tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6851578517872251953.post3042290507432923175..comments2023-10-10T05:07:13.577-07:00Comments on En Tequila Es Verdad: NP Puts Her Thumb On the Scales in the Great "Write What You Know" DebateDana Hunterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00890312745525306991noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6851578517872251953.post-17537465475849512202009-07-02T23:04:48.308-07:002009-07-02T23:04:48.308-07:00Not being known for my writing, I'll insert a ...Not being known for my writing, I'll insert a comment from teaching, since it sometimes generates a similar sentiment (teach what you know) and in any case (IMO) requires research whether you're somewhat familiar with the topic or not.<br /><br />Personally, I regularly agree to teach what I don't really know (at the time I am asked, I generally have a reaosnable handle on it when I actually start teaching). It forces me to learn things that I otherwise would not, for all the good intentions in the world. <br /><br />The first time is a damn lot of hard, hard work, but you end up with new knowledge and skills, and you get to do something different. Learning new stuff also seems to help with stuff you already know.<br /><br />People think I am crazy ("why would you teach that? You're crazy, so much work, it isn't your area!" - "Well, now this might be my area, too.")<br /><br />When you're born, you know nothing. Life is about learning. It's ridiculous (and personally painful to me) to imagine that you can ever stop.Efriquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08526031804261484547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6851578517872251953.post-40914358970560133242009-07-02T12:30:16.883-07:002009-07-02T12:30:16.883-07:00I've always viewed that advice as guidance, no...I've always viewed that advice as guidance, not as a rule to be strictly adhered to. It helps to write what you know. Heinlein, Baxter, Flynn, and Hogan, just to name a few, were engineers before they started writing science fiction. Asimov, Clarke, and Benford were scientists. Many people who write mysteries started out in one part of the criminal justice system or another. Knowing how things work helps when writing a story. I find sword and sorcery and other forms of fantasy boring, because their authors either don't know how the world works, or they don't care.<br /><br />OTOH, good research can often supplant experience. Some of the better SF writers today, like Greg Bear and Kim Stanley Robinson are professional writers. Robinson's work, in particular, shows a thorough understanding of the subjects he's writing about.Cujo359https://www.blogger.com/profile/10385213658828021737noreply@blogger.com