***PEDESTRIAN KNOWLEDGE***
One piece of writing advice you hear all the time is “write
what you know”. I’ve heard arguments on both sides when it comes to agreeing
with this claim. On one hand, you’re better equipped to write an intelligent
sounding story with very few people doubting you. On the other hand, exploring
new knowledge is what helps us grow as authors. I’ve said in the past how
research is my least favorite part about the writing process. It’s not because
I don’t want to learn or grow. It’s because if I get just one minute detail
wrong, my critics will feast on the carcass like wild animals. It drives me
nuts how picky some people can be. Doesn’t anybody just enjoy what they read
anymore?
Well, that attitude towards the research process has changed
the minute I received my critiques for Beautiful Monster. The problem with
relying on pedestrian knowledge is that the things you think are well-known are
actually more complicated than you originally anticipated. To use an R-rated
example from that story: cock rings. Conventional wisdom dictates that you just
slide the ring down to the base of the dick and that’ll keep a man hard
forever. Well, to give you an idea of how complicated it actually is, I had my
beta reader Marie Krepps tell me that the government can spy on HER computer
instead of mine. Oh dear. Hehe!
You know what else isn’t pedestrian knowledge? Pregnancy.
It’s not as simple as growing a big stomach and pumping out a painful baby
after nine months. It’s a process. It requires extensive planning. Marie dinged
me for this as well when at the end of Beautiful Monster Tarja gave birth to Windham
What other things in life are not as pedestrian as we think
they are? Fight scenes, psychology, farming, hunting, fantasy religions, and
pretty much everything on planet fucking earth. As much as I don’t want to bend
to the will of the nitpicky critics, it’s something I eventually have to do if
I want to find success as an author. Think of all the movies out there that get
shit on because the details and research are way off the mark. You see these
criticisms all the time on places like Amazon and IMDB.
This is especially problematic when it comes to sensitive
topics like disabilities, race, politics, cultures, and religion to name a few.
It’s much harder to recover from bigotry accusations than it is to miss one
crucial part of setting an animal trap, for instance. There were times in my
writing career when I almost bawled my eyes out because my writing was seen as
unintentionally bigoted, Tainted Love and Class of ’13 being my most infamous
examples. I will admit that prejudice is hard to forgive, but if it was
completely unintentional and the artist is sincere in his apology, then you
can’t compare that to the Milo Yiannopouloses of the world. If you want to
depict another culture in your writing, do you research and don’t rely on
stereotypes. You’ll save yourself a lot of heartache. It’s not just “SJW”
stuff. It’s actually important.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that nothing can be
considered “pedestrian knowledge”. The world is a complex place and people do
complex things. As a writer, you’re being relied upon as a bringer of change
and a representation of everything that’s right. It’s a huge responsibility, so
don’t fuck it up. If your readers don’t trust you, they’re not going to read
anything of yours ever again. You wouldn’t want to study math from a teacher
who doesn’t know the cube root of twenty-seven (spoiler alert, it’s three). You
wouldn’t want to go to a rehab facility where the nurses have powder underneath
their nostrils all the time. So why would anybody want to read books from an
author who doesn’t care about the world around them?
And for god’s sake, please don’t rely solely on television
and movies for your “research”. Do you know how many lawyers call BS on shows
like Suits and Law & Order? Enough to make you question everything. Hell,
there were flight attendants who boycotted the movie Flight Plan because of how
their occupation was portrayed in that movie. Another spoiler alert: the flight
attendants in that movie were depicted as uncaring jerks. If you legitimately
don’t know what you’re talking about, do a Google search. Ask someone from that
occupation. Or if you really want to get deep undercover, do what Marcus Sakey
did when he was writing The Blade Itself: shadow cops and detectives. Just like
in school, research can be a bitch sometimes, but it’s necessary for that
all-important A+.
Wish me luck when it comes to fixing Beautiful Monster and
getting my facts straight this time! I still haven’t fleshed out my
chapter-by-chapter synopsis yet, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be in a rut
forever. I’m Garrison Kelly! Even when you feel like dying, keep climbing the
mountain!
***LYRICS OF THE DAY***
“I’m back in my house and you’re still sitting down. The
crimson couch never felt so uncomfortable. And the room is so cold. The tape on
your mouth is slowing your breath down. The rope is so tight. The tension
becomes so tangible, so unbearable. I’m sorry if I crossed the line. I know
I’ve lost it, but you are always on my mind. Obsessed with you and me. To love
is harder than you think. I’m sorry if I raise my voice. I never meant to hurt
you, but I had no choice. Don’t ever lie to me, ‘cause I’m smarter than you
think. You love me, ‘cause I hate you. Everything but love. There’s no running
away. There’s no guilt and no shame. I’ve crossed the line. Is this the end?
There’s no running away even if you’re afraid. I’ll make you mine until the
end.”
-Lacuna Coil singing “You Love Me ‘Cause You Hate Me”-
***POST-SCRIPT***
That Lacuna Coil song happens to be about Stockholm Syndrome
and that could be an element I could add to Windham Windham
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