Write what you know, or...

by Kris Neri

Read below to have a chance at two different contest prizes that will go to two lucky commenters, a copy of my newly-reprinted thriller Never Say Die, and a copy of my 8-lesson writing DVD, Writing Killer Mysteries with Kris Neri: Eight Lessons to Get You Into Print.

Mark Twain once advised writers to write what they know. To be fair to Twain, that quote has probably been taken out of context and misunderstood. But whether he meant it in a broader sense or not, the question remains: should writers write what they know, or should they write what they want to know, what they deeply understand, the book and characters they connect to passionately?

I'd like to say I’m firmly in the latter camp. All of my characters, once they came to me, refused to let go until I wrote them into books. But they haven’t come from my life and circumstances. What I find especially interesting is that readers often assume that some of them come from my life, while others do not. My Tracy Eaton mystery series is one that loads of people believe must be based on truth. If you’re not familiar with it, that series features the daughter of reality-challenged Hollywood stars. I truly can’t count the number of people who’ve asked me who my parents are, as if they’re sure I’m going to name celebrities they know.

Sorry, folks, but Tracy’s over-the-top Hollywood parents, Martha Collins and Alec Grainger, are purely products of my imagination. I haven’t based them on anyone I’ve ever known, not to mention anyone I’ve ever been related to.

I also write the Samantha Brennan and Annabelle Haggerty magical series, featuring a questionable psychic who teams up with a modern goddess who is also an FBI agent. Nobody ever assumes I’m writing that from personal experience. I guess I don’t seem all that goddess-like.

The other book that people often seem to think I must have based on my real life is Never Say Die, a standalone thriller featuring edgy, enigmatic Zoey Morgan, a professional triathlete being hunted by some unknown killer. Now that Never Say Die is newly back in print, this is probably a question I’ll have to field again.

In Never Say Die, as Zoey preps for the most critical, career-making race of her life, someone hits her with a car during a training run and leaves her for dead. Though she pulls back from death’s door, she leaves behind in that nether world her memory of what might have led to the accident. As the attacks against her escalate, and the police strangely seem to regard her more as a suspect than a victim, Zoey must struggle alone to save her own life. But the choices she’s made in her shadowy life make that hard. While she prides herself on her strength and stamina in the face of physical challenges, she often retreats into cowardice in the emotional arena. Now that she needs them most, she doesn’t have the skills she needs to stand firm and fight. The things this enigmatic heroine doesn’t know about her own life just might get her killed.

On the most superficial level, it should be clear that Zoey doesn’t come from my life. She’s younger, blonder, and more fit than I’ve ever been. I have never remotely considered a career in professional athletics. So, how do I know so much about this niche career in what is a small sport in this country? At one time, my husband was a middle-aged, middle-of-the-pack amateur triathlete, and through him I met some female pros, who generously shared the insider secrets of their lives and work.

I put Zoey first in a couple of short stories, “Sentence Imposed” and “Deadly Obsessions.” I thought Zoey and I would be through with each other after writing those. Instead, I found I wanted to know more about her life. I wanted to know how she came to be the woman I met in “Sentence Imposed,” the first of the stories. In effect, my novel Never Say Die is a prequel to those stories, a history of Zoey’s many challenges and her growth.

So, no, I’ve never shared her career. But there are aspects of Zoey’s makeup I deeply understand. I understand her drive, her obsession — because I find those qualities in my own makeup. I also know why she holds back sometimes because I have those corners in my own character as well. My life is certainly not Zoey’s, but maybe a few aspects of it have become building blocks in hers.

Okay, so maybe I do both. Maybe I do sometimes write what I know. But after those things are processed through the character and her circumstances, I’m not sure that anybody but me could tell.

How about you, writers? Do you write what you know? And, readers, do you look for characters whose circumstances mirror your own?

 I will randomly choose one person leaving a comment to win a copy of Never Say Die. And I will choose one person to receive a copy of my writing DVD course, Writing Killer Mysteries with Kris Neri. Please indicate in your comment whether you want to be considered for either or both.

Comments

[Karen in Ohio]

Writing what you know is very good advice, up to a point. But I doubt anyone had ever been to Narnia, or through the standing stones, or in any of Vonnegut's worlds. Imagination has to count for something, and I'm glad of so many writers who have one, in spades.

[Karen in Ohio]

I'd love to be considered for the DVD, Kris, and thank you for the opportunity.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Yes, I write what I know. But question is-- why does "Know" mean? It can mean care bout, wonder about, imagine..right?

And "mirror" means the opposite thing, right?

xo

[Louise M. Signorelli]

We write what we know emotionally - and can imagine from there. I've never murdered anyone, but I've been angry, so I understand the feeling behind murder. I've never been an outcast cursed by the enemy in a society where magic abounds, but I witnessed the South right at the passing of Brown vs The Board of Education, so I know hatred and suspicion and fear.
Kris, I already have the DVD set, so just put me in the drawing for your book.

[KarenM]

Kris,

I must have missed your stand-alone novel. I'd love to win a copy. I know absolutely nothing about triathalons, so it will certainly be informative.

[krisneri]

The randomly chosen winners of the contest are: DVD - Karen in Ohio; a copy of Never Say Die: Louise Signorelli. Wish I had more prizes, but I will hold this contest again soon. If the winners will contact me at krisneri at msn dot com (putting those elements together as usual) with mailing addresses, I'll get them out to you soon.