Friday, June 21, 2013

Writing waaaaay out of your comfort zone!

Just read an excellent blog post by author Hugh Ashton about writing outside of your comfort zone. Ashton was born in the UK and later moved to Japan, where he now lives. He talks in his post about not being sure of where to set his novels -- as an expat, he's no longer familiar with contemporary British life, and he worries that setting all his books in Japan will have limited appeal to international audiences.  His solution? He writes about the past, namely London in the late 19th century, when Sherlock Holmes was "alive."

To me, Ashton replaces one uncertainty with another -- I'm not comfortable writing about the past because it requires so much fact checking! But this obviously works for him. My current dilemma has to do with a murder mystery novel I'm working on. The main character is paraplegic, and I'm struggling with making her believable. I have no experience (thankfully) of spinal cord injuries, and while I know writing is about using your imagination, it's also about putting yourself in the character's shoes. I have been watching videos and reading blogs written by people with disabilities, but that has only made me more aware of how little I know! Nevertheless, I will keep plugging away. I like my main character, and I want her to get out there in the public!

I think it's extremely important for writers to move outside their comfort zones, not just to improve writing skills but to also help broaden their horizons, and their readers' horizons. Hopefully, by writing about what we DON'T know, we can bring a new perspective to the table, a new way of thinking about things. What do you think? Is it better to write what you know and not risk offending anyone with a lack of knowledge?

P.S. For more information about what it's like living with SCI (Spinal Cord Injuries), read the excellent blog http://tingletetra.blogspot.co.uk/

6 comments:

Marianne Wheelaghan said...

Maybe it depends on the writer but I would find it a tad boring to only write what I know – and if I was bored with my writing, I am sure my reader would be too. It's that thing Robert Frost said,

"No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."

So, yes, I think there is nothing wrong with writing out of our comfort zone - if we can get away with it.

Louisa said...

Thanks for your comment, Marianne! Yes, I agree. When I first started writing, I mostly wrote what I knew -- stories based on my own experiences, but I soon exhausted my supply! I started wanting to write about new ideas and characters and things I'd never experienced before. And you know, from writing The Blue Suitcase, (which is about WWII) how much you can learn from researching new concepts and time periods!

Louisa said...

Marianne, for some reason, Blogger is only letting me publish one of your comments! To answer your question about erotic fiction... Yes, it is very popular over here, too, but I think more in the ebook market than print. At least, from what I've seen online...

Marianne Wheelaghan said...

Thanks for getting back to me, Louisa :)

carmen and miranda said...

Hi, yes I agree with what you say, fiction can be pure fantasy or can have a thread of real life. My book features a paraplegic girl but everything that follows is fiction. I wanted to write about disability as I feel the time is right.
Looking forward to reading your book?

Louisa said...

Carmen and miranda, thanks for your comment! Please let us know when your book comes out and where we can find it!