You might have heard the advice to writers to “write what you know.” You’ll find many articles explaining that you don’t want to do that.

Mark Twain is usually credited/blamed for first espousing the “write what you know” rule, although it actually may predate him.

Writing is about telling a compelling story. You know that you need:

A compelling protagonist, stakes, the protagonist’s road to change, and a final resolution.

A Pantser writes with minimal planning beyond knowing Who, What, and Where. Quentin Tarantino is a pantser, as are George RR Martin and Stephen King.

Plotters are writers who plan out their stories before they write them. Plotters plan each scene or beat, and like to know where their story is going in advance. Famous Plotters include J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and James Patterson.

A logline isn’t a short summary of the story; it’s a marketing element to help a busy agent or publisher to quickly sort through all the queries they receive.

So you’ve written the great American novel. Congratulations. A lot of hard work, maybe long days or nights went into it. It’s finally ready for the rest of the world to see it. Now what?

While writing can seem like a solitary task, the writer is never alone. Aside from the final reader who purchases a novel or reads an author’s short story, there are a lot people who are — or should be — part of the writer’s journey:

I’ve been ignoring my site (and this blog) for months.

I’ve alternated both short stories and novels in POVs from Third Person Limited to First Person Singular…

When I wrote my first publishable novel—Panda Bears From Mars—I thought: That’s it; I can do no more.

You Must Write.

Maybe problems with the novel weren’t about the viewpoint, but about the writing.

It made a lot more sense to outline Once Dead.

Maggie McAuley is pretty sure she’s dead.

My Muse’s name is Violet.

It all begins with an idea.