Each day for the 15 days leading up to the WAW Open House (October 7, 2012, 2-5 p.m.), we’re going to feature a current or former participant who’s completed a major project (book, film, album, academic credential). We’ll find out what they learned that helped them with their work.
Carmen Elena Mitchell, Women At Work
Project: The Real Girl’s Guide to Everything Else, web TV series
Whenever I find myself drawn to subjects that I have no business writing about, I think of Terry’s advice, “Write what you don’t know. Write to discover!” I find that when I do this, I’m able to go past my own limited experience and start learning and growing along with the story. With Real Girls, my main character is a journalist who is investigating women’s right issues in Afghanistan, a subject about which I knew very little. However, rather than staying in my comfort zone, I followed my instincts as to where the story wanted to go (and hit the library!) The result, I think, was a much richer story.
http://www.therealgirlsguide.com/
Writers At Work 