What to do when you don't know what you're doing

Lately I’ve been working on a fiction novel. 

It’s my first time writing something like this, so naturally, I have no idea what I’m doing or if it’s any good or if it makes any sense. 

Like most things in my life, I usually start and then research when I get stuck. This method has worked out (for the most part) for all other endeavours in my life – so I’m hoping it’s the same for my novel.  

Anyway, among my writing research, many people use the quote “write what you know” which also often gets translated into “do what you know” or “sell what you know” for other industries. 

Well I don’t know about writing fiction so how can I write what I know?

So my question this morning is, what do you do if you don’t know something?

Because frankly, you don’t know what you don’t know.  

Say that ten times as a tongue twister 😂

What is Penelope on about today… 

Well as usual I have a story to explain my thoughts… 

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When I worked in a corporate 9-5 at 22 I had no idea what anyone was on about but I would just nod along like I understood – I did not understand even half of what was going on. 

During this era of my life (my early twenties), I was so afraid of not knowing something or to simply say “what does that mean?” because I didn’t want to look stupid. 

I was 22 – almost retirement age – so why didn’t I know everything about the world and be a master of every topic and skill? (This is sarcasm. 22 is basically a newborn.) 

So now I am much older, wiser and frankly less stubborn, so I relish in asking someone to explain something. 

“Tell me more about this”, “I don’t know this”, “Could you explain that?”

I took back that child-like curiosity of absorbing and learning. 
Because in my opinion, that’s the only way to learn something.

To get smarter or to get better at anything will always start with a “how?” Or “why?” 
 
So today’s Boring Issues is simply a lesson to just not care so much about not knowing something. 

No one knows everything about anything. 
And everyone starts with zero knowledge on a topic.

If you don’t know something you can just go learn it and guess what?
Then you know it. 

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So I don’t know how to write a novel but I’m doing it anyway and asking and learning along the way. 

The same goes for;

• Starting a business
• Learning how to paint
• Getting fit
• Making a film
• Baking a cake
• Learning to code

Remember you don’t know what you don’t know.
And that’s okay. 

Be a sponge, ask questions and learn as you go. 

And if you want to start a business this year, our new Creative Business Operating System is coming this March to give you the exact framework to follow.  

So be curious about the things you're curious about. 
No one thinks you're stupid if you don’t know something. 

And if someone hits you back with a “omg as if you don’t know that” that’s an ego problem on their behalf and they are scared of looking stupid themselves. 

Go out into the world and ask questions, learn and absorb. 

What you don’t know, you don’t know. 
But then once you know, you know.

Learning,
Penelope
Co-Founder of Boring Studios, Writer, Learning-lover