Write About What Matters, Not Just What You Know

Discover why writing about what matters, not just what you know, can challenge your creativity and bring fresh energy to your stories.

Writing what you know is great advice. It is a good place to start. It saves you hours of research, and it gives you confidence that shows in your writing. It just makes sense.

If you are a runner and you write about your protagonist finishing a difficult race, you will be able to describe it from your unique viewpoint. Only you can describe the pounding of your feet, the racing of your heart, the way your knees jar, and the rattle in your skull as you run downhill. But what if you get bored? You know this stuff already, and if you are bored, your reader is even more bored.

Even though this is your dream job, it is still a job with goals and deadlines. You write your 500 words a day, or a chapter, or a page. Whatever your goal is, you do it, but then it gets too easy. And that is usually your first clue.

Be careful when you can predict your words or your story. Your writing should surprise you. Especially you. Like a runner, you have to change pace, stretch yourself, and try out new routes.

How do you fix this?

If it isn’t surprising, try writing about what matters to you instead of writing what you know.

How is that different from writing what you know?

Writing about what matters forces you into new territory. It means you are thinking about things that have affected you or changed your mind. It gives you the opportunity to look at a situation with new eyes.

Writing about something that matters might mean you need to do research. You will have to explore new viewpoints or work harder at getting it right. If you care about the topic, the research will not be a chore.

If you care about your story, you will type like a writer possessed.

How To Write About What Matters

How do you get back there? How do you shake things up a bit? How do you remind yourself why your story matters?

1. Write about emotions and motivations. Think about the emotions of your characters and why these things matter to them. Make sure their motivations and goals are strong enough to drive a story.
2. Make use of writing prompts. Especially the ones that don’t necessarily interest you. Experiment with these and break out of what you think you know. Try a different viewpoint. Use your imagination.
3. Watch the news. Find a topic that is close to your heart. Maybe a news report really got to you? Write about it. That fire that was sparked will be with you most of the time.

Trying these things will help you look at your all-too-familiar story from a new angle. That is why the second suggestion is so good. A daily writing prompt gives you space to explore and experiment with your writing. It is not so easy to stop something you have been working on for months and do something different, but a prompt a day, just like an apple, will make you a better and healthier writer.

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7. 7 Supporting Character Types Every Writer Should Know
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