Debunking the Myth of “Write What You Know”

“Write what you know.”

That is basic writing advice that has been passed around ever since I started learning how to put my ideas to paper–and probably LONG before. It’s a maxim that never rang true to me. Now that I’ve had twenty years to think it over, I still believe it’s a myth that needs debunking.

Back in middle and high school, when I was doing research papers for English class, I didn’t write what I knew. I wrote what I learned through research. My research papers ranged from Ma...