by Tim Sudeth @TimSuddeth
How many of you have heard the rule ‘write what you know?’ It’s one of the first rules most writers are taught and many hold up as not to be argued with. It’s often used to help new writers find ‘their lane,’ what they must stick to with their writing. It’s simple, it’s widely shared, and it’s wrong.
But it sounds right, doesn’t it? Of course, we have to know about the subject that we write about. We don’t want to mislead people or sound ignorant. Isn’t that why many writers, especially of nonfiction, have initials behind their names? (I’m talking about initials like PHD, not Jr.)
But the rule has some flaws that can trip up the unsuspecting writer. The first flaw I see is that it pigeonholes a writer. It sounds like you should only write about one type of character, living in one place and time, doing only a handful of jobs. But isn’t the desire to have new and different experiences what brings many to writing?
The rule also overlooks two of the best superpowers we writers have to use: empathy and imagination. With empathy, I can put myself into the seat of a parent teaching their teenager how to drive or know the awe with which a lad in colonial Boston would look up at Doctor Ben Franklin. We all share the same human feelings. It’s part of the writer’s exercise program to use our feelings to imagine being in different circumstances, personalities, or people.
We also have the gift of imagination. (Some of our friends may question whether it’s a gift or curse.) None of us have ridden on the Starship Enterprise, but we all can imagine sitting on the bridge watching Captain Kirk and Spock lead us to “boldly go where no man has gone before.” Now, I know I wasn’t the only one who spent way too many hours entranced to the TV, not just watching the show but imagining being a part of it? With our imaginations, we can go to any time, any place, with anyone.
Using empathy and imagination allows us to show our readers our world and other people from a different perspective. What a gift that is.
Instead of just writing what you know, consider some other options.
1. Write What You Read
A writer at a recent conference said it was better to ‘write what you read.’ Reading shows us so much about what makes good and bad writing. You’ll learn how long the particular work should be, the pacing, characterization, is setting important, and how much time should be spent on describing the place and atmosphere. You can also see what keeps your attention and what brings you into the story.
Each type of writing requires its own balance between showing and telling. In a novel or memoir, you want to immerse your reader in the story. But in a devotion, short story, or devotion, you have to keep it brief. You will pick this up as you read others’ works.
2. Write What Interests You
This is what makes freelance writing possible. Can you imagine a journalist only writing about where they grew up? They would quickly run out of ideas. But now we have so many ways to learn new topics. Just put it in Google to get information on any topic, go to Google maps to get a street level view of most locations, or use your contacts on LinkedIn to find someone in the business you’re writing about. Research has never been easier.
There’s another problem with only writing what you know. And that is the danger of becoming stale. You can talk about anything just a limited number of times. The last thing you want is to become boring to your reader and yourself. But by writing what you read and what interests you, you have unlimited ideas and topics you can draw from.
I would love to hear what commonly given writing advice you’ve found to be less than helpful? Please leave them in the comments below. And thank you for visiting our site.
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