by Silverhart » Fri Mar 24, 2017 10:03 am
How do you write events that you have never gone through and probably never will (e.g., a near-death experience)?
Research, research, research and a huge helping of empathy. Perfect example: one of my characters is a man dealing with depression in the 18th century. I've never had depression, though I can certainly empathize with people who do. And I've also never lived in the 18th century before. Obviously depression is a very sensitive subject, and one I want to represent correctly, and as empathetic as I may be, the best thing to do is research. Research it both from a clinical point of view (what are the symptoms, the underlying causes, and treatments, etc.), and from a personal point of view (how do people with depression live with it and describe it). And then I have the added pleasure of doing the historical research (what was the view on mental health back then, what were the common treatments, what were the general medical beliefs etc.). So a lot goes into it. And then at the end of the day I have to think about my own limited experiences, and apply that.
I'm personally a firm believer in "Write what you don't know." Writing what you don't know is actually a great way to learn more about the world and about yourself and others, though you do have to be sensitive and always do your research and double and triple check sources. It can be exhausting, but at the end of the day it's worth it. It also really helps me to read novels written on the subject, to see how other authors handle the subject matter. If I'm lucky they might even include a bibliography. XP