W.W.Y.W.T.K (Melissa Robbins)

What writing rule do I break? But I don’t break rules. I follow them or at least I try. I know there are several unwritten romance rules that I break often.

There is one rule that drives me crazy, Write What You Know. Really? How restrictive is that? Oh sure if you are a real cop or news reporter, you write what you know and your characters can be cops or news reporters. I write mysteries. I don’t go around killing people and write what I know! I’m also a stay at home mom who lives in KS. There’s a turn pager for you.

I read an author years ago, I wish I could remember who wrote it, but she or he said, “Don’t write what you know. Write what you WANT to know.” This makes perfect sense. I write stories set in WW2. I didn’t live during that time, but others did. Research. Books. The Library. People. The Internet (be careful with that one). It’s all there for you to learn. My current manuscript is about a fourteen year old boy who wants to fly during WW2. I’m not a boy, not a pilot (how I want to be though!), but I can learn from other who do know.

I can understand the theory behind Write What You Know. Writing takes a lot of research and reading. I guess I do Write What I Know since I rock World War Two questions now in trivia games.