How To Outgrow 'Write What You Know'
by:
Jenna Glatzer
Every writer has detected
it time and again, and it’s not without merit: “Write what you know.”
When I began freelancing, I was just out of college, so what did I write about? College. I wrote profiles of body
entrepreneurs, I wrote editorials just about college life... and after a while, I actually wanted to come on and write just about different things. But I didn’t feel qualified.
Luckily, I didn’t let that hold me back for too long.
“Write what you know” is a really nice starting point. But that’s all it is. It’s a place for you to go to get your feet wet, and a place to come back to once
the tide gets too high. But it’s not a place to stay for really long.
A better piece of advice, in my opinion, is “Write what you WANT to know.” One of the great perks of being a freelance writer is that you get paid to discover just about things. So… what do you want to discover about?
If I had all unnoticed
“Write what you know” and just opened a page of the Writers Market at random, computation I’d send a query to whichever market my finger happened to touch, my career would-be be really several today. I power have all over up writing just about finances, miniature horses, and aerobics. And you cognize what? I would-be have detested it.
I have no experience with any of the above topics, and there’s a nice reason for that: I ne'er
actually WANTED to have experience with them. Since I have no real passion for any of the topics, if I had to write articles just about them, it would-be feel like work.
But did you ever finish to think just about the things you always wanted to know, but ne'er
found out? Or all the engrossing folk you wanted to meet? Or the problems you’ve encountered that you wanted solved? Now those are article topics.
Try this exercise. Fill in the blanks with your answers.
If time and money weren’t factors, I’d love to take a course in ___________________.
I’ve always wanted to ask (person you know)______________________ just about _________________________.
I’ve always wanted to cognize how __________________________ works.
My life would-be improve if I could only ______________________________.
Once
I have a sleepless night, it’s commonly because I’m distressed just about ____________________.
The worst injustice I can think of is ______________________________.
Once
I was a kid, I was actually aflame just about _________________________.
I have always been embarrassed to admit that ________________________really interests me.
In my life, I have overcome ___________________________________________.
If I could volunteer for just one cause, it would-be be __________________________.
I will I were better at ___________________________________.
I have always wondered why _________________________________________.
You may have lots of answers for each statement. That’s great! Each answer is a possible article topic. Most of them won’t be specific enough (or maybe too specific) for an article, but they should give you lots of new starting points from which to brainstorm angles.
Think of freelance writing as your own possibility to discover just about all the things you ever wanted to know, and don’t worry if you’re not yet an “expert” in any of these areas! Among my favorite writing assignments have been topics in which I had no previous expertise:
-An article just about a woman who started her own acknowledgement
card business for Woman’s Own. Of course, I’ve ne'er
started my own acknowledgement
card business—but the topic for certain interested me, and I wanted a nice excuse to discover more just about it.
-An article just about how “media overload” affects children’s development for KidsGrowth.com. I’m not even as a parent, let alone an expert in child psychology. But I’ve always wondered how increasing media immersion (TV, Internet, video games, radio, etc.) has affected folk in MY generation.
-An article just about book packagers for Writer’s Digest. Okay, I had written for a book packager at that point-- but just one, and I was eager to discover more just about the industry and its players. It gave me the perfect excuse to contact book packagers and discover more just about the market. And If not for this article, I would-be ne'er
have written Celine Dion's book... I sent my resume and samples to one of the packagers I interviewed, and an editor there wound up business me years later with the assignment!
-Several articles just about engrossing inventions for Zooba.com. How more fun did I have learning just about how Velcro, aspirin, and Post-It Notes were invented? This ready-made for great dinner table language for weeks. My father always fictional himself a bit of a mad inventor, and I guess the factor spilled over to me. I devour these kinky stories of how the human mind approaches problem-solving creatively.
-Every disabilities-related article I’ve ever written. Was I an expert in this area once
I began? No. I have a brother who has Down syndrome, so I had the benefit of several extra understanding, but I only became an “expert” by writing just about this topic over and over. Each time, I knowing thing
new that I actually wanted to learn-- new legislation for folk with disabilities, profiles of amazing folk with disabilities, issues of discrimination, etc.
When working to broaden your writing horizons, be sure to think just about two things: your passions, and your curiosities. You don’t need to write only just about topics that mean “everything” to you
About The Author
Jenna Glatzer is the editor of http://www.absolutewrite.com (pick up a FREE list of agents looking for new writers!) and the author of 14 books, including Do A REAL LIVING AS A FREELANCE WRITER, which comes with a FREE Editors' Cheat Sheet. She's as well Celine Dion's authorized biographer. Visit Jenna at http://www.jennaglatzer.com
jg@jennaglatzer.com
This article was denote
on August 11, 2005
