Write What You Don't Know

Write what you know!" Everyone who has ever picked up a pen and tried their hand at words, ideas, and stories has heard that one. It's something like the Second Commandment of writing. Between "Don't forget to write your name," and "Don't steal others' work."

- BY JULIAN BRAVE NOISECAT

But here’s the thing: It’s bullshit. In this attention economy? No one wants to read what you know. They want to read what you don’t know. What you're still figuring out. What you're still finding words for. What you're piecing together into a story. What you're excavating from the recesses of your family's and peoples' memories and bringing to life on the page. What traditions you are picking up, handing down, and adapting for the present. What story you alone can tell.