Bad Advice

Write what you know is the worst piece of writing advice I have ever heard. Well, OK. The actual worst piece of writing advice I ever heard was "You can do it, Garik!," but that is enough self-pity for one post.

While in college, I had the pleasure to hear author Salman Rushdie speak. I have yet to read anything by Rushdie, but the guy is scintillating. He had a death mark put on his head! Like Han Solo! Or Lorca, if you want to keep with this literary theme. In his speech, Rushdie mentioned how "write what you know" was silly. It endangers writers who dare write about something embrassing or vicious. Rushdie mentioned how he struggles with critics considering his work autobiographical and how in one such piece (where the protagonists commits rape) people then assume that maybe he raped someone. Of course not!

That little nugget of ancient advice dismisses writers and imagination. And in the Information Age, it underestimates how we can all relate to one another and explore life minutiae. My favorite form of procrastination is just surfing on Wikipedia, seeing where each link will take me. And because of those Wikipedia trivia sections, you can play a simple game of one to three degrees of separation between anything.

Hey, what exactly is FM radio? Ah, I see. Oh, look, a section on pirate radio. Oh, sweet, that one pirate radio episode of Pete and Pete! Remember that!

Another issue with "write what you know is that...I don't know anything. Well, nothing useful outside of a game of Jeopardy.

Thanks to my current job I can refer you to several community colleges in 35 states that might or might not recycle! And I have this weird obsession with municipal boundaries. And little tidbits from History Channel specials like, did you know, the record for most pizzas ordered in one night was the day of the O.J. Simpson White Bronco car chase!?

I know plenty of goofy shit too like that the Autobot Prowl in the Transformers Animated universe practices Metakallito and that the Daredevil villain Bullseye could kill you with a piece of poop and, hence, when in captivity he is only fed a liquid diet.

The Sum of My Knowledge. And I have a B.A. in all this crazy stuff!*

I think it might be time to give up on this high art stuff and try my hand at the goofy observations blogging realm. It worked for David Campbell and it might work for me!

Nerds, upload and blog up!

Peace!

*Well, one I honorarily gave myself. Self made nerdy man! Even though mom did buy all the Magic Cards.