“Write what you know” is a frequently repeated, important
early lesson for novice writers. On the face of it, it seems like basic common
sense; you can’t write about what you don’t know. You can’t write something
that feels true, if you don’t know the truth of it yourself.
On a deeper level, it really means – write what you
understand, write what you feel. Don’t just write about your life (that’s an
easy trap to fall into and very difficult to make work as a young writer), but
write about your experience through characters you create. Characters who are
part you, part other people you know and part creation/reaction/relation to the
world.
I wrote a short play once (it never really worked as a
short; it might be a full length one day) about three people penning a speech
for the commander of the first manned mission to Mars. The three characters
were the White House Communications Director, a Media Consultant for NASA and a
Pulitzer Prize Winner. At this point in time, I am none of those …