Write What You Know

They say to write what you know.

Have you ever wondered who they are? I think they are the same people who tell us to eat our vegetables, to use signal lights, and to not wear white after Labor Day.

Anyway, whoever they are, writing what you know is good advice. If it is a subject in which you have experience, you are more likely to be confident in your work, and your audience will likely trust you more.

For example, I could never be the author of Basic Car Repair or Technical Stuff and You. I am totally inept when it comes to such things, but, if you need advice on tools or repairs, ask my wife. I can write you a book with funny remarks in it; she can build you something. It’s how we roll.

I have been thinking of writing about what I know in these current weird times in which we are living. Some possible titles might include:

Herding Cats: Teaching Virtual Classes to High School and College Students

The Spider Solitaire King

Tubbo: An Easy Guide to Gaining Weight During a Pandemic

Oh, I Wanna Hug Somebody

Procrastination, How I Love Thee, Let Me Count the Ways . . . Tomorrow

Just One More Zoom Meeting

Sweatin’ Under My Mask

Amish Alien Abductions

(I actually made that last one up. Seriously. I know nothing.)

On a semi-serious note, writing what you know can be an effective way to reach a specific audience by sharing your experiences and knowledge. I recently co-authored a devotional, Adventures in Fatherhood, with my friend Holland Webb. We wrote stories about rearing our children and what God taught us along the way. The book has two unique perspectives.

I approached the stories from the point of view of a married man who raised his two sons alongside his wife; Holland is an adoptive single father. I could not write about raising kids on my own, as I know nothing about that, while Holland doesn’t know any other way. Hopefully different people can relate to “what we know.”

I recently received a 30-Year Service Award at the college where I teach. It will come as no surprise that I am “stewing over” ideas for a devotional about . . . you got it, teaching. It’s what I know.

So, if you are stuck about what to write, look around you. What experiences do you have that can speak to others’ lives? You might be impressed at the ideas that come.

Now, I need to get back to work. I have stories to write and classes to teach, and those Solitaire games are not going to play themselves.

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate–all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.