Rob Starr MBE, author of Black Gold: A Kiara Fox Thriller, on the many advantages of sticking with what you know in your writing . . .
I love a book that not only keeps the pages turning, but also educates me at the same time.
My favourite type of book takes me on a journey that is not only exciting but also is believable. Even when I have read fantasy books, which is not my general go to, they still have to give me some sense of reality. So how does an author do that, how do the authors I love to read know so much about so many subjects when I have reached my mid 50’s and still seem to know very little about anything! My general knowledge is so poor that whatever happens do not invite me to join you for the local pub quiz and expect me to help you lift the trophy at the end of the night.
So what is the answer to delivering a story that is believable when the author is perhaps limited in their general knowledge. Really there are only two options here for the author. One option is to choose a subject that you find really interesting and then do a bucket load of research before you start writing.
My problem is that I just can’t do that.
Actually I probably could, but I am just a bit too impatient and unfocused to spend hours researching something. By my nature I want to just crack on with something.
But I do still want to take my readers on that exciting journey and deliver them a page turner which leaves them with some knowledge that they didn’t possess before turning to that first page.
Writing about something you know
This leads me nicely onto the second option that I suggested existed. Writing about something you know. As it turns out, whilst I may not be an academic, I have learnt a lot in my 56 years of being alive. I have set up my own business, which I did 35 years ago and now have offices in the UK and in South Africa. I set up a children’s charity 17 years ago and we have helped over 6000 young people in that time. I have been married for 25 years and have 3 teenage children. I’ve swum the English channel and competed in Ironman events. And I’ve had holidays all around the world. And you can’t do all that without picking stuff up along the way. So it turns out that actually I know a lot more than I give myself credit for, and on some of those subjects I knows a hell of a lot.
My business is a good example of what I know well. It is an insurance and mortgage company. Over the decades I’ve been trading I have pretty much seen everything the industry has to offer. I have represented some large PLCs as well as some small SMEs. I have acted for individuals that are just decent family people like the majority of us, to people who in all honesty I would prefer not to bump into on a dark winters night. I have represented well known celebrities and sports stars, and even become friends with the worlds most famous art fraudster.
And there is more! Every day I get up, something seems to occur that teaches me something new and gives me new experiences. One day is never the same as the next day. Even if Tuesday is just a day at the office like Monday was, there will be something or someone that makes the day different. For me this is perhaps even truer than for many others as I start every day with a swim in the sea off Brighton Beach. And I can assure you that every single day in the sea is different to another. Not a single swim over 20 years of doing this hobby has been the same.
So when it comes to writing my stories, by sticking to the subjects that I know it means I have so much to draw from that in all honesty I find myself having to hold back, otherwise I’d end up writing a million word novel that would put even the most hardy reader to sleep.
But I should add one last comment to this if I am going to be totally honest with you.
Nothing in life is ever purely black and white, there is always that grey area where we have to play. So clearly I am someone who has decided to write what he knows rather than research a whole new subject. But that does not mean that even I have a complete and utter grasp of my chosen field. Sometimes when writing I find myself having to include some information I actually need help on. But guess what, someone invented Google.
(c) Rob Starr MBE
About Black Gold by Rob Starr:
After the sudden death of her husband, fraud investigator Kiara Fox is thrown into a high-stakes case that pulls her halfway across the world.In South Africa, oil tankers are mysteriously arriving at port with far less cargo than when they left – leaving the insurance company boss Tyrone haemorrhaging money. Despite her grief, Kiara can’t turn down the opportunity to help him work out what is happening as she knows this case could secure her family’s future.
At the heart of the problem is Adesco Oil, a family-run empire. CEO Gavin Adriaanse wants to transform the company into an eco-friendly powerhouse, but his brother Tony will stop at nothing to protect the family’s wealth. Tensions are rising, especially with the launch of Neptune, a revolutionary new oil rig poised to change the industry forever.
But when Kiara arrives, the case becomes far more dangerous than she ever anticipated. As she digs deeper, she uncovers a web of corporate deceit, betrayal, and espionage – both within Tyrone’s insurance company and Adesco Oil. With powerful enemies lurking in every shadow, Kiara realises that someone is willing to kill to keep the truth buried. The closer she gets to the heart of the conspiracy, the more deadly the game becomes.
In a race against time, Kiara must navigate a world where profit meets power and uncovering the truth could cost her everything.
