The truth is we all have  hidden expertise we don't think about. There's something you do regularly you know more about than most of your friends.

Hidden within that expertise you consider mundane is a story the rest of the world has yet to hear.

The Doctor Is In

Photo by JD Hancock (Creative Commons)

Expertise Sneaks Up on You

No matter how many adult leaders you have (we had seven) or how hard you try (some of us tried harder than others), it's impossible to keep your 70 high school students together in a sea of 25,000 other high schoolers as they walk along the San Antonio, Texas, River Walk.

It was my fourth youth trip of this kind and thus my job to share the tricks with the newbies.

Things that I'd considered normal like “Pack a snack. Food's expensive” and “Don't wear your group shirt outside. It's too hot,” were radical concepts to the less experienced leaders.

As I explained these tricks, I realized what is obvious to me, isn't always obvious to others, and the same concept applies to my writing.

Write What You Know

Yup, it's cliché and boring—to you. If you're not an astronaut, space travel isn't boring. If you're not a reporter, banging on doors to get answers isn't boring. If you're not stewardess, flights aren't boring.

What is mundane to you, may not be mundane to someone else. And that someone else may very well be your reader.

What's your most random expertise?

PRACTICE

Write about something commonplace for you as if you're telling someone about it for the first time.

Write for fifteen minutes. When your time is up, post your practice in the comments section. And if you post, please be sure to comment on a few practices by other writers.

Katie Axelson is a writer, editor, and blogger who's seeking to live a story worth telling. You can find her blogging, tweeting, and facebook-ing.

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