HOW I WROTE WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW

Guest Post by Srividhya Venkat

As a writer, you might have heard the statement – “Write what you know.” I somewhat agree with it because when we write what we know, our story and voice gain more authenticity.  

Since I was born and raised in India, most of my picture books are inspired by my very own experiences and cultural roots. They are stories of “what I know.” I’ve written picture books about

and other topics that remain to be published.

However, about four years ago, I went after my curiosity and explored the possibility of writing something I didn’t know. Specifically, this happened with my upcoming picture book, GIRLS ON WHEELS, which is inspired by the skateboarding movement in India.

GIRLS ON WHEELS releases August 8, 2023.

I am NOT a skateboarder and I certainly wouldn’t have ever thought of writing a book on skateboarding. But when I came upon Kamali, an award-winning short film named after a little girl in India making news as the first female skateboarder in her fishing village, I was intrigued. I’d foolishly assumed that India was sort of ‘my backyard’ and I knew everything about it. But clearly, I didn’t. And this daring little girl, who’d made waves on social media when legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk shared her photo, lived literally two hours away from my family. How had I missed learning about her during my visits there?

(Kamali Moorthy – the photo shared by Tony Hawk that went viral)

The more I dug, the more I learned about skateparks being built across the country. There was a skateboarding revolution happening in India!!

I was especially blown away to learn that like Kamali, many other girls were taking up skateboarding and challenging themselves. My mind brimmed with questions. Why were these girls skateboarding? What was so special about the sport? Were they not scared of getting hurt?

(Asha Gond, founder of Barefoot Skateboarders)

As someone who grew up in India where women are largely expected to follow prescribed gender rules and norms, I was in awe of these skateboarding girls who were pushing boundaries and doing what they believed in. I couldn’t help, but feel the need to find out more about these fearless girls. So I delved deeper into research, reading more articles and interviews, and watching videos and short films about these girls and how skateboarding had become part of their lives.

Slowly I began to have a vision for a story and wasted no time in writing it down. As I went from one draft to the next, one question dwelled on my mind – Would my voice and story be authentic?

I decided to address my self-doubt by doing more research, this time focusing on general content about skateboarding – the how-to’s for beginners, skateboarding lingo, ways to fall safely, tricks – easy ones, popular ones, risky ones! I visited the local skatepark to observe skaters, engaging all my senses as the skaters whizzed and whooshed by. I observed the support they offered one another by teaching tricks and their informal understanding in taking turns at the skatepark. I talked to skater girls about handling fear, getting up after falling, and the thrill of landing a new trick. I read fiction and non-fiction children’s books on skateboarding. I even hopped on my son’s skateboard wondering if I’d be regular or goofy footed!

(Xtreme Skatepark, Singapore where I lived at the time)

Armed with my research notes, I felt more confident about getting my writing right by incorporating details that would make the story more authentic. However, this time another question popped up in my mind – Being a non-skateboarder, would I be able to bring in the essential emotional connection?

The answer came to me in the form of wisdom from Atita Verghese, founder of Girl Skate India – “Skateboarding is a lot like life… – if you fall, then you need to get back up. And you need to keep pushing.”

(Atita Verghese, founder of Girl Skate India)

A sudden spark lit up inside me, as if I had found the last piece of a puzzle. It dawned on me that while skateboarding was new to me, falling was not. I could draw parallels from certain moments in my life when I had been unsuccessful at something important to me. One of them was learning to swim as an adult. I realized that like Anila’s challenge with skateboarding in the story, I had my own challenge with swimming. Though reliving a certain scary moment in the pool was no fun, it helped me connect with Anila’s state of mind and fears in returning to the skatepark. I also reminded myself why I was writing this book – to inspire resilience and strength among readers.

(Image from GIRLS ON WHEELS)

At last, it was time to continue working on my story – with optimism! I went through a few rounds of revisions with the support of my critique group who kept any remaining self-doubt at bay, and helped me bring my story to life as best as I could.

To sum up, if you ever contemplate writing about something you “don’t know,” here’s my two cents:

• Follow your curiosity and don’t limit yourself.
• Be ready to do the required due diligence.
• Draw inspiration and/or parallels from your own experiences.
• Share your work with your critique group (and experts, if needed).
• Be kind to yourself and exercise self-care.

I hope this quote from Toni Morrison will inspire you further –

“People say to write about what you know. I’m here to tell you, no one wants to read that, cos you don’t know anything. So write about something you don’t know. And don’t be scared, ever.”

I wish you the very best in your writing journey!