You Know More Than You Think You Do

When I was a struggling writer and actor in my twenties, I worked as a waiter in an Asian-fusion restaurant. Lots of double shifts, very few studio offers (read: none). When someone told me “Write what you know,” I thought they were telling me that I should write a screenplay about a white twenty-something and the dramas they experienced in the restaurant business. (And, to be fair, maybe they were.) And I didn’t want to write about that, nor did I think anyone would want to read it!

But every night when I went home, I would relax by watching old 1960’s Hammer Horror movies or reading Shakespeare. And I loved it. What if, I thought, someone did a “Shakespeare In Love” style story but a horror version about how Edgar Allan Poe lived his own stories. I knew those things very well. And so, that’s what I wrote, first as a stage play, then as a screenplay. And it was not only well-received and well-reviewed, but produced multiple times.

I hadn’t lived any of it and I wasn’t drawing from my own personal life, but I was writing what I knew. More importantly, I was writing what I loved and finding my own original take on it. And that, I’ve found, is key. Audiences really like variations on things they already know and love. THE MATRIX, for all it’s amazing bullet-time special effects, is really just STAR WARS. So how can you take the things you love and put a twist on it that shows your particular point of view of the work or the world?

(Stills from 2011 production of NEVERMORE featuring Joseph Gilbert and Chloe Whiteford.)

“Your Voice” has “Something To Say”

Whenever I used to see artists or famous people saying things like “I have something to say” or “I want my voice to be heard,” I respected it, I didn’t necessarily understand it. See, I thought it meant that you had to have a really unique, brilliant NEW thing to say. You know, the way that scientists or doctors make new discoveries – whatever I had to say as a writer had to be something so dramatically new that people would step back and go “That’s genius! Why did no one ever think of that before!?”

Plus, if I’m supposed to “write what I know,” then how can I say something new? I haven’t travelled enough, I haven’t had enough relationships, I haven’t lived on the wild side, and my 20’s were a sad blur rather than an exciting time to look back on.

Then one night, after I’d had some success with what I’d worked on, it became clear: Your voice and what you have to say isn’t about coming up with a new molecular compound to change the world, it’s about showing the world how you perceive things based on the unique individual that you are. And that means that no matter what your life has been like, you will always have an original voice.

Your “something to say” is your unique angle on the things that interest you – even things that you don’t quite understand yet. Maybe especially those things.

When In Doubt, Google

Let’s suppose that you love Westerns and have an idea to do a modern Western but set in Paris. You know all about the cowboy tropes, the structure of Westerns, characters, etc. But you’ve never been to Paris. You’ve maybe never even been out of your town. So how do you Write What You Know?

You learn it.

Citing THE MATRIX again, Neo could hardly walk when he wakes up, but he gets strapped into a computer and learns Kung Fu instantly. You, too, can go from “no clue” to “fighting weight” with research.

And these days, between video, articles, and free library files from the dawn of man, it’s never been easier to get as much information and education as you need or want.

Suddenly, you’re writing what you know!

Getting YOU Into Your Story

So you’ve used your influences to create a unique idea, you’ve structured things out, created compelling characters, and have a draft you’re happy to share with others. And for some reason, the response is a ton of “Strong Project! Not for us, thanks.” Well, sometimes, you can take that at face value. I mean, if the company is dead-set on making their next movie appeal to tweens who like manga, your period drama mashup about aliens landing at Versailles just won’t be what they want.

However, there’s a good chance that there isn’t quite enough of “you” in the script. What are some moments, quirks, some poignant stories ab out yourself that you can infuse into your characters?

If you have a classic Clint Eastwood-esque eye-squinting manly man hero, giving him your fear of spiders is an interesting character trait that can lead to original scenes. Add a touch of your own vulnerability or perspective to whatever straightforward scene that you need to push your plot along. That personal touch will permeate through the whole script and make it far more interesting to read, plus makes it more “original” – because there’s nobody like you!

Love The Discomfort

The closer and more personal you can make your script, the more appealing it will be. Find ways to take your own moments of discomfort in life and transfer that feeling and those reactions onto your characters.

That doesn’t necessarily mean to write verbatim about that horrible date back in 2017 (though it might!). But how can you write a scene that evokes exactly your emotions in that situation? What’s the perspective you can use to make the audience feel what you felt?

If you can live in the discomfort, people will always empathize… and love your script all the more.

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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