"Write what you know" works if your father runs covert ops for the CIA. "Write what you know" works if your mother infiltrated the mob.

WSJ: Screenwriter-Novelist Derek Haas on Popcorn Fare | Word Craft

As they say, write what you know.

FORBES: The Second Act

"Write what you know, " they insisted.

WSJ: Screenwriter-Novelist Derek Haas on Popcorn Fare | Word Craft

If you read a lot of sentences, then you start to think in sentences, and if you think in sentences, then you can write sentences, because you know what a sentence sounds like.

NEWYORKER: Live and Learn

If you get to this point, you will know what essay you want to write without having to ask for prompts.

FORBES: What Should I Write My College Essays About?

Starting from what you do know from third party research, can you write down another paragraph or two listing important things you want to know about your prospective customers?

FORBES: Are You Making Something Usable? Part 4 -- But Is It Valuable?

Let us know in comments what you think of it, or write your representative instead.

FORBES: Yes, You Too Can Rip Apart The New Web Ad Privacy Bill

At the end of Lynch's career as a portfolio manager he teamed up with journalist John Rothchild to write his now famous bestseller One Up on Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market.

FORBES: Who Is Peter Lynch?