Write what you know.
It's a mantra that I absolutely hate. When I was a younger writer, I would actively try to write things that I didn't know about, or characters that I couldn't relate to. Whilst this experiment could hardly be called successful, it has always left me feeling more admiration when I watch or read something created by someone who is trying to twist the tropes and dogmas of a genre into their own style, and constantly trying to push themselves artistically, expanding their horizons.
Having said that, I have since come to learn that, regardless who it is, it's very hard to write anything in another voice, and it's not advised to do so. It's also not advised to write about a subject you haven't researched at all.
With this in mind, I decided to get down to researching what I will provisionally give the title of N.I.P.S.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9359000/9359360.stm
In terms of how I am shaping the narrative in the first draft, I am going to tie in what some behavioural experts have said about imaginary friends with paraellels to the decline of the industrial sector in Britain.
So, I am writing what I know. But it's not a film about someone in a pub, at least.
More soon!
really interesting research. Def include it in your narrative - will really help shape and define your subject matter. Love the imagery used in the BBC article too - really nostalgic and wistful.
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