Write What You Know - Is That The Answer For Me?

When I tell people I've written a book and reveal it is a cookbook, I get the same reaction every time:  "You wrote a cookbook?  Wow! Really?  You?"  Insert pause and disbelief followed by awkward silence and then another "Wow!"

Um yeah, I did.  Surprise!  I guess no one has ever viewed me as Martha Stewart in the kitchen.  Or Julia Child.  Or Paula Deen.  Or even little Suzy homemaker. 

But hey - that's okay!  I'm fine with the stares and distorted faces.   I like suprising people.  Hell, I love surprising myself.  Do you think I ever imagined I would write a cookbook?  NO!  Not in my wildest dreams.  But that is what I did. 

I've been thinking it over for the past two weeks.... perhaps my problem with writing or writer's block for all these years (besides being lazy and unmotivated) is that I'm best at writing what I know.  I seem to thrive when I can "talk" about what I'm doing, what I'm learning or what I'm trying to achieve. 

Maybe that's why I find blog writing so easily.  Because I mostly share details about my life and my dreams.  I can endlessly write about those things.   Sure I can whip out an occasional poem or one-liner.  But for the most part, I can spend hours writing about what I'm doing or planning.  If I'm writing something that I think may help or inspire others, then I'm more likely to complete the task. 

So, am I having an epiphany?  How is it that I wrote a book in two months about cooking but have been sitting on the same novel for a year now with no further developments?  Why do I write down a title or idea for a fictional piece every few weeks but never take the time to dig into the plot?  Maybe I'll surprise myself in the future but I no longer picture myself as a writer of fantasy, mystery or science fiction.

Perhaps I'm just a non-fiction writer.  I love reading non-fiction and self-help books anyway.  I like to tell stories but I want them to be true tales or just exaggerated truths.


What should I write about next?  What can I talk about? 


Recently I helped a friend find social groups and things to do in her new community.  I spent about two hours researching activities in her area so she could make friends and find activities to do in her spare time.  She was so appreciative.  She sent me an email telling me I should start a side consulting business assisting newcomers after they move to a new place.  I laughed at the thought then pondered it more seriously.   I am really resourceful when it comes to things like that.  But would others really need that kind of service or pay money for it? 

The idea for that appeals to me because it would be a way of helping people.  I like writing something that I feel might help others.  I suppose that is one reason creating a cookbook became so important to me.  I saw a need for it.  I needed it a year ago but couldn't find exactly what I wanted; therefore I wrote my own. 

I'm not sure what is on the horizon for me.  I only know that I'm excited about the possibilities and what I can accomplish next! 


Me pictured in Monterey, California, in 2001 - a very high point in my life when I felt determined and ready to set the world on fire.  That's how I feel these days only this is a better (skinnier) photo of me.  LOL!