Write What You Know...Huh?

I don't know where I heard it, but at some point in my writing career I've heard the advice, "Write what you know."

Write what you know?

At face value it would appear to be good advice, that was until I sat down and considered what I knew.

During the course of my life experience, I know how NOT to make a million dollars. I know that an eulogy should never be presented through interpretive dance (but that's another story); I know when the wife and I are arguing I'm rarely right and she's never wrong (but you have to appreciate my spirit in going for it anyway).

I know that if I were to write what I knew, I could save a lot trees during the printing process.

The arrogance of youth has passed and I've come to realize, life isn't as black and white as I originally thought, and I'm not as sure as I used to be. So what to write?

What the hell did I really know?

What to write?

Hmm.

Unfortunately, three years ago, I watched a person  near and dear to me lose a battle to cancer (sadly, it's touched so many families). Throughout that battle, this man, demonstrated great courage. A lot happened during that two year battle, and many thought, as a writer, I should write about it. I realized, however, that my tale was not unique; unfortunately too many other families had been through what I had to differing degrees of difficulty, pain and suffering.

What I knew during this time was courage; a courage I had witnessed firsthand.

In the back of my mind, for several years, a story had been percolating - the story of an interracial love affair that ended in a 'honor killing' (I hate to use those two words as there is no honor in killing). I wanted to approach it from the perspective of the white male who falls in love with the Muslim woman only to discover some time after her death that it was rumored to be at the hands of her family because of her relationship with him, not as the result of a robbery.

The story had been percolating for quite some time, but just wouldn't form in my mind - come together as an idea that was ready to be told.

But I knew courage, because I had seen it. And while that was under different circumstances, I wondered if I could find the courage to put myself out there - something that made me extremely uncomfortable. It was then that the story finally came together.

I'm a participant in a interracial marriage. My wife and I were married in a beautiful Muslim ceremony. I used aspects of our early relationship in shaping Tripping on Tears. I decided that I would put a certain amount of myself into the thoughts and feelings of the unnamed male protagonist, who while recalling his love for Safia, is dealing with newfound feelings of hatred, and, yes, possibly even racism. I put a lot of myself in there, knowing that those who knew me would know what was fiction and what was not.

I also wanted to pay tribute to my parents, two exceptional individuals. So I put a lot about them in there. Tripping on Tears is a work of fiction, it is not completely autobiographical, but there are things in there that are, and that I felt uncomfortable putting out there (while no reader would know what's real and what's not, I still knew part of me was out there). It was in finding the courage to use aspects of my own life that I was able to finally embrace and write my first completed novel. It seemed  like a miracle. While I could rattle off a screenplay, I'd yet to finish a manuscript.

I'd done it, but, what next?

I felt I had accomplished something with Tripping on Tears, but what more could I write? I couldn't rely on me for all my material (I'm just not that interesting, and I used a lot of it in that first book).

"Write what you know."

I did with Tripping on Tears, to a degree. With The Merry Pranked, an out-and-out thriller I wrote what I didn't know. I've never sought revenge, nor have I ever found myself in a relationship with a serial killer (although I suspect during my dating days that I'd come close, you know what I mean? I'll bet women know even better, from their side of the dating equation).

With The Merry Pranked I just let my imagination guide me and tried to tell an interesting tale. But what I had learned, and what I knew was the courage to put stuff out there, whether I was comfortable with it or not. I used that for The Merry Pranked, and even more so with the new thriller I'm working on, The Marquis Mark. I found the courage to challenge myself as a writer and not settle; so much so that there are ideas and even chapters that I've written that have challenged me, especially in the new book I'm working on. I know while I love comedy, I also have a dark side, and I've tried not to censor myself. I figure if it challenges me during the writing or makes me cringe, hopefully that will translate into challenging the reader if I'm ever lucky enough to develop a reading audience.

I also know  that to counter balance the darkness of my imagination, I'm going to translate another feel-good, romance-based script I had written, Random Acts, into a novel. I know you're probably not supposed to, but I plan to play in at least two genres, while as I'm able to exorcise my demons in one, in the other I can embrace that which is more in line with the real easygoing, and hopefully, lovable me.

Sometimes the secret to writing is not writing what you know, but challenging yourself to write anyways and see where the words and ideas take you. I say write instead with courage. Embrace your thoughts and go for it; and don't be afraid in doing so, no matter what the genre, to bring a bit of yourself to one or two of the characters - just enough to bring the heart and soul to the character or characters that you  need and will hopefully engage the reader.

Of course, if you're an individual who knows a lot more than me (and I know there are a lot of you out there), well, then, I guess...write what you know.