Can a writer use their expertise to create unique novel?

[ecoman]

I feel that a specialist can make a difference in writing a fiction novel by the creation of a plot that centers on a subject that their expertise comes into play in producing an interesting and original story.
Since I am a microbiologist, I was able to write two biotech thrillers that used ideas for these stories that a nonprofessional couldn’t even dream up. My most recent thriller used the idea of a Hamas bioterrorist programming a DNA based computer to produce an Ebola virus which causes an epidemic in Israel. In my first novel, I knew that the bacterium used to break down organic material and produce methane gas was related to one of the most deadly toxin producing bacteria species known to man. Again, I created a story where bioterrorists were able to utilize this knowledge to make it look like an alternate energy source was the cause of an epidemic.

[heartsonfire43]

Well, for one, look at John Grisham. Isn't he practicing law before he became a best seller author of novels that revolve around what happens in the courtroom? And who would forget Arthur Conan Doyle, the great doctor who wrote the Sherlock Holmes series. I think anyone can write novels no matter what expertise or profession you are in. For as long as you have a good plot, exciting characters, a great flow of story, etc., i believe your story will end up in the shelves of bookstores one day...hope i gave an honest reply

[KS Crooks]

Expertise always gives you insight for your subject that the average person doesn't have. It can also make it easier to create believable situations and character interactions. The danger is that you could operate with blinders on, not allowing yourself to entertain ideas that are not currently possible or even theoretical. Never let what you know limit what you can imagine.

[moderntimes]

It's entirely plausible that you use your expertise as a biologist or whatever to create a solid foundation for your stories. What you must however focus on is that you not become too technical or detached from the story line while you're plotting the novel.

There are many good techno-thrillers and it's apparent that you've got a sharp idea and direction for the books. However, the major thing is to create an exciting and engrossing story that will captivate the readers. So go lightly into that forest of technology and be certain that you dole out the techie stuff a bit at a time, not all in chapters 2-4, or you'll lose the readers. Not that your technology is wrong or bad in its concept, but that it's not presented in an exciting manner.

How to do this? Small doses work best. Start with action, action, action, and then let the "good guys" discover that there's a really advanced bad guy who's doing something that nobody can yet deal with. Then maybe assemble a team of smarties, and have them explore the possibilities (all the time fighting the baddies) and let the technical facts be "discovered" bit by bit. This technique not only increases the story tension and drama, but it doesn't inundate the reader with too much technobuzz in one chapter.

Write the story and pitch it to an audience of the following: college graduates or equivalent, but not science majors -- in other words, fairly sharp folks who are aware of technology and are intrigued by it, but themselves aren't whizzes. Write your technical stuff as if you were writing a Nova episode -- a bright audience but not necessarily up to date on the latest stuff.

Above all, make the story engrossing and fun to read. As soon as the story become a "reading assignment" you'll lose your audience. And that means you won't get the prospective agent or publisher to say "greenlight" on the book.

btw I'm a chem major w. minor in math and I worked for years in chemical research, so I know the lingo. Good luck.

[ecoman]

Moderntimes;
I agree with you on NOT bombarding the reader with too much technical material. What I’m trying to say is that a writer can use their expertise to create an interesting plot using a unique scientific idea. Your right in saying that you have to capture your thriller readers interest with lots of action and appealing characters. I’ve strived to do this in both of my novels. Here’s a quote from a review I received form Goodreads Book Club for my first book: “The action sequences and characters are well written and the technical sections are easy to read and understand.”

[moderntimes]

Good review, congrats.

[DATo]

I certainly think a writer steeped in a particular venue of expertise can and should employ that expertise if required and practical. Many authors of crime novels or courtroom procedure, for instance, have done so. But I think the author must be careful not to make the writing so esoteric that the average reader will become lost in it or become overly frustrated with the amount of literary real estate it occupies.

Audrey Niffenegger's debut novel The Time Traveler's Wife was resplendent with descriptions of cuisine, wine, pottery making (of which I believe she is well informed and practices), as well as lengthly passages about prenatal care; all of which are hammered at to the point of nausea and leant no appreciable value to the story. The reader found himself saying, "Enough already Niffenegger, get on with the freaking story for chrissakes."

A writer must always be cautious not to overly season the writing with technical jargon which is of little use to the layman reader. This can be viewed as an intentional attempt to impress and smacks of boasting, which can have just the opposite effect on the reader. As Emerson once said ... The longer he boasted of his honor the faster we counted our spoons."

[billorton]

They say you should write what you know. Microbiology would be an incredibly interesting angle from which to tackle a story. Biology and earth science are increasingly at the center of our lives, and the fate and future of our planet. So you certainly have a grounding that prepares you to tell big stories. I would suggest you look at Simon Winchester, who was a geologist and has written about earthquakes, volcanos and other such things, in ways that pull you in, both for the highly technical content, and for the context he paints around it.

Me, I know politics. So what do I write about? Politics. Do people want to read it? Well, based on Smashword numbers, a few thousand people have picked up my first novel, set in the Great Recession. Do they like it? One reviewer (from this site) didn't make their way through the whole book, as my writing style perplexed them. (I weave separate stories that come together in the last third of each book, requiring a reader to jump from storyline to storyline. It was too much for him.) I accept that not every reader will like what I have written, or how I have written it. But if I let that stop me, I would have nothing to show.

What what you feel good about. Create work you are proud of. And keep writing. Writing novels is like planting hardwood. You don't prosper from the growth of those first days, but for the long-haul.