Becoming A Mastermind
by Bibliothecaria
There is a popular personality test that sorts the various human temperaments into roles or professions, such as “the Composer” or “the Healer.” One of these roles is known as “the Mastermind,” and one of the traits of Masterminds is that they know what they know, but more importantly, they know what they don't know.
Writers need to be Masterminds. They need to know what they don’t know. In other words, they need to be aware of their own ignorance.
In crafting a work of fiction, you undoubtedly will have to explore subject areas about which you know little, for no one can know everything. What you do when you encounter these subject areas will lay the foundation of your professional reputation, and, to a lesser extent, that of your editor or publisher.
Before exploring these subject areas, you first need to recognize your ignorance. Even with subjects about which you may know something, you need to acknowledge that there may be aspects of your subject you may not even be aware of. For example, a mystery writer may know that poison kills, and may decided to use poison to kill off one of his characters. But he needs to know the particular characteristics of specific poisons. If he doesn’t -- if he chooses a certain poison because its name sounds exciting, or because he thinks his reader will recognize it, but then, in his ignorance, has that poison act in a manner inconsistent with its nature, he has a problem.
He’s going to have readers who know better.
You should count on the fact that you will have readers who know better, readers who have expert knowledge in the subject areas in your book. If you don’t research these areas, those readers will know and react accordingly. They may leave poor reviews. They may tell their friends (real and virtual) not to buy your book. Or they may just lose respect for you as an author and decide never to pick up another one of your books.
You should not merely assume you know what you’re talking about. Make sure of it. Do your research, otherwise you run the risk of establishing a reputation as a lazy or careless writer, a reputation that will reflect poorly on your editor or publisher and may affect future sales. And don’t assume your editor or publisher will catch your mistakes. They may not have any more expertise in a particular subject area than you do, and it’s not their responsibility to do your work for you (though it is certainly in their best interest to make sure you’ve done it).
There is no shame in ignorance. Everyone is ignorant about something, and ignorance can be easily remedied with a little research. A reputation as a careless writer, once established, is more difficult to erase.
Excellence is in the details. Be excellent. Be a Mastermind. Your readers will love you for it. ~BE
___
Thoughts?
[Bibliothecaria is undoubtedly a pseudonym, and no, it's not the cap'n. keep guessin', matey!]
There is a popular personality test that sorts the various human temperaments into roles or professions, such as “the Composer” or “the Healer.” One of these roles is known as “the Mastermind,” and one of the traits of Masterminds is that they know what they know, but more importantly, they know what they don't know.
Writers need to be Masterminds. They need to know what they don’t know. In other words, they need to be aware of their own ignorance.
In crafting a work of fiction, you undoubtedly will have to explore subject areas about which you know little, for no one can know everything. What you do when you encounter these subject areas will lay the foundation of your professional reputation, and, to a lesser extent, that of your editor or publisher.
Before exploring these subject areas, you first need to recognize your ignorance. Even with subjects about which you may know something, you need to acknowledge that there may be aspects of your subject you may not even be aware of. For example, a mystery writer may know that poison kills, and may decided to use poison to kill off one of his characters. But he needs to know the particular characteristics of specific poisons. If he doesn’t -- if he chooses a certain poison because its name sounds exciting, or because he thinks his reader will recognize it, but then, in his ignorance, has that poison act in a manner inconsistent with its nature, he has a problem.
He’s going to have readers who know better.
You should count on the fact that you will have readers who know better, readers who have expert knowledge in the subject areas in your book. If you don’t research these areas, those readers will know and react accordingly. They may leave poor reviews. They may tell their friends (real and virtual) not to buy your book. Or they may just lose respect for you as an author and decide never to pick up another one of your books.
You should not merely assume you know what you’re talking about. Make sure of it. Do your research, otherwise you run the risk of establishing a reputation as a lazy or careless writer, a reputation that will reflect poorly on your editor or publisher and may affect future sales. And don’t assume your editor or publisher will catch your mistakes. They may not have any more expertise in a particular subject area than you do, and it’s not their responsibility to do your work for you (though it is certainly in their best interest to make sure you’ve done it).
There is no shame in ignorance. Everyone is ignorant about something, and ignorance can be easily remedied with a little research. A reputation as a careless writer, once established, is more difficult to erase.
Excellence is in the details. Be excellent. Be a Mastermind. Your readers will love you for it. ~BE
___
Thoughts?
[Bibliothecaria is undoubtedly a pseudonym, and no, it's not the cap'n. keep guessin', matey!]
