We’ve all heard this one: ‘Write what you know.’ And, as
erotica writers, possibly worried about the assumptions people might make about
us based on our subject matter. Just me? No, I didn’t think so. And no matter
how many times you repeat the mantra that Agatha Christie wasn’t a serial
killer, it's unlikely you'd write about kinky sex if you had no interest in it whatsoever.
But, and it’s a big but (no pun intended), writing what you
know doesn’t mean that every story you produce is autobiographical. That would
mean there would be no such thing as fiction. And you’d run out of stories
pretty quick (speaking for myself; perhaps your life is one big sexual adventure!).
I think writing what you know is more about the detail than the grand plots. We all have a unique set of experiences and knowledge to draw on and combine in our work. That’s why there’s always room for another decent writer in what might seem like a saturated marketplace. No-one else can write quite like you, or me. I might be able to describe what it’s like to break up heavy soil with a spade because I have an allotment. You might be able to describe something I know nothing about, like reading computer code or the smell of a ferret. I recently read Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea and was struck by the depth of the description that can only have come from an intimate knowledge of the sea and its wildlife. It doesn’t mean Hemingway ever battled an 18ft marlin like the old man does in the book. But it does mean he used his skills as a writer to bring that to life realistically for someone who doesn't have the same knowledge or experience of the sea.
I think writing what you know is more about the detail than the grand plots. We all have a unique set of experiences and knowledge to draw on and combine in our work. That’s why there’s always room for another decent writer in what might seem like a saturated marketplace. No-one else can write quite like you, or me. I might be able to describe what it’s like to break up heavy soil with a spade because I have an allotment. You might be able to describe something I know nothing about, like reading computer code or the smell of a ferret. I recently read Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea and was struck by the depth of the description that can only have come from an intimate knowledge of the sea and its wildlife. It doesn’t mean Hemingway ever battled an 18ft marlin like the old man does in the book. But it does mean he used his skills as a writer to bring that to life realistically for someone who doesn't have the same knowledge or experience of the sea.
When you write about sex, I don’t think it means you have to
have been promiscuous, or to have done absolutely everything that you write
about. Otherwise we could never write from the point of view of someone not our
own gender or orientation. This doesn’t mean you don’t have to do your research
and get your facts right, but just like researching how to write a murder wouldn’t
mean carrying one out, researching sex and kink doesn’t mean you need to be
having one-night stands every weekend or own a fully equipped dungeon full of
gear.
That’s what your imagination is for; a little knowledge goes a long way in the imagination of a writer. Writing what you know is more about observing the world through a writer's eyes and storing away quirky little things you see and hear for future reference, then applying those unique little details to the fantasy world of your stories to make them really come to life.
That’s what your imagination is for; a little knowledge goes a long way in the imagination of a writer. Writing what you know is more about observing the world through a writer's eyes and storing away quirky little things you see and hear for future reference, then applying those unique little details to the fantasy world of your stories to make them really come to life.
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