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| Hemingway, Unimpressed |
Is it really necessary for a writer to only write what she knows? What does that mean, anyway? One could argue that the average human knows very little. So should we be limited to writing about our own experiences? The problem with this argument, of course, is that most writers' lives aren't interesting at all. That's why we write fiction!
(I won't even go into the argument that humans know basically nothing, as everything we believe we know is distorted by imperfect perception.)
Some writers have gotten fairly riled up in the past about this, but my interpretation of Hemingway's quote has always been thus: what a writer "knows" doesn't refer to actual facts and details or even events, but emotions.
For example: my latest two projects (pieces of which you may read here and here) both take place in foreign locales (Rio de Janeiro and St. Petersburg, Russia, respectively.) As a result of their locations and subjects, I've had to do a great deal of research for both stories. However, I don't think a lack of details will ultimately hurt either. Simple bad writing will be the cause. (I say "will" with fair certainty.)
The fact is, I know my characters well. I understand their dreams, fears, and relationships. I've got the emotional framework for my plots; I only need to fill in the details.
Of course, as they say, the devil is in the details.
Anyway. My point stands: I don't consider knowledge as necessary to a story's success as skill. Of course, some knowledge is necessary, especially if a writer isn't familiar with a setting. I'm more certain of Irina's story than Ines', because Irina's socioeconomic position is more similar to mine, and I've been to St. Petersburg once. Though most big cities are fairly similar, I'm hesitant to write about Rio; I don't want to make too many assumptions. To make my story more accurate, therefore, I've spent some time viewing Rio using Google Earth's Street View and reading about the city on actual Cariocas' blogs.
A good point to make here is that the Internet has really redefined the average person's access to information. Nearly all of my research I do online. I could certainly rent out films or books, but find the web to be a more convenient knowledge source.
One last point: some have questioned the application of Hemingway's quote to science fiction/fantasy. They argue that he excludes these genres - which he does, if you interpret his words literally. However, I'd argue that one ought to interpret "knowing" a setting as "strong worldbuilding."
Do you agree with Hemingway? How do you interpret his advice?
P.S. - Here is a great article on this subject. It includes some commentary from the wonderful Nathan Englander, who (brag alert) I've met! Yes, he's also lovely in real life. (This is especially refreshing for the writer who feels their creatively-dry younger years were wasted.)
