Where Seldom Is Heard...

Don’t you hate it when people disparage truisms? In their literal take on the adage, they trample the value of the lesson itself.

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” - It cost more to make a penny than it’s worth!

“A new broom sweeps clean.” - A vacuum cleaner works better.

“A stitch in time saves nine.” - Throw the thing away and buy new, cheap.

Likewise, in recent weeks, I’ve encountered a number of authors disclaiming the wise advice that “writers write best about what they know.” “It stifles creativity! It limits the imagination!” the dissenters cry. To them, I say, “It’s laziness, not to know."

Folks, a writer better know what he’s writing about if he wants to keep an audience. No one appreciates a “know-it-all” who knows nothing.

One of the policies of most news organizations is not to show a story to the subject before it is printed. When I worked at the newspaper full time, I adhered to that policy...except when it came to writing about something which I knew nothing about. I remember, on occasion, cutting a paragraph out of report from a governmental meeting and taking it to that entity ‘s attorney to make sure I had reported all the facts about something like bonds accurately. My rationale was not to save face, but to make sure the readers were well informed. To this date, I despise reading any newstory which leaves me with questions unanswered.

As to the claim that knowing one’s subject well limits imagination, some of the best authors disagree.

Lisa See, American author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, spent two years researching this book as she made notes and drafted sections of her novel set in Jiangyong, a remote part of China. After exhausting all printed information she could locate both in libraries and on-line, this author who had often visited relatives in China received permission to travel to this remote part of the country to learn more about “nu shu,” the ancient woman’s language. As a result of her newly acquired knowledge and with a style as delicate as any Chinese work of art, See weaves a most informative, heart rending, entirely fictional tale of two friends in 19th century China.

By contrast, best selling novelist Kevin Alexander, author of Little Children and Election, writes his manuscript first, then as he revises, he researches all of the areas where he has questions. He even travels to places he mentions so that his descriptions are accurate.

And, a Mississippi book reviewer uses pictures of the paintings, places, fountains and statues in France that Dan Brown, author of Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, describes in his books. The written descriptions prove to be carbon copies of the actual sites. The reviewer goes on the explain how this attention to such authentic detail lends credibility to his descriptions of fictional places, characters and plots.

Even more than bad mouthing the age old wisdom, I dislike hearing people disparage others. Gossip is more popular today than ever. Recently, a friend commented to me about a mutual friend. Her observation was so rare, it has echoed in my mind ever since. My friend said, “I’ve never heard her say a bad word about anybody.” What a legacy!

2007