It’s one of the most common pieces of writing advice. Write what you know. But what does it mean? That you can only write about crime if you’re a police officer (or a criminal?!)? That you can only write about falling in love with a stranger in Paris if you’ve been there, done that and bought the t-shirt? I’m sure you’ll all agree that’s not what it means at all. Not all fiction is fantasy, but all fiction is…well…fictional! And that gives you endless possibilities and freedom. BUT, for the sake of advice, here are some of my Do’s and Dont’s of writing what you know.

Do use real experiences
Writing what you know doesn’t mean you have to have experienced the same things as your characters. You don’t have to be a murderer to write a murder mystery (in fact, I strongly advise against this in any situation!)…