Write What You Know
Like many other people I wanted to rip my hair out when I heard this “writing advice.”
It’s rare that anyone is able to clearly explain what that means. It sounds like such generic, vague feedback you’d get from a high school English teacher with an attitude of “and I will not elaborate.”
So after much trial and error and much, much, much failure, I think I’ve figured it out.
Find a dragon to slay
While the existence of real dragons is still being debated, in western myths and legends dragons were personifications of evil to be triumphed over. Large, scary obstacles for knights to overcome and princesses to escape. Dragons were blamed for hoarding treasures, stealing resources from the community, and raining down destruction on pesky humans on lands they decided were theirs.
Now, switch the words up.
Dragons become Kings, warlords, nobles, robber barons, CEOs, billionaires, corrupt politicians or businessmen or systems of oppression. We may not have dragons to slay, but we sure know how it feels to be a victim of one's greed.
A dragon could be a personal or societal struggle. Mental or physical health issues, grief, financial stress, feeling trapped in something draining the life out of you. An abusive ex relationship, situationship, family member, or friend.
We have all been through situations in life where we just wanted someone to save me. Through those experiences we grow and change. Sometimes others can be there to save us. But when no one is, well, congratulations, you have gone through a character arc.
I always knew I’d hate being a main character. But it made me decent at writing them.
Self-awareness and reflection give you a story core
The best writers and storytellers have a deep understanding of both themselves and how the human spirit fights to survive impossible odds.
Finding the heart or core of the story you are trying to tell can give it the direction and grounding needed to take it from okay but forgettable to one that holds a reader captive and they compare other stories against yours from that point on.
So far you have picked a dragon to slay, but why did you choose that one?
What lesson did you have to learn yourself to face similar dragons in your life?
What was your motivation in overcoming your monster? What kept you going when it felt impossible? Is it similar to what your characters are experiencing? Do they react differently or along the same patterns you did under those conditions?
This is a big reason writing stories is cathartic and healing. Intentional or subconsciously our experiences slip into our books, screenplay, music, art, etc.
It is a way to process and maybe correct the disappointments of real injustices.
And to share it with audiences who take a deep breath when they finally see pieces of themselves within you and your experiences.
Creating is your truth in action.
Dream of matchsticks
On the flipside, we all know what it’s like to dream of something beyond our reach at the present moment.
Like in the Hans Christian Anderson story of “The Little Match Girl” not all dreams can come true. Sometimes, dreams are all that keep us going or sooth us through the difficult points of life.
The myth of Pandora’s Box and the spark of hope given to humanity to survive so much struggle speaks to the human will to find the silverlining. Even if, like me, you are a beaten down cynic, there is always a small part hoping for something better to come.
I love to find and create new story worlds to escape into. It is often more bearable than real life.
Most of the stories I read or write are filled with emotional turmoil, war, or complexly stressful events. I want to see the characters survive them. If they can do it, so can I.
Dreams keep us going and sustain us.
We love stories because they prove again and again that there is always something we can do to save ourselves. We can have goals that feel like scaling mountains, but why not try?
Incorporating dreams into your stories is the same.
Learning to dream again of places and situations we may or may not see in real life can be just as powerful as lived experiences. Ground it with the human experiences and dragons above, and those dreams can become life changing books or movies one day.
Writing what you know made me think my life was boring so how could I ever write a good story? It sounds like the only thing we could write is an autobiography about our own life. Personally, that’s what my extremely messy private journal is for.
I love magic, mystery, globe trotting adventures in worlds near and far.
I can still write what I know.
Even though I haven’t slayed a literal dragon before, I’ve survived enough to write about them. So I know you can, too.
~Ezrina
