Journal #1: "Write what you know"

The first rule that most writers learn is to "write what they know". What do you know? What issues, topics, experiences and genres do you feel comfortable tackling? What are some topics that do you think that you should avoid? What sort of research might you be interested in doing in order to write more effectively?

Having been through a lot and moving around, I have learned about a lot of things. I used to read a lot whenever I moved to a new place about many different things because I hadn’t made any friends yet. There are many things that I have learned in the almost eighteen years I have been alive. Although eighteen years is not a long time, I have been through many things and gained many experiences that other people at my age probably haven’t.
I have experienced loss. Every time that I moved I had to leave behind another group of friends that I would probably never see again. Loss is such a terrible feeling, you feel like there is this whole inside of you, a void, that now you have to find a way to fill. I have experienced loss of a family member and that is a really heartbreaking and scary experience. I had one of my aunts die and it was by far the saddest time of my life. To feel loss is really unfortunate and I would not wish that anyone had to go through it. Unfortunately, at one time or another everyone will go through a form of loss at one point or another.
I have experienced moving around. I have lived in so many different places I would have a hard time even naming them all. When I was younger, I thought that moving was fun because it meant a new bedroom. But, as I got older it became a very tedious thing. I hated moving after a while and still do. But by moving, I have learned about how to deal with change and learn to try and make things work.
I have experienced living in an abusive household. It’s a very horrible environment for anyone to live in. But by living in one, I have learned to be strong and to not let anyone bring me down. I have learned that life is not easy, sometimes it’s just plain hard. But, if you fight for what you want and believe you can be successful. i learned that there will be struggles in life and that sometimes you wont get what you want. But even when you don't get what you want at first, you should keep try. Perseverance is always beneficial.
I think that as of right now topics I should avoid would be history, science fiction and things like that. I am not really that educated about topics like those. So, I would not be able to write about them and if I did it probably would not be that good because I really wouldn’t know what I was talking about.
I am open to researching anything in order to write more effectively. I enjoy writing and would be open to any ideas that would help me become a better writer. I enjoy learning new things, so if I had to study on a certain topic, I would. I wouldn’t just study to write about something but also because I just like learning new things.