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Three Wise Men |
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Three Wise Men |
Article #7 It's your first manuscript, you know you've always wanted to write either fiction or nonfiction but have had trouble deciding what the first story should be about. Whatever you decide, make sure that the subject matter is something you know about -- in other words, be comfortable with the content. For years, I was a successful entertainment lawyer and had a number of story plots in my head, some of them even outlined and plotted in a special file. However, I finally chose a subject matter that I was most familiar with. Since I've spent years around and in "show business," I like to write about Broadway, Hollywood, professional athletes and writers. Also throw into the mix some radio and television personalities, songwriters and music groups. Since I felt entirely comfortable in this area, that's what I wrote about. That's the best way to start off a writing career because if you feel good about the storyline, then you're off to a fast start. I have a minimum of research. Incidentally, don't discount the research, because it gives the writer a real sense of added confidence to write about a subject matter the author has limited experience with on a personal basis. The comprehensive and diligent research makes up for the lack of the writer's personal knowledge. For example, you may have never spent any time in Paris, France but after some research on the internet, travel guides and library reference books, you could convince a reader that you'd probably had lived in Paris for half of your life. And, that's the kind of credibility you must establish with the reader, or else he'll lose confidence in you as a writer. I've even gone so far as to call up restaurants, talk to the manager and get a copy of a menu to lend credibility for a short two or three page scene. On the other hand, you start describing the ambiance, savory food choices and dessert menu without having first-hand experience, you might just blow the reader off your team if that happens to be one of his favorite writing holes and your "guess" is all wrong. As Writer's Digest writers, Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux said in one of their articles several months ago, "Good writing works from a simple premise: your experience is not yours alone, but in some sense a metaphor for everyone." A new writer might feel that what they know best is dull and boring. But, that doesn't have to be the case depending on how well you describe your characters, scenes and setting. A corner druggist/pharmacist who took care of the needs of your neighborhood for two decades could be a tremendously inspirational story if told or written in the right manner. Because, for example, besides being a pill pusher, the druggist might have lived through two wars with your family: World War II and the Korean War, the death of your father, brother(s) or sweetheart(s), heart attack(s), abortion and so on.Another example of a solid manuscript topic might be a first love. Most of us can fondly remember our very first love and with a fairly well-developed imagination might be able to develop a good story plot as well as interesting three-dimensional characters. It could possibly make, with some hard work, a decent first effort. If you get the "first-time" jitters about the value of your storyline, remember the 1940's book by Betty Smith, " A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" or even "The Naked and the Dead" by Norman Mailer. The writers in these instances took as a subject matter characters and events that they were familiar and comfortable with and turned them into best sellers. True enough, the market place has become much harder to please in the last ten years, but there's always enough room for one more, well-crafted story with interesting three-dimensional characters caught up in a fast-paced manuscript. Don't give up so easily or you'll never accomplish the literary dream of your lifetime.
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