Head vs. Heart Story: Part 1

When Writing What You Know Keeps You From Sharing the Story of Your Soul

Welcome to Part 1 of the Head vs. Heart Story workshop series. This workshop will be presented in three parts and includes slide graphics. The full slide presentation will be available for download at the conclusion of the series.

Workshop content is available exclusively to paid subscribers. Free subscribers will have access to a brief preview above the paywall. Thank you to all my subscribers for your continued support!

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Workshop Description

“Write what you know.” This is advice we’re consistently told as writers, whether our first novel is about to debut or we have a hefty stack of manuscripts under our belts. But what if writing what you know keeps you from penning the soul-story you were meant to tell?

In this workshop series, we’ll take a look at what happens when focusing too much on perfecting your craft becomes crippling. We’ll also explore why following market trends isn’t always the best path, and how going against the crowd’s flow actually helps you stand out in more ways than one.

If you’ve been struggling with being “too much in your head” while trying to pour your heart onto the page, this workshop series is for you.

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Why This Topic Matters

The idea of “write what you know” hindered my creativity early on in my writing journey.

When I first started writing my debut novel and portal fantasy Unblemished, the opening setting was originally located in Arizona. I live in Arizona, and I love my desert state, but it wasn’t the right setting for that particular book.

So, instead of inspiring me creatively, the advice to write what I knew made me feel stuck and stifled. Trapped and ultimately limited. If I could only write what I already knew or had lived, what would be the point of telling stories at all?

After all, we read to escape, to meet new characters, and to explore new worlds.

That’s not to say we should never write what we know or what’s familiar. What we know and have experienced will naturally be a part of the stories we create.

But we must find a balance when grounding readers in what’s familiar so they can connect with a world that’s not. That’s the place where the head story and the heart story come together.

When we lose the heart of the story, however, that’s when things start to fall apart.

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