Mark Twain Said “Write What You Know,” but That’s Ridiculous
Can this old adage actually make you a better writer?
When I was a teenager, I attended a local writers’ workshop that was part of my city’s community-building efforts. The instructor was young and enthusiastic, her curly hair buoyant and her nails painted bright red. Her name was Hope, and she announced to the class on the first day that “Write What You Know” was the great Golden Rule of writing, according to Mark Twain.
Imagine my adolescent dismay when I looked at the myriad adults in the room, wondering what I could possibly know about anything. Did I want to write about my self-proclaimed prowess at Super Mario Bros.? My secret recipe for afternoon nachos? What Tanya said about Jess and Milo k-i-s-s-i-n-g behind the gym?
No, I wanted to write ghost stories and thrillers to scare the pants off my readers. But instead I found myself scootching down in my seat, convinced no one would ever take me seriously as a writer. They would know I had never actually been haunted by an angry spirit, or run for my life in terror from a sasquatch, and oh my god what am I doing here I can’t turn in a story or they’ll all laugh at me and think I’m stupid. Hope had dashed any sense of hope I had of being a writer.
