You've heard the adage "write what you know". I do concede it's hard to write this way since the value in things that have become mundane is hard to see. Every writer is with him or herself all day long and may not be thrilled about the prospect of writing about this person. The place you grew up is probably not the thrilling type of environment you read stories about and thus seems unworthy. The people you see on a frequent basis probably hold more comfort for you than mystery or excitement.

The thing to remember is that boring to the writer may not boring to the reader. The advantage you can have from writing about things you know really well is the insight that comes from such exposure. There is story material within all those things you take for granted. You can unlock the potential with a little change of perspective.

Hometown

Where you grew up is a unique place though it may seem like any other. You may even describe your hometown as just like any other place, but this is never true. Every place has a unique municipal government, founders, and geography. These are places where story ideas can come from or where you can add color to existing stories. St. Louis, Missouri is a river city that was at one time the western-most part of the United States. It is a city without a county and allows gambling but only on riverboats. These are just a few unique aspects of a hometown that are fodder for story, yours has some also.

Family

Family becomes what is normal. Once you get to know other families you start to realize yours is not normal. They may appear normal and fool people most of the time or they may just be out and out weirdos. Each and every one of your family members has a story and while many of them do as their peers do, you will find they are actually individuals in many ways. They may not spill their secrets right off the bat but sooner or later they will tell the truth. Talk to the older people that have less to lose by telling the truth and you may gain some surprising ideas.

Yourself

How well do you know yourself anyway? Do you push yourself on a frequent basis or do you always keep away from possible temptation? This isn't to encourage you to get into trouble, but rather to listen to your thoughts and follow where they lead. Stay conscious of your desires, actions, feelings, and they will often be seeds of stories. If we listen closely we will find all sorts of things about ourselves they we feel strongly about but not strong enough to carry out in real life. That doesn't mean there is no value in thinking the process through, it could become the basis for a very real character in a story.

Friends

You probably spend a lot of time around friends and have a different relationship with them than your family. One of the great things to learn from friends is when you think of them as characters that want something and watch them go after it. In conversation you may find they aren't just chatting but are jockeying for power. When they offer you compliments and advice they might not be doing it out of pure kindness but rather as a way to get you to do something for them later. Also, as any person, they have unique stories that can be worked into stories.

There is so much in your world that can fuel your storytelling. From story idea to addition of interesting details, don't overlook what is right in front of you. Take what you know best and use it like nobody else could.