Journal Entry #1: "Write What You Know"

Journal Entry #1: "Write What You Know"

The first rule most writers learn is to write what you know. What do you know? What issues, topics, experiences, and genres do you feel comfortable tackling? What are some topics (etc.) you think you should avoid? What sort of research might you be interested in doing in order to write more effectively?

What do I know? That’s a good question. When it comes to writing, I would consider myself more or less a Jack of all trades. I find that I am able to write many different types of things fairly easily, though whether or not they are well written is up to you. However, the genre I feel most comfortable tackling is fiction. I find that I am easily able to come up with ideas if I am free to write fiction. That being said, I feel comfortable writing about most topics and do not feel like there is any topic I feel uncomfortable writing about, nor do I feel there is one I should necessarily avoid. If I want to become a better writer, I have to learn to write about a variety of topics, and constantly improve in doing so.

At times, I find it hard to get my ideas together, which makes it hard to start writing. However, once I start, I find that I am usually able to keep a continuous flow of ideas, although I still get writer’s block on occasion. As long as I know what I am supposed to be writing about, I should be able to produce good writing. However, I usually find that when I am free to write whatever I want, I am able to produce my best work. I would love to have an assignment where I am basically told "Write x number of pages about whatever you’d like. Tell a story, make a journal, do whatever you want." I could really take advantage of an assignment like that to write something that is very unique. I would be interested in researching the writing styles of various authors, in the hopes that I would be able to develop my own unique style of writing. I would also like to research popular books from various genres, and attempt to read a variety of different books, each with a different style of writing. I enjoy writing, and am really looking forward to this course.