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New writers in particular are very often encouraged and advised by their more experienced peers to write only about what they know. There can be no escaping the intrinsic value of this advice. Writing about what they know allows the writer to inject a sense of authenticity into their writing which simply cannot be faked by any clever wordplay or creative wizardry.

It may appear to the writer in the first instance, however, that this advice pertains only to such as non-fiction and article writing. They will see the wisdom of writing only what they know in these genres and others but may question to what extent the advice does or even can apply to creative writing. They may see writing about what they know as a barrier to successful creative writing. Creative writing is, after all, a genre where the writer is expected to use their imagination rather than any knowledge they have acquired, is it not?

Creative writing is indeed a genre of writing where a vivid imagination is very important. The writer has to be capable of dreaming up events and perhaps places and stringing them all together in a fashion which is going to prove entertaining and compelling for subsequent readers. This cannot be disputed but what the writer also has to take in to account is the fact that, in most instances, the reader is going to want to find these events - which they know to be entirely fictional - believable, or at least feasible.

There are a number of potential pitfalls, therefore, for the creative writer in attempting to write about something which they don't know. If, for example, they are writing about a real place which is integral to their story but which they have never visited, they are perhaps going to turn off the reader who has visited the place and finds it described in a way which is in no way representative of the reality. Equally, if a writer is giving his or her principal character an occupation of which they have no knowledge or have not even bothered to research, they are going to fail miserably in attempting to create that all important sense of authenticity mentioned earlier. These are but two examples of where creative writing can be greatly enhanced by the author writing about what they know.

Writing about what the author knows in creative writing also gives them far greater scope for developing the plot of their story. They can inject lots of interesting snippets of information to stimulate the reader throughout the narrative, perhaps by describing various attractions in the place they know so well or interesting facets of their principal character's job responsibilities. These are great examples of adding authenticity to creative writing.

While it is of course not absolutely necessary for the creative writer to write about what they know, it can hopefully now be seen that doing so holds considerable benefit for the writer when seeking to please, entertain and attract back any reader of their work.

Learn more about this author, Gordon Hamilton.
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