Write What You Know?

Writer: Joel Shulkin, MD

We’ve all heard the advice at every stage in our writing career: “Write what you know.” But what does that mean, exactly? Should you only write memoirs? If your primary interest is collecting stamps, should all your books be about philatelists? It helps to deconstruct this writing tip and better understand what it’s really telling us, as authors, to do.

What do you know?

At its core, the advice to “write what you know” is suggesting that, if you’re searching where to start, you should use experiences and knowledge you already have. If you set out to write a book about a nuclear physicist dealing with a problem involving a nuclear power plant, you better already know a fair bit about the topic, or you’re going to be spending most of your time researching nuclear science before you even start to write the story. Why? Because readers expect your story, even if science fiction or fantasy, to have some connection to reality, which means you need to know what you’re talking about. If your protagonist tries to repair a nuclear reactor with a Phillips head screwdriver, you can bet a reader will call you out. 

So, if you’re a lawyer, writing a legal thriller or drama might be a good first book. If you’re a wine enthusiast, one of your characters might also be a wine enthusiast. Because of your experiences, you’ll be able to pull personal anecdotes and experiences into the story, and you won’t have to dig up quite as many facts and details. You may even be able to use a problem you encountered in your line of work or your hobby that evolves into a plotline. Or your job may attract an intriguing collection of characters. By writing about things you know, your story will feel more familiar as you write.

But Does It Fit?

That idea you have for a cozy mystery where a fast-food restaurant manager (because you once held that job) solves crimes in his free time won’t work if you can’t find a way to make it plausible. Unless that restaurant is rife with crime, there’s not a good reason for the manager to get involved. But a plumber who finds evidence of criminal mischief in the pipes and overhears clandestine conversations? Now that’s intriguing!

Write Some of What You Know

It’s important not to throw in every bit of information you know, either, unless it is important to the story. If you’re a mechanic, readers don’t need or want to know about every aspect of how a carburetor works—unless that broken carburetor leads to finding the villain. Knowledge should be sprinkled sparingly and effectively, or you risk slowing down the story and boring the reader.

Write the Story You Want to Read

My profession is developmental-behavioral pediatrics. I work in a clinic, seeing kids with autism and other learning and developmental disorders. I coordinate their education and therapy plans and counsel parents on what to expect. None of that makes for a gripping thriller, and having a murder take place in the clinic would be senseless. But in my practice, I sometimes deal with psychiatric disorders and treatment, and I must understand how the brain works, including what affects our memory. So, writing a book about a psychiatrist prescribing an experimental memory drug with unintended adverse effects wasn’t such a stretch.

Even though I’m a doctor, I’m not a memory expert. That meant I had to do research. I read peer-reviewed articles and textbooks. I consulted neurologist friends. I learned what I wanted to know more about so that I could write the story I wanted to read. 

So, if you have some cool background that would make for a great story, use it—just make sure it fits, and don’t use too much. And if you don’t, that’s okay. That’s what research is for. 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some research to do on plumbing.

About the Writer:

Joel Shulkin, MD, is the author of Adverse Effects and Toxic Effects, the first two novels in the Memory Thieves series, and he has penned award-winning short stories and poetry. A pediatrician and United States Air Force veteran with a masters in public health, Joel lives in Florida with his wife and two daughters.

Website: authorjoelshulkin.com