Writing something you haven't experienced

Let's say your character is an orphan, and you're not. Or your character's popular, and you're not. Or your character's a whore, and you're still a virgin. You get my gist, right?

So how do you write that down? Do you just copy and modify other people's words, or do you talk to those who know what you're talking about, or do you just imagine it?

Pure imagination is a powerful drug. Amirite...?

(That's my answer. Imagination.)

Porkula

Imagine.

I've heard a lot of people, experienced writers, teachers, authors and otherwise say don't write won't you don't know. There's even a famous quote somewhere about the arrogance of writing before you've dared to live.

It's all crap.

If that were the case, Stephan King wouldn't be the filthy rich, sensational horro writer we know - Fantasy, Horror, and even a great deal of Popular Fiction wouldn't exist today. Not to mention the film industry would be all but nonexistent. Write what you imagine - make sure you realise that world well, though. And nothing should stand in your way.

Obviously, if your trying to write a gritty, factual, emotional story - some knowledge of the relevant topic - say, mining for instance, will be needed. But the key will always be empathy. Without, you will fail. Every time.

Write whatever you like, whether you feel you have the credentials to do so or not is irrelevant. In writing, and failing, you will in some way experience it and the next time round, it'll be a different story.

Literally.

I think it's definitely all down to imagination and having the ability to empathise; if you have a strong sense of empathy it's easy to imagine what your characters might be feeling.

All that stuff about having to experience things before you write, I agree it's rubbish. If I only wrote about things I'd experienced my writing would be very, very dull, and the same goes for most people.

Research is good (look at other people who have experienced what you're writing about) but just let your imagination run wild!

I think that you can write about anything - it dosen't really matter if you have experienced it or not, I just tend to write and for some reason write about things that have happened to me as I have experienced them first hand.

But if you are worried about writing something you are not familiar with theres no harm in doing research research research!

Under the logic of writing only what you've experienced, then you could never write a death scene. You could maybe explain how people reacted, but you could never tell what that person that's dying is really feeling.

I second all above opinions.

But you have experienced a lot - the emotions, at least. If you've lost a grandparent but not a brother, just bring back that emotion. You can always remember past emotions, and dull or expand them. Most people have experienced all emotions, and emotions are a key part in writing. Just because you don't know what it feels like for your mother to sell you, you know what it feels like for your friends to abandon you.

Make sense?

~JFW1415

Er, well I have to say your assumption that people do not have their virginity are automatically whores is a bit harsh, but I suppose it was just poor diction. ^^;


Like everyone else, I don't believe in the "write what you know". I'm sure someone else has said that the converse is more true, "know what you write". Something like being popular is hard to research it, but you can still pull it off. Popularity isn't something hard to act in a character; it's going to depend on their personality. Because, do you mean, true popularity where they are the nice person whom everyone in the school loves, or the cliché chick film popularity, where they are loved because they are feared? Because honestly, the latter doesn't even exist in high school,at least not mine!

I've written about many, many things I have never done or experienced. Imagination is an amazing thing. Put your characters (not yourself) into the situation, and see how they would react. It takes a good amount of characterization and research to get what ever you are doing right, but you can do it! Besides, some things are harder to do than others. For example, writing about someone who is an orphan is a lot easier than writing about someone who came to America on the Mayflower and is an orphan.

Hope that helped!

Suz, I think she meant that the character honestly is a whore, and has sex all the time, not just had sex once, while you, the writer, is still a virgin.

I think you can read some things on it, but you can't just take other peoples work. Imagination is always a good start. Or you could go with the general "write what you know" theory.