Write What You Know
During the few years that I have studied the art of writing, one prominent piece of advice for novice writers is to “write what you know.” Following this guideline makes it easier to select a genre. You already have a foundation on which to build.
The first three books I wrote were memoirs, with each about a different period of my life. By being a familiar subject, the minimal research made it easier for me to focus on the skills of writing the narrative.
Currently, I’m working on my first attempt at fiction. When I started, I again took a life experience as my subject. In 1970, I attended mortuary school, and until 1981 worked as a licensed funeral director and embalmer. It seemed a natural and easy choice to use my mortuary profession as the primary subject of my plot. I followed famous writers such as Hemmingway, John Grissom, and Anne Rice, who utilized this technique.
I built an outline that contained many of the episodes from my career. I had many incidents to choose from, and it became an arduous task of which ones to use. One of my goals was to educate the reader about the life of a mortician.
I have many memories from the years I worked in the funeral business. Some are emotionally challenging, some involve historical individuals, and some, in hindsight are comical. When I worked in view of the public, I presented myself with a dignified demeanor. When handling the remains of family members, I always observed a code of conduct protecting the privacy and modesty of the body. But, behind the scenes, a lighter atmosphere among staff members prevailed.
One of the more popular HBO series that began in 2001 was Six Feet Under. I followed the story of a family-owned funeral home and the soap opera episodes. Utilizing this series and my experience in the mortuary business, my fictional book has a similar theme. Mine follows a young man born into a family business in West Texas. In his early years, he is emphatic that he wants nothing to do with the business. Yet, circumstances change, and he follows the footsteps of his father and mentor.
With my experiences, I selected actual occurrences and fictionalized them to build my storyline. Some of the episodes will pull at your heartstrings, while others will enlighten you to the lighter side of the profession. I intend to educate the reader on what the career involved and the required dedication to the public. That might be boring, so I have interspersed it with exploits with my often-naïve protagonist.
As with Six Feet Under, I brought in political and moral issues unique to West Texas during the 80s and 90s. I’ve tried to build my protagonist and his interaction with the other individuals dealing with these issues. Although I believe the main character is unique, I do often draw on my own emotions and experiences to enhance him for the reader.
I have included a snippet from chapter three. Let’s see if I’m meeting my objective and entice some interest.
Most people die at twenty-five,
And aren’t buried until they are seventy-five
~Benjamin Franklin
What—in—the—hell did I do? How am I goin’ to get out of this one? Okay, dummy, you got yourself into this, so—this is what ya gonna do. You will work for Dad until you have enough money to leave home and go to college.
Convinced I wanted no part of the business, the agreement gave me a way out from further hurting Dad. The day after we had our talk, Mom said, “Junior, I want to thank you.”
Raising my eyebrows, “Thank me for what?”
“For accepting your dad’s compromise. Someday, you’ll look back on this and realize you made the right decision. I know my boy better than he knows himself. I promise you’ll never regret this.”
I smiled, “You’re welcome.”
I wouldn’t be attending college in the fall because of my ignorant screw-up. My future now rested on what happened over the summer.
When I told Tommy of the agreement, he said, “That was the best decision you’ve made in a long time. Your dad loves you, and he wouldn’t trick you into doing something you don’t want to do.”
“But— what—.”
“But what? You keep your end of the bargain, and your dad will keep his. Don’t mess around either, Charlie. I know you. You’re as hard-headed as your mother. Take the summer and get to know everything your dad does. Who knows where it might lead you?”
~~~
The reality of what lay ahead of me became more than I understood. Lying in bed, I would toss and turn, thinking about my best friend going off to Austin.
I’ll never get to talk to him again. What will happen if he finds someone he likes more than me? Who am I going to talk to?
At breakfast one morning, Mom said, “Why the long face? If that bottom lip hangs any lower, ya goin’ to trip over it.”
I didn’t have an answer. The whole excitement of graduation from high school disappeared. All my friends had plans for the summer. Tommy and his parents were taking a trip to California, and when they returned, he’d work in his dad’s office for a few weeks before heading off to Austin.
What do I have to look forward to? I gotta work at this dumb funeral home. There’s nothing but gloom and doom for me.
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