The Limits of a Writer

[praefect]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAWZvXoKS9k

This is becoming a problem for me and I thought I'd ask for help. Writing about what you know is easy. Writing about what you don't... impossible?

I have a character who is a catholic priest, and while I have his character and motivations worked out in my mind to perfection, I don't have a clue about what he does during his day job.

Obviously there's some way around this. Not every priest has been written by priests. There are a lot of ninjas and other daring (wo)men of action in fiction, but I doubt there are a lot of ninjas sitting at typewriters churning out said fiction.

So, do you have a process how you go about creating a character outside of your field of expertise? Certain sources you use for information? Do you interview people? How do you go about researching stuff like this?

Any advice would be, by me, greatly appreciated

 

[TxRad]

Imagination and Google. Not necessarily in that order.

 

[The_Fool]

Imagination and Google. Not necessarily in that order.

And good whiskey.

 

[_Lynn_]

Imagination and Google. Not necessarily in that order.

Yup. Google brings up a lot of accurate information.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Or you make it science fiction and you can tell it anyway you want! After all and alien priest wouldn't be doing things the way a human priest does.

Imagination and google...and if you had any association with the catholic sect you would probably know what they do day to day as most parishes had schools in which the nuns and priest teach during the day.

What they do during off hours is exactly the same as what you would do...read, watch TV, write, etc.

 

[sr71plt]

Research, for which the Internet has opened a whole universe of capability.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

A while back I read a Vietnam War memoir and recognized it as bullshit within a page or two. The author threatened me with lawsuits etc but I stuck to my guns because I was correct. The memoir contained much fantasy, and it wasnt good fantasy.

Now! If you wanna pull off convincing fantasy-science fiction you gotta be aware of what will sink your credibility. When you run your hand up her leg you dont want any surprises. So speak with people who do the work, and learn about whats essential to be convincing and plausible.

 

[sr71plt]

A caveate on using the Internet, in keeping with what JBJ posted, the data found on the Internet is only as good as the source that put it there. So, don't give each page found on the Internet equal weight. As with everything else, look at the source that put it there for evidence of knowing what they are talking about and being balanced.

 

[TxRad]

A caveate on using the Internet, in keeping with what JBJ posted, the data found on the Internet is only as good as the source that put it there. So, don't give each page found on the Internet equal weight. As with everything else, look at the source that put it there for evidence of knowing what they are talking about and being balanced.

Amen, Brother.

 

[driphoney]

I've had the same problem: the day-to-day life of my character. I don't want to give a minute-by-minute account, but I need the particulars for it to be plausible and I'm not good at faking it. But, I'm not going to go up to someone in this particular situation and go, "Hey, I'm writing this free-read smut story, and can you reveal your inner struggles and tell me the process you went through over the last year that brought you to this place? I know it's going to be painful, but I just gotta know!" I can't ask someone who went through this years ago, and therefor, might be more open, because the whole process has changed.

I've been searching off and on for blogs for months.

Good luck!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

DRIPSTICK

I recommend this book: BETWEEN SILK AND CYANIDE by Leo Marks.

Its a World War 2 memoir about a Brit's job deciphering messages from secret agents inside Nazi-Europe. The book is an excellent example of how to write, and it contains plentiful material about how to be plausible and convincing when communicating with Germans who pose as Allied agents.

Marks became a screenwriter after the war.