If you've ever taken a creative writing course, or even just perused through the Idiot's Guide to Writing, chances are you've been beaten over the head by this overused aphorism. However, anybody who tells you to write what you know is probably giving you good advice.
Home really is a good place to write about.
Such diverse writers as James Joyce, Eugene O'Neill, Anne Sexton and Toni Morrison openly depicted their home life on paper or on the stage. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. One would be hard pressed to find any fiction writer who has not infused elements of their roots into their work. His autobiographical play, Over the Tavern , which premiered in 1994, was a smash hit in Buffalo precisely because Dudzick was able to weave personal life experiences into a universal and accurate depiction of Buffalo in the late 1950's. In fact, Dudzick's writing may be more universal in appeal than even he originally intended it to be.