How to Write What You Know 

Very interesting take. I've always taken "write what you know" as a starting point, as if, if you begin with something you're familiar with, it's less daunting.

I'm certain I'm not the only one but I find your videos extremely valuable. None of the fluff and all of the meat. Thank you!

I pretty much agree with all of what you said. I'd add for the part about belief and commitment that it's helpful to do introspection and figure out what resonates with you thematically, as that seems more promising as a fuel source for long-term creative writing than surface-level things like 'I want to write a story about wizards because I like wizards, that's all.' Not that there's anything wrong that, just seems like it doesn't have the staying power to keep someone going through the process, as there's a lack of emotional connection and resonance to it. Very easy to burn out and/or quit writing your novel when you don't have a deeper, stronger reason to write it. It can also be good to jot down a list of themes/patterns in your own life, as options to draw from - e.g. a journey from insecurity to confidence, learning how to manage anger issues, struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, finding the love of your life, etc. What are the things you struggle with the most, things that bring you joy, things that you desire and yearn for, things that you regret and wonder or know how you'd do them over again (or why you wouldn't despite the regret), that have had a lasting impact on you.

Good stuff. Looking forward to more videos.

keep doing you and thank you

Also, I think 'Write what you *need* to know' might be a better way to think about this. (Although I also like your 'Know what you write.') Let's say you've decided to write a story about a thief, and you know a little bit of what the life of someone like that is about but not enough to fulfill the needs of the story. One of those needs could be understanding how a skilled thief might plausibly get around a heavily guarded area to swipe their target prize; things like remaining very still and holding one's breath a long time, knowing one's surroundings and scouting out the targeted place in advance (which may not always be an option depending on the circumstances), stepping lightly, what footwear to wear to minimize sound as much as possible (cloth wrapping vs clacking or even slightly sticky shoes), etc. Or it could be understanding that often thieves wind up disappointed with the value of their loot and one of the consequence of their efforts and risks in stealing it was a far lower return on investment. Before research commences though, it might also be good to ask yourself what might be missing and see if you can come up with answers yourself first. Because even if you discover your intuition or rough knowledge on the subject was inaccurate or outright wrong about (some of) those aspects, you were still getting your mind primed to think about building the world in the process, and may have stumbled upon some ideas that you quite like and could still use after you've learned more about thievery (and its related concepts). Which I think is important for giving the writer the room to get some feel for the story, and to get comfortable being lost and into the headspace of curiosity and wanting to fill the ever-shrinking void with questions, creative thinking, and (soft) decisions. Why is my character a thief? You don't know need a background in burglary or psychology to give good answers for that one. Consider what tends to drive people to such criminal behaviour; their circumstances, their upbringing, their beliefs about the world and themselves, what they were trained to do (who trained them and what *they* might be like), what they studied in order to survive and/or thrive, etc. It may depend on the person, but I find it easier to do the research when I'm already decently invested in at least the protagonist's plights, predicaments, and/or proclivities.

Good work! I really like your approach and style in the video. It's exactly how I approach crafting worlds and storylines. It makes me feel, like you know what you write and write what you know ;-)

❤

I think your examples were necessary but not sufficient. Lot of people "know" about their characerts' settings and place, etc. but still fudge details. For example, Mario Puzo knew a LOT about NY gangsters but when he spoke of their guns he displayed serious ignorance on the subject.

I would say if one writes as unreliable narrator then one can get away with barely any research.