Should I write about what I know?

Should I write about what I know?

Russell Celyn Jones (Published writer. Professor of Creative Writing and Director of the MA Programme at Birkbeck College (University of London).) gives expert video advice on: Do I need to research my novel, and what kind of research should I do?; Can I over research my novel?; Should I write about what I know? and more...

Some people believe that you should write about what you know. And other people believe that you should write about things you do not know. The former means that you are safe in that you are basically recreating something familiar. But when you write about things that you don't know it forces you to be inventive. And very often the imagination takes flight when you are writing about issues or people that you do not know.