George R. R. Martin

When asked about advice for new and upcoming writers, the great George R. R. Martin often goes into a story about how, when he was still a “new and upcoming writer”, he’d get advice along the lines of, “Write what you know.”

This always confused him.

Because here he is, wanting to write about dragons, medieval empires, large-scale military battles, lots of politics, shady spy networks, and all kinds of weird and ancient magic. Yet he’s told to “write what he knows”, which, strangely enough, doesn’t include any of the above, let alone dragons and magic.

Fair enough, right?

But it wasn’t until George got older, wiser, and more experienced that he truly started to understand the meaning and intention behind “Write what you know”.

It’s not so much about the big central topic as it is about the underlying emotions and relationships that carry the story—after all, as the great Chris Claremont, who single-handedly revived the entire X-Men series when nobody thought anything of it and turned it into the giant that it is today, used the say, “the fights are bullshit”

For example:

You might not know anything about dragons, magic, or the ruling of kingdoms but you might know how it feels to be disconnected from a loved one, to be scared to death not knowing if you’ll ever see a relative again during a period of war and chaos, to be raised in a broken family full of alcohol and abuse, or even to do everything you can, hoping for someone to tell you they’re proud of you, only it feels like nothing is ever good enough.

Those are the things you know which you should write about.

Do this right and other people will be able to relate to a dragon-riding, empire-ruling, 5,000-year-old vampire assassin. Because it’s never about what’s on the cover. It’s always been about what’s underneath.

Coincidentally, “Write what you know” isn’t only good fiction writing advice.

It’s good writing advice in general, including writing emails that get you paid and keep your readers coming back day after day.

If that’s something you’d like to learn more about, then check out Email Valhalla here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

Have you ever read or seen Game Of Thrones?

Well, if you’re anything like me (or unlike me I should say) you probably have. The show has been around for 13 years already, and George R.R. Martin published the series' first book over 28 years ago.

Now, I proclaim myself to be a lover of the genre (with my current favorite author being Brandon Sanderson), but I hadn’t seen nor read any of the entries that make up Game of Thrones (or ASOIAF for the book lovers).

It’s only recently that I’ve picked up the books and started reading them.

So recently, in fact, that I’m currently only on book 2, A Clash of Kings.

And it’s been an absolute blast reading through the pages. I don’t know why I never picked up on this series earlier.

Aside from the writing, the story, the worldbuilding, and the depth of each of the characters being immaculate, there’s another reason why I like it so much.

More specifically.

It’s because of how the book displays who’s in charge. And I’m not merely talking about who’s wearing the crown or who’s got the most muscle. No, I’m talking about the people who actually make things happen. They who get shit done—the people behind the scenes pulling the strings.

They all have one thing in common—something highly valuable and practical for us marketers as well.

They all know how to persuade people. They know what each and every person wants most. And even if they don’t, they’ll soon figure it out…

Armed with this information they’re able to create the best and most favorable of deals.

No one in the series—not anyone with true power at least—tries to convince other people to do something they want or tries to talk other people into why what they have is something valuable.

And so it is in the real world.

Don’t try to get people to buy what you want to sell. Sell what people want to buy instead.

This, and many other highly crucial principles and lessons, can be found in my highly regarded course Product Creation Made Easy to help you create more products faster, better, and more profitable than ever before.

Click here for more information: https://alexvandromme.com/product