Ernest Hemingway Advice: Write What You Know

Ernest Hemingway said to write what you know. I don’t think he meant this in the autobiographical sense. He meant to weave things you know into your fiction. I’m a photographer. I’m also a geek. So bits of those facets of my life are woven into my Yale Larsson Private Investigator books. I’ve written three so far and am working on number four.

Another bit of wisdom I take from Hemingway’s advice is to write about places you know. I live on the west coast of Florida. The books I write are set in the Sarasota area. My first book, The Myakka Murders was set in Myakka River State Park, a place I’ve visited hundreds of times. My second book, Sarasota Sour Grapes takes place in Fruitville, which is on the outskirts of Sarasota. The opening scene for Overexposed on Bird Key takes place on Bird Key. The stories wind their way through downtown Sarasota and nearby locales. Yale Larsson and his half-brother Jayson live in a beach house on Longboat Key.

To find out more about my Yale Larsson books, scan the following QR code with your cell phone.