Since my teenage years I had been enamored with the idea of becoming a writer, but it was more of a whimsical dream than a serious pursuit. Throughout the years I had taken a few stabs at writing, but while the longing was present the know-how was lacking. Like many wannabe writers, one of the obstacles that held me back was this question: what on earth can I write about?
I had heard it said you should write what you know. And that made perfect sense. It sounded safe. But it also scared me because I saw myself as a person who knew a little about a lot and was an expert on nothing. In other words, I felt inadequate to speak to the world—what could I possibly say that had merit or appeal?
I began by making a brief list of the various subjects that interested me: hobbies, courses I’d taken, personal experiences and so on. Eventually I settled on writing a personal testimony about my faith and was amazed when it was published in Decision magazine! But after a few more attempts at writing about "what I knew," I realized I was about to run out of fodder for my work.
Years later I took a job as an editorial assistant at a magazine. Amongst other tasks, I was assigned to write monthly articles on a wide spectrum of topics unfamiliar to me. At first I was terrified . . . certain I would fail. But in time that challenge led to one of the most profound growth spurts of my writing career because it taught me an invaluable lesson: write what you don't know!
It was freeing to discover that as writers we are not limited to our own narrow worlds of experience. If we are willing to research, to analyze, to postulate and to interview then we will open ourselves up to infinite possibilities of subject matter to write about.
If anyone were to ask me today what they should write about, instead of responding, "Write what you know," I would say, "Write what you are interested in learning," and enjoy the journey!
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