Today’s guest is Grady Jane Woodfin, who just finished her BFA in
Creative Writing for Entertainment. She’s been published in several literary magazines such as Crab Fat and ThickJam, and her short story “Twizzlers,” was a 2015 Pushcart Prize nominee. Today, she talks about why we should write about what we know. Here are her words.
Writing is a lonely job. I can talk story and characters and plot and themes and genres all day long, but when it comes down to it, it’s just me and a terrifying white, blank page with an annoying cursor that counts the seconds with its blinks. But before I can confront that white, blank page, I have to face a different monster all together.
What do I write about?
My entire writing career, people have always told me, “Grady, write about what you know.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I mean write about what you know.”
“But what if I don’t know much of anything.”
“Then you probably shouldn’t be a writer.”
So, what do I know? Well, I know some things. You see, I am constantly wondering if anyone else in the world has ever felt the way I’m feeling. That’s a huge part of what draws me into writing. I’m convinced a lot of my writing is desperately trying to work things out in my own head.
I find myself crafting stories that have strong undertones of the struggles I face in every day life. In my short story, Twizzlers, I focused on writing about things like loneliness, abandonment, family, and starting over. These were vital for me to tell a good story because they were conflicts I’d experienced before. I was battling my demons in my own stories.
So far, I find this to be true with other writers. We all seem to be writing about what we know best, whether it’s loss or love, revenge or redemption. I think we do it without thinking. It’s our natural, default setting. It’s almost guaranteed that if something is keeping a writer up at night, they’re going to express one way or another through their writing, whether it’s the A story plot or an obscure sub-plot that’s mentioned in half of a sentence on page 187 of the second draft. We’re all writing about what we know because it’s familiar to us.
But there’s something horrifying that comes with admitting I’m really writing about my own experiences. Writing about what I know makes me vulnerable. As Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Writing is literally transferring myself onto a piece of paper and hoping that someone, somewhere is going to relate to the obstacles I’ve overcome… or maybe didn’t overcome. There’s nothing separates the writer and the reader. There is nothing on the paper but black and white truth. Brutal and honest and messy truths.
I am my words.
That’s the scariest part.
Writing sounds like an awful labor of love. I write because I exist. I exist because I write. So on and so forth. The cycle continues. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
There’s a reason I write about what I know. I write about what I know because what I know is real. It’s conflict that I’ve encountered. It’s problems that have haunted my nights and trickled into my days.
It is the realness of writing about what I know that makes my storytelling relatable.
When characters encounter a realistic problem the reader has also faced. That’s the exact moment that makes all the vulnerability of writing payoff because something clicks, and somebody says, “Hey, I never knew that someone else in the world had felt that way before. I thought I was the only one, and it’s nice to know that I’m not.”
Writing about what haunts me most, deep down in my gut may be alarming, but without that twinge of helplessness, writing wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding.
Always write about what you know because it’s those stories that mean the most.
JIM: Grady Jane’s immediate plans are to move to LA and break into the television writing industry. Here are some links to find out more about this young writer.
Her website/portfolio: http://www.gradyjanewoodfin.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GradyJWoodfin
Tumblr: http://gradyjanewrites.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grady.woodfin
I enjoyed your article, Ms. Woodfin, as well as the comments left by other authors and your response to them. Thank you for sharing your writing experiences and best of luck in your new adventures.
Grady Jane,
Outstanding post my friend.
Many years ago I attended a “men’s workshop” when that was the thing to do. One of the speakers was Robert Bly, of Iron John fame (way before your time). One of the things I remember besides the male bonding, which, as Jack Nicholson said in As Good As It Gets, didn’t do it for me, and the drumming, which did even less, was Bly saying that he knew when he was 24 that he wanted to be a poet but also knew he didn’t have anything to write about… so he figured he should get some experience.
He wasn’t as fortunate as you. What with Stephen as your father, you have enough material to get three writers through four lifetimes.
Seriously, I wish you all the best, and if I can ever be of assistance and you don’t call me you’ll be in trouble with another old guy.
Yours to count on,
Bert
Bert Carson,
In my studies, I ran across a Flannery O’Conner quote in which she said, “Nothing needs to happen to a writer’s life after they are twenty. By then they’ve experienced more than enough to last their creative life.” To me, it was comforting to know that I had experienced enough of the emotions on the broad spectrum of life to write something meaningful. But you’re definitely right. With having Paige and Stephen for parents, I’ve got enough material to last me through this lifetime plus twice over.
Thanks for the read, and I greatly appreciate your endless support. It’s nice to have someone to count on.
Yours truly,
Grady Jane
Wonderful post, Grady, and I wish you the best in your future endeavors. You’re right. We put a lot of ourselves in our books. We just don’t always realize that’s what we’re doing until we read a scene that seems way too familiar.
Marja McGraw,
You hit the nail right on the head. Sometimes scenes feel all too familiar when we go back and read them, but that’s one of my favorite parts. Familiarity is haunting and lingering.
Thanks for your support. I greatly appreciate it.
Yours truly,
Grady Jane
Grady Jane is so right about being vulnerable as a writer; you put yourself on the page for everyone to read. You have some control over what you write, but what you don’t control is what your reader brings to what you have written. Once it is out there, it is the reader’s to understand how she or he wishes. Now it belongs to the reader. That’s an even scarier part of writing.
Lesley Diehl,
I totally agree. Once the reader has your material in their hands, it’s all up to them how to interpret what you wrote. That in itself can be scarier than being vulnerable on the page in the first place. But I think that’s what makes writing so satisfying.
Thanks for reading and for your support. It means so much to me.
Yours truly,
Grady Jane
I agree with Grady Jane. Write what you know. I would add, be honest and write from the heart. Even if you’re writing other-worldly science fiction or historical westerns, the emotions powering the story must be forces you have experienced and still feel. Good post, Grady Jane!
John Daniel,
First of all, thanks for the read. Secondly, I absolutely agree. Writing from the heart is key. The story can be filled with the most out of this world fantastical places, but it can still lack in telling an emotional story. Emotions are what make stories so good.
Yours truly,
Grady Jane
Jim,
Thanks for featuring Grady Jane on your blog. I have no doubt she has a successful career ahead of her.
Grady Jane…such an exciting time in your life! A move to L.A.!! I can’t wait to see your name in the credits on the big screen.
I enjoyed your article.
~Ann
Ann Everett,
Thanks so much for the kind words. It is such a great time for me. LA is equal parts exciting and horrifying. But how boring would life be without the horrifying mixed in to balance out the excitement?
Thanks so much for your support. I appreciate it.
Yours truly,
Grady Jane
Grady Jane has placed the hammer squarely on the head of the nail. Write what you know. Lead with your gut, your emotions and your heart and the words will flow onto the page.
I am very honored to have known Grady her entire life. I have been reading and enjoying her stories for many years with great anticipation of the next installment. I am proud of her, and wish her great success in Hollywood. I’m looking forward to the next one G. J.. And the next and the next and…….
Ms. Rhonda,
Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. I’m so glad you did. Leading with our guts can sometimes be hard, but there’s nothing better than brutal honesty when it comes to storytelling.
Thank you for all the endless love and support.
Yours truly,
Grady Jane