Write What You Know. I Mean, What You Want

People often say that the key to success in writing is writing what you know. Which seems like a strange idea considering all the science fiction and fantasy work that is floating our there. So I've come up with something else. Write what you want. Write what you want to be. What you want to do. Where you want to go.

This does something to the writer. Something more than writing what you know. It stimulates your imagination. Think back to when you were a kid and you would think about all the things that you wanted to do and all the places you wanted to go. It's was endless. It had a horizon that you never thought you would get to but that didn't matter as you'd keep running towards it anyway. Why? Because it was exciting and new and uncharted and filled with all these ideas and desires. Filled with what you wanted.

And this should be your mindset when you go out to write. Writing what you know limits you so much. It's like creating what you know. Or researching what you know. Facebook, Youtube, and Apple would not be around if their creators stuck with what they knew. They created what they wanted. And vaccines, tech, and every discovery would be lost if their founders stuck with what they knew. They were looking for something they wanted. Some cure or device that they had in their head. Creativity is all about the uncharted!

Now, these ideas in our heads hardly ever turn out the way we would want them to. But that's okay because combining what we want with our current abilities and that strange magic of creation makes for some interesting and beautiful products. I mean, I've been wanting some cats, but I live in a pet free apartment. So I decided to start writing about cats. My interest in adventure series combined with inability to write very long pieces came together with The Serialized Adventures of Marlo & Norway. Something I didn't expect. But still something quite exciting.

So don't worry about writing what you know. Sit there and think hard about what you want. What story do you want to tell? What story would you want to read? Sit and figure that out then start writing it. You might actual find you've stumbled on to something grand. Something truly you and truly unique. And in the end, you may come out with the book that you not only always wanted but, also, always needed.