Gillibrand drops from the presidential bid. The Stromboli volcano erupts. The US-China trade war pushes Asian nations towards recession. A golf ball has 300 dimples. Elephants can't jump. Earth will collide with a giant asteroid according to NASA.

The world is ever-changing. The fast tempo of our present age makes it challenging to catch up with all the information we need to know. Anyone who fails to read or hear the news for the day finds himself one day behind the march of time. The idea here is that information, like knowledge, is power. For the writer, a world saturated by a treasure trove of information, trivia, and current events makes for an unlimited source of writing material and ideas. 

If you are a writer, you have probably heard of that old, indispensable advice about writing what you know, because it allows you to associate yourself with the topic. The chances that you will experience a creative slowdown is nil. If it helps you to put words onto paper or your word processor quickly, then write what you know. But like a curious cat, have you ever thought about challenging this advice? What if you choose to write about what you don't know? Will it be painstaking? 

Chances are, writing what you don't know would be more challenging. For those writers who went the extra mile to write outside their sphere of knowledge, here are their reasons and the rewards that they reaped:

1. If it's interesting, your readers will take the time to read it. We are all curious creatures. Our propensity to learn and find out things we don't know about is what makes for an exciting story. You are not alone in questioning the workings or machinations behind things or events. Not everyone has the energy to research for answers. Even the most trivial of questions like "How do astronauts scratch an itch, or why do hyenas laugh?" is interesting. If no one has ever answered this, research and write about it. Any answered question will find an audience.

2. You develop a nose for news. You begin to expand your horizons. When you write what you only know, your experiences become confining. When you develop a nose for news, you write like a journalist, and you begin to network with your sources. Every story that you write is an answer to a question. It is a narrative to an existing condition, a call to action for those in power, a criticism of an untoward event. 

3. It beats writers' block. Many writers are starting to believe that writers' block doesn't exist. Whether you believe it or not, going out to talk to people or doing research can be therapeutic and educational. It helps you find ideas and inspiration, especially when you have stumbled upon a sordid truth that needs telling. Writing is a solitary vocation, but it doesn't have to be. The occasional visit to places and noting down anything that triggers your creative impulse will make you write without pressure. It gives you that confident feeling upon discovering that you could write what you thought you couldn't put down on paper.