Writer and Licensed Therapist Jeannie Campbell has one of the most unique blogs for writers out there. She posts twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Every Tuesday, she selects a character sketch or outline from her readers and puts the characters on the couch, so to speak. She takes your premise as a guide, then tells you from a psychological point of view why your characters would or wouldn't work. She'll also give you ideas to tweak your characters to bring them in line with what would be acceptable behavior if they're way out of line. Thursdays, Jeannie tends to go through various psychological maladies and how you could use them in your writing. Like Query Shark, be sure to read the rules, though there aren't as many and they aren't as strict as The Shark.


Twitter

Some may say that Twitter isn't worth the time, however I've found that I learn a lot from following agents and authors on Twitter. Some of the time it's just a nodding, 'I'm going to file that away'. Other times, it's an aghast open mouth thinking 'what where they thinking?' (These are usually from seeing something marked #queryquotes -- a very good search to save!)

Since time is running short, here's just my top 10. You can find more by following me, @righter1 and either my list 'Important Folks' or 'Agents'.

@RachelleGardner
@Agentgame
@WolfsonLiterary (she may not have started #queryquotes, but I think she's the queen now!)
@WritersDigest
@BostonBookGirl
@LeeLofland
@KMWeiland
@pprmint777
@Brandilyn
@Bradfordlit

So, I've shared mine. How about you? What are some of the resources you couldn't live without online?

Until next time,