Write what you (don't) know.

Alright, first off I will start by saying that I know the true meaning behind the saying "Write what you know." I understand that it means emotions, not experiences. I understand that it's about building emotions you are familiar with to make your characters more real.

But that's not what people think the phrase means.

Many people take the phrase literally in that you should write about things that you have experienced, just changing things around a bit. Unfortunately this doesn't make much sense when it comes to fiction, especially fiction on the broad sense, like fantasy and etc. How can you write what you know, when you're trying to write about fighting dragons and magic? Thus why many people do not understand the true meaning of the phrase.

Even taking the advice with it's true meaning, I don't feel that it's good advice. Writing what you know when it comes to emotional experience is still limiting. What if you haven't experienced a tragic loss, or the joy of child birth, or the pangs of addiction? How could you write about a character going through these experiences with the right depth and deference that such subjects require?

I say: Write what you don't know. Write about things that you don't understand, write about emotions that you've never had and maybe never will. Research about the subject, read about people in similar situations and interviews they have had, talk with them if possible. Challenge yourself to think outside the box that is your life and write about characters and situations that you yourself could never relate to. Challenge yourself to be a better writer by living in someone else's experiences.

The only thing required is empathy. Without that, it would be an uphill battle, and maybe you should only write about what you know. But if you can empathize with those whose experiences you've read, and do your homework, your characters will be all the better for it.

So, write what you don't know. You just might surprise yourself.