[This is part of the series: 20 Writing Tips From John Erickson]

So, writers should read but…

Reading is not the best place to find all of your writing material.

See, there are very few people who have lived your story.

In fact, nobody has lived your exact story.

And that’s the stuff we need you to write about!

If you have worked in crop insurance or medicine or Hollywood for the last 20 years, that story has still not been told from your perspective.

I mean, hundreds of other people could write about growing up in Saudi Arabia, but none would have the exact same perspective, timing, and memories as I do.

You could do enough research and write a great book (fiction or non-fiction) on World War I.

But is that book going to have the same texture, tone, and insight as someone who lived it?

Would the comic strip Dilbert be as funny if Scott Adams had not spent 20 years in corporate America?

Does that make sense?

13. Good writers read but don’t neglect experience.

-John Erickson, Story Craft (Amazon)