Don't Take This Advice

It's just boring.

Write what you know.

When I hear this advice, I just want to nod my head and say “don't do it, don't do it, don't do it.” 

That’s so boring and narrow. And then, I drop my chin a little and remember the times I’ve also given this advice. Mostly when I was a few years into the job and not feeling confident about telling people anything about anything, so I went back to what all the magazines were saying, which was write what you know, and so, I said it too.

But I rarely do it. Not in the way it means, at least. 

Mostly, I’ve written about what I don’t know. And then I’ve gone out into the world and learned about it—visualization, growth mindset, embezzlers, the FBI, cultivating giant squash, and the ups (and downs) of flying a stunt biplane (I’ll tell you this much: I was really hoping that seatbelt held firm when we made that loop).

I’ve learned about managing performance anxiety, chronic pain, and insomnia—and so, I’ve written about all that, too.

When I wrote about embezzlers, aerial yoga, and hypnosis, I didn’t know a thing about any of them. 

This adds to the workload, of course, and the fun.

Write What You Want to Know

When you write about what you don’t know, you do the work. The work of a writer. You study, research, interview, ask questions, try things out—and then you write. And by now, you know more about what you are writing about. But the writing is driven by what you are learning, not only what you know.