Writing Excuses 5.5: Writing the Unfamiliar

"Write what you know." Really? What about when we need to write about a relationship with which we have no experience, or about a real-world location to which we've never been? How do we go about writing what we most explicitly do NOT know? Dan discusses writing about a sociopathic teenager in a mortuary. Howard covers writing about the relationships in a close-knit military organization. We talk about research, extrapolation, and talking to friends who have had the experiences we lack. But what separates the amateur from the master in this regard? We talk about all this at length, discussing our own experiences, where we've fallen short, where we've excelled, and what we've done to close the gap. Because we are, of course, masters, and in this regard it's EASY for us to talk about what we know. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: Mr. Monster, by Dan Wells. This is the sequel to Dan's first book, I Am Not a Serial Killer. While it is less bloody than the first, it is far, far more disturbing. Writing Prompt: Watch Ian McKellen explain how to act. Many of you may have already seen this, but watch it again. Then let it inspire you... This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by Audible. Visit http://AudiblePodcast.com/excuse for a free trial membership*. *Note: From the Audible website, here are the terms of the free membership. Read the fine print, please! Audible® Free Trial Details Get your first 14 days of the AudibleListener® Gold membership plan free, which includes one audiobook credit. After your 14 day trial, your membership will renew each month for just $14.95 per month so you can continue to receive one audiobook credit per month plus members-only discounts on all audio purchases. A very small number of titles are more than one credit. Cancel your membership before your free trial period is up and you will not be charged. Thereafter, cancel anytime, effective the next billing cycle. Any unused audiobook credits will be lost at cancellation.