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My old English teacher told me to 'write what you know' and it stalled me for a decade
She gave that advice in 2014, and I took it super literally. I only tried writing stories about roofing and small-town life, which got boring fast. Last year, a friend in a writing group said to flip it: 'Know what you write.' I spent 3 months researching deep-sea biology for a sci-fi idea, and it unlocked everything. The first draft just flowed. Has anyone else had a piece of classic writing advice that actually held them back?
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young.emma1mo ago
Oh man, that "write what you know" advice stalled me too. I took it to mean I could only write about my boring office job. The "know what you write" flip is so much better. Doing the research makes the made-up stuff feel real, and that's when it gets fun.
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lisa_wilson871mo agoMost Upvoted
Right? I was stuck writing about my thrilling life of forgetting to buy milk. Researching weird facts for a story is way more fun.
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