Write what you know. This is what they tell you. And so, for the most part, this is what I do. I write about my interests, my passions, events I’ve attended, people I meet, places I visit. This has served me well in my blogging life.
I envy fiction writers though because they don’t always write what they know. They use their imagination to write about and take their readers into other situations, other worlds.
An old cover of Entertainment Weekly featuring author Stephen King.
But perhaps it is because the advice to write what you know should not be taken at face value. Writing what you know doesn’t only refer to events, people, and places in your own personal life. It refers to emotions and feelings. Like Method actors who tap into their own experiences in order to portray a role.
Two-time Oscar award winner Daniel Day-Lewis is a method actor.
Yes, that’s it. Write what you know but don’t be limited by your own experiences. Explore the world. Whether you are writing a feature story, a blog or the next great American novel, do some research, experience, and experiment. If the topic is something you do not know about, then by all means, find out about it. You can talk to an expert, interview others who have experienced and work from there.
Great point Marcie. I would like to throw in some more advice that I’ve always found to be true for writing: Write more!
Aw gee, thanks Jon. You are correct of course the best advice for anyone who wants to “be a writer” is to just go out and…WRITE! Then, WRITE MORE. There ya go another blog post idea. Thanks for stopping by.
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