The Second Story I Ever Wrote

To see the potentially career-ending faux pas of my first story, see the story of Mrs. Jackson's patience on the side or bottom of this page.

I'll wait.

Mrs. Jackson also obviously had  a good sense of humor, huh? 

I learned a few more things from my second story. Fortunately, it wasn't to write what you know. Spoiler alert: things didn't turn out well for Mrs. Sharp. 

What I KNOW is the struggle to teach postmodernism to undergrads at eight in the morning, how to make the best chocolate chip cookies (chop a real chocolate bar and don't over-bake those precious puppies), along with the entire rap to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme. Admittedly, not exactly the most engaging story hooks ever. 

Don't abandon those everyday details. Bring them with you. 

You should write what you can imagine beyond the limits of your experience. Reach for the strangest things you can think of, the things that keep you up at night, the things that fill you with awe. Then, inoculate the extraordinary with the mundane to give your reader a path just familiar enough that they're able to come along for the ride. 

Perhaps the most important thing? Don't give away the murderer in the second line of the story.

I even learned how to type. On a typewriter no less!