Write What You Know

We’ve all heard the old dictum: “Write what you know.”

In a very general sense, that’s probably true, but there’s much more to writing novels than sticking with those areas with which you are familiar by virtue of training or education.

As a physician, forensic psychiatrist and novelist, it would be easy for me to write about medicine, psychiatry and courtrooms — all of which have been, or are still, part of my life and experiences. But if I limited myself to those areas — familiar as they may...