(Re)Write What You Know — A Twist on Common Writer’s Advice

A common bit of writing advice that you will find if you read books on writing or attend a writer’s conference is this:

Write what you know.

I’m not refuting that bit of advice in this post, but I do want to offer a little twist on the main idea.

First of all, let’s discuss what writing what you know means and why this is recommended for writers, especially beginning writers.

What does it mean to write what you know?

Not every one of us is terrific at world-building.

And for those for whom it seems to come naturally, it took a lot of practice before they began writing entire other worlds into existence.

Take, for instance, the well-known 100 Cupboards series in which a character finds himself entering another world.

The author N.D. Wilson seamlessly writes this. He is a pro at world building, but he did not start his writing career writing other worlds.

His first novel, Leepike Ridge, was set in our world.

Or consider the terrific trilogy of middle-grade books by Tim Shoemaker, the Code of Silence series, which was set in a certain city …