One piece of advice for bloggers: write what you know

When I was a little girl, I had a great imagination. Growing up on the family farm, 55km from the nearest town, I had to enjoy my own company. I played a lot and created things; tree houses and sandcastles; drawing and colouring; crafting cars from cardboard boxes. Mostly I loved ‘make believe’, and in particular I loved pretending I was a puppy. True story.

As a child, I loved to play “pretend” – here, I’m probably a duck or an emu!

My first day of kindergarten was spent crafting, but colouring between the lines and cutting out circles soon became tedious. To this day, my teacher recalls when I raised my hand and so seriously enquired: “Excuse me Mrs Hoare, but when are we going to learn to read and write?” When I finally learned these skills, I always enjoyed “story writing” time.

The first writing competition I entered (the Year 1 section at the Nyngan Show in 1993) was themed “Change”. While others wrote about clothes, car parts and the seasons, I wrote about my escapades as a puppy. Because, as I recall the last line of the story went, “that is what I can change into”. (I won first prize of $2.)

For all the writing I’ve done and continue to do, it seems that words around my personal tales, challenges, and experiences are the best received – from my puppy tale, to my sugar-free challenge, and to my most recent project. I can certainly attest to Mark Twain’s advice: “write what you know”.

So. That’s my advice too for any aspiring writers/bloggers out there. Be authentic. Be vulnerable (vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity). Be dedicated. Be passionate.

For additional inspiration, you might like these 20 quotes from Mark Twain on writing or my Pinterest board.

Watering the garden on the farm was good thinking time.