Write What You Know

One of the most common--and most frustrating--pieces of advice given to budding writers is "write what you know." I have received this pearl of wisdom many times, and will undoubtedly dispense it at least as many times in years to come.

A writer must have something to write about. All the linguistic chops in the world won't get you very far if you don't have an interesting topic, and the key to making something interesting is to make it real. A writer must draw upon experience, education, and emotion in order to breathe life into their work; in other words, a writer must have lived. That is why I am only now, in my early thirties, developing the skills that will take me to a professional level, because without something to write about, my ability and capacity for exploration as a writer was as limited as my material.

Begin, of course with first-hand knowledge: everything you have ever done, seen, or personally experienced, all of your skills and talents that do not seem related to writing, all of these will form the physical foundation of your writing. Next, your second-hand knowledge: everything you have ever read, heard about, or otherwise learned of can be important, whether it becomes the core of inspiration or simply a small but vital detail. You will end up doing a lot of research simply to lend credibility to your work. Even rumor and hearsay have their part, because so much good fiction is an elaborate tapestry woven around a single strand of truth. If 99% of your story is simply made up out of thin air, that 1% of it drawn from reality is what will pull the reader in and make it believable (although I'd recommend a somewhat more balanced ratio).

But a writer's material goes far beyond the material, and this is where the true meaning of "write what you know" becomes clear. The most important and most often overlooked part is to write what you know in your heart. You cannot simply bombard the reader with facts and details and expect them to become swept up in the world you have created, you must connect with them emotionally. If you want a reader to identify with a character, you must discover what it is you yourself like about that character and emphasize those traits, which are far more important than hair color or wardrobe. Likewise, if you want the reader to despise a character, don't just model them on somebody you find despicable; model them on what you find dispicable about yourself. Always, always, always make it personal. Draw out the humor or tragedy as desired by finding it within yourself, not just within the scene. Your words should have the same effect on you as they do on your audience. Your writing should thrill and amaze and traumatize you. When your heart pounds in your chest as you type the thrilling climax, when you laugh aloud at a particularly clever scenario you've devised, or when tears well up in your eyes when you pen the heartfelt finale, that's when you've really got something.

Do that, and you are truly writing what you know.