I thought the 'write what you know' advice was just for beginners

For years, I figured that rule was too basic and limited creativity. Then I tried writing a short story about a character working in a library, a job I've never had, and it felt totally fake. I switched gears and wrote about a character who restores old furniture, which I've done for about 5 years. The details about stripping varnish and the smell of linseed oil made the whole piece feel real. It convinced me that starting with what you know gives you a solid base to build from, even for fantasy or sci-fi. Has anyone else had a prompt or piece of advice they dismissed that actually worked for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

averywilliams2d ago

Totally get that. I used to think "show, don't tell" was just writing teacher nonsense. Then I read my own draft where a character was "very angry" for the third page in a row. Realized I needed to actually describe the slammed door and the muttered curses. Felt like a real idiot, but it fixed the scene.

tara_jones942d ago

My first novel had "he felt sad" 47 times. Reading it back made me cringe so hard I finally understood.