--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best advice is not to write what you…" description: "\"“The best advice is not to write what you know, it's to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best- write the story you want to read.”\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f3/austin-kleon-1835_advice_the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you_839226.png" --- # The best advice is not to write what you know, it's to… ![“The best advice is not to write what you know, it's to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best- write the story you want to read.” quote by Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f3/austin-kleon-1835_advice_the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you_839226.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f3/austin-kleon-1835_advice_the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you_839226.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f3/austin-kleon-1835_advice_the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you_839226.png) > ““The best advice is not to write what you know, it's to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best- write the story you want to read.”” [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages writers to prioritize personal passion over familiarity, crafting stories they themselves would enjoy reading. **In simple terms:** Write what you love, not just what you know. Key Takeaway Follow your own reading taste. Themes creativity authenticity writing passion Mood inspirational reflective Type advice creative When to use this quote - novel writing - blog posts - screenplays - personal essays Key Concepts self‑expression audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - What story would you write for yourself? - How does personal enthusiasm affect reader engagement? A Different Perspective May alienate readers seeking familiar topics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/) [Best advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-advice/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Steal-like-an-artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steal-like-an-artist/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The best advice is not to write what you know, it’s to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best—write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you-know-it-s-to-write-what-you-4/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [The best advice is not to write what you know, it’s to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best—write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you-know-it-s-to-write-what-you-3/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [The best advice is not to write what you know, it's to write what you like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-best-advice-is-not-to-write-what-you-know-it-s-to-write-what-you-2/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [I disagree with the advice of 'write about what you know.' Write about what you need to know, in an effort to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-windham/i-disagree-with-the-advice-of-write-about-what-you-know-write-about/) Donald Windham > [“My best advice is to first write for yourself and stay in your story and just pour all of your good stuff and bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/my-best-advice-is-to-first-write-for-yourself-and-stay-in-your-story/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [The best advice on writing was given to me by my first editor, Michael Korda, of Simon and Schuster, while writing my first book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominick-dunne/the-best-advice-on-writing-was-given-to-me-by-my-first-editor-michael/) [Dominick Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominick-dunne/) > [ “In the meantime, if you're not into the world you live in, you can build your own world around you.\[...\]Surround yourself with books and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/in-the-meantime-if-you-re-not-into-the-world-you-live-in-you-can/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [You're ready. Start making stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/you-re-ready-start-making-stuff/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“You have to dress for the job you want, not the job you have, and you have to start doing the work you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/you-have-to-dress-for-the-job-you-want-not-the-job-you-have-and-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Do good work and share it with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/do-good-work-and-share-it-with-people/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“If you have two or three real passions, don't feel like you have to pick and choose between them. Don't discard. Keep all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/if-you-have-two-or-three-real-passions-don-t-feel-like-you-have-to/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Think about your favourite work and your creative heroes. What did they miss? What didn't they make? What could've been made better? If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/think-about-your-favourite-work-and-your-creative-heroes-what-did/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“In the first act, you get your hero up a tree. The second act, you throw rocks at him. For the third act, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/in-the-first-act-you-get-your-hero-up-a-tree-the-second-act-you-throw/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don't come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the beginning, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/nobody-is-born-with-a-style-or-a-voice-we-don-t-come-out-of-the-womb/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Writing a page a day doesn't seem like much, but do it for 365 days and you have enough to fill a novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writing-a-page-a-day-doesn-t-seem-like-much-but-do-it-for-365-days/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## More by Austin Kleon > [“The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-thing-is-you-can-cut-off-a-couple-passions-and-only-focus-on-one/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Don't think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-think-of-your-website-as-a-self-promotion-machine-think-of-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/we-want-you-to-take-from-us-we-want-you-at-first-to-steal-from-us/) [austin kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Validation is for parking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/validation-is-for-parking/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/if-you-want-fans-you-have-to-be-a-fan-first-if-you-want-to-be/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Social media sites are the perfect place to share daily updates. 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(It’s the only way to get work done.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/be-boring-it-s-the-only-way-to-get-work-done/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/it-sounds-a-little-extreme-but-in-this-day-and-age-if-your-work-isn-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Don't wait until you know who you are to get started. If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-wait-until-you-know-who-you-are-to-get-started-if-i-d-waited-to/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. 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It’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/stock-and-flow-is-an-economic-concept-that-writer-robin-sloan-has/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) [Explore all 204 Austin Kleon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## More Advice quotes > [The sensible person is always serious about sensible advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-sensible-person-is-always-serious-about-sensible-advice/) Mak\_786 > [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. 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I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [The best way to succeed in this world is to act on the advice you give to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-best-way-to-succeed-in-this-world-is-to-act-on-the-advice-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Time is priceless. You have it, but you don't own it. You spend it, but you can't keep it. And once it's gone, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/time-is-priceless-you-have-it-but-you-don-t-own-it-you-spend-it-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't need to take a persons advice to make him feel good, just ask him for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/you-don-t-need-to-take-a-persons-advice-to-make-him-feel-good-just/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [Some of the things that we hold onto the most, are the things that we need to let go of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas/some-of-the-things-that-we-hold-onto-the-most-are-the-things-that-we/) [Ryaj Ablando Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas/) > [“If your clothes are enough to drive would-be friends away, they're not the kind of friends you want." Typical mother advice. Sweet, honest, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/if-your-clothes-are-enough-to-drive-would-be-friends-away-they-re-not/) [Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/) > [“My kingdom not for a horse, but for a good piece of advice!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/my-kingdom-not-for-a-horse-but-for-a-good-piece-of-advice/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. 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