Write what you know.

[dameboudicca]

You know, that advise you get all the time. It has some truth to it (especially if not taken to literally).

But what do you do if you suffer from prosopagnosia (facial blindness), when you couldn't describe the face of someone you knew if your life depended on it even? If you are incapable of reading facial expressions (at least, if they are not really exaggerated). Does that mean you have to write stories about faceless beings who never shows the slightest hint of an expression on their faces? It would be all right if your character had the same condition, but if you don't want that...?

This is not just a question out of idle curiosity, I have these problems, and so far I have avoided it by using generic descriptions (put together from stuff I've read), but it feels a bit like cheating (no, no, not word-by-word, of course not - but still!) - and I'm terrified someone will, eventually, see through it. After all, I know it's fake!

Or, do I have no choice but to continue as I do now?

[somewhat cross-posted]

Comments

[rodo]

If people only wrote what they knew, most books would be really boring. And everybody has to write about something they are not intimately acquainted with, unless they're writing an autobiography, maybe, but even that relies on research and second hand information.

The others made great suggestions already. Study what you don't know, try to understand it as best as you can and have someone else read over your story if you're unsure as to whether you did it right.

You're definitely not the only one with this problem. I understand why you feel unsure, though, I always feel like that when I'm writing anything romantic. A good beta reader definitely helps.

[dameboudicca]

Perhaps 'writing what you understand' is a better way of stating it. But I still don't understand faces, so the problem remains - trying to fake understand can ring so very false to the reader. But asking my readers about my descriptions of people and such and see if it seems believable might be a good start. So far no one has commented on it, but that doesn't mean it can't be a problem!