Write What You Know? Or...Who knows.

Yesterday, renowned publicist Maryglenn McCombs gave us a master class in marketing. Today--she gives us perfect blend of content and publicity and insight.

MARYGLENN MCCOMBS:

Mystery writers: should you write what you know?How about writing what you can teach?

One of the most familiar pieces of advice for writers is “write what you know.” But as familiar as it is, “write what you know” is also hotly-debated. Scholars differ as to whether or not this is good writing advice.

In a November, 2002 Publishers Weekly interview, Mary Higgins Clark was asked her opinion on “write what you know.” Her answer? “For starters, at least. Until you get more experience.”

But in a February, 1998 interview with Publishers Weekly, Nora Roberts took a different stance: “I know they say, 'Write what you know’ but I write what I want to know."

Whether a writer chooses to stick to the familiar or research the unknown, maybe the best piece of advice is the JungleRedWriters motto: writing well is the best revenge. After all, who would want to argue with either the Queen of Suspense or the Queen of the Romance novel?

I love mystery/suspense/thriller fiction—not just as a book publicist, but also as a reader. If I were forced to pick a side, I think I would vote ‘yes’ on “write what you know.” Why?

I love a good crime fiction novel that has an element of the author’s experience included—whether it is a doctor who writes good medical suspense, a lawyer or judge who writes a good legal thriller, or an investigative reporter in Boston and recent Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity award-winner (who shall go nameless) who writes excellent mysteries about an investigative reporter.

(HANK: Awwww.)

MARYGLENN: There is something intimate about getting a behind-the-scenes look at what an author’s world is really like. And I love to play the guessing game of what’s real and what’s simply the product of an author’s imagination. It’s been said that the truth is stranger than fiction, after all.

What started me thinking about “write what you know” is an outstanding mystery I recently read, Did Not Survive by Ann Littlewood. Ann, who was a zookeeper at the Portland Zoo for over a decade, used a fictional zoo as the setting of Did Not Survive and her first mystery, Night Kill. Ann is clearly writing what she knows—and it’s apparent in the detail included in the book.

But after reading Did Not Survive, (in the interest of full disclosure, Did Not Survive is a book I am representing) I started thinking that Ann took “write what you know” in a whole new direction—and wrote what she could teach.

Apart from being an excellent novel, Did Not Survive is fascinating and filled with great details about zoos, animal rights activists, endangered species, animal behavior, and the bonds between humans and animals. After I had found out whodunit, and closed the book, I kept thinking about it. And I’m still thinking about it.

The protagonist in Did Not Survive is Iris Oakley, a zookeeper who is thrust into extraordinary circumstances when she tries to rescue her boss being mauled to death by a reliable old zoo elephant. Lest I spoil the plot, it is questionable whether the elephant attacked and Iris is soon relegated into the role of amateur sleuth to find answers. No spoiler here, but investigating turns out to be, well, dangerous.

In addition to a colorful cast of human characters, Did Not Survive also features an exotic ensemble of animal characters, including Clouded Leopards, Spectacled Owls, a tiger named Rajah, and Damrey and Nakri, two Asian elephants who are central to the mystery.

In an interview on her website, http://www.annlittlewood.com/, Ann was asked why she chose elephants as characters in Did Not Survive: “Despite thousands of years of close contact, elephants are terribly challenging animals for people to accommodate. In captivity, they are difficult and expensive to maintain because they are so strong and smart. They need the companionship of other elephants, physical exercise, and mental stimulation to thrive. Delivering these requires deep expertise and long-term funding. That’s in captivity. In the wild, they need large expanses of natural areas, and they need not to be shot for their tusks or their destructiveness. Elephants are magnetic, iconic, and delightful. They are also dangerous. Elephants kill over 200 people a year in India alone. African elephants get more publicity, but Asian elephants, featured in Did Not Survive, are far more endangered.”

I walked away from reading Did Not Survive with a whole new appreciation for elephants, and definitely more of an understanding about animals, and zoos, than I had before I picked up the book. And maybe the next time the topic of zoos or Clouded Leopards or Asian elephants comes up in conversation, I’ll have something interesting to add.

I am all for reading books for pure entertainment, or good old escapist fun, but I also like the feeling that I learned something in the process. That’s precisely what separates a great book from an outstanding book, in my mind. Did Not Survive earns an “outstanding” from me, as the book and the details therein, are going to stay with me.

Ann Littlewood says she created her series of “zoo-dunnits” with the hope of educating people about animals and their difficulties in today’s world. I say she succeeded.

Writers, what do you think about writing what you know, or writing what you can teach?

I am all for both, but will go on record as saying that this doesn’t bode well for my career as a mystery writer. Maybe when there’s a demand for a mystery about a Nashville-based book publicist who loves Old English Sheepdogs, I’ll reconsider putting words to paper (and hiring an excellent editor.)

Till then, I think I should stick to promoting books.

Maryglenn McCombs is an independent book publicist who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband Tim Warnock, and their Old English Sheepdog, Garcia. For more information, visit http://www.maryglenn.com/ or email maryglenn@maryglenn.com