Write What You Know? No Way!
Freelance writer, editor and blogger, Lori Widmer takes on the old canard, “Write What You Know” in an article posted on fellow writer and blogger Kristen King’s Notes in the Margin newsletter.
Write What You Want, Lori suggests, then proceeds to show exactly why this approach works so well. Aimed at the new writer, this article is also a great reminder for those of us who’ve been writing for awhile.
Lori blogs at Words On The Page.
Write well and often,
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POSTED IN: Freelance Writing Tips and Ideas, General Freelance Writing
3 opinions for Write What You Know? No Way!
Kristen King
Mar 22, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Lori’s article is great, and the most popular one in this issue of Notes in the Margin! :]
kk
Terrell Johnson
Mar 22, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Tom Wolfe has a great line about writing what you know, adding that most people write about themselves (mainly fiction writers) because that’s all they’ve been taught how to do in literature courses in college. He added that once they’ve mined their own lives for a book, they’re done: “a great man once said that everybody has a book in them. He didn’t say everyone has two books in them.”
Food for thought about getting out into the world, and absorbing new information & subject matter for your work.
Carma Dutra
Mar 22, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Lori’s article is excellent advice. I think it is fine to use what you know as a foundation but expand and explore all the things you wished you had been able to before.
Learning and writing about what I don’t know will make it more interesting for me and the reader.
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