The author advised the aspiring writers in the crowd to develop an authoritative voice by sticking to subjects within their ken [kɛn]. // [beyond/outside/within one’s ken.] [It is beyond my ken!]

ken [kɛn]
noun

Ken refers to someone’s range of perception, knowledge, or understanding, and is most often used in phrases like
- [beyond/outside/within one’s ken.]

Need a word that can encompass all that one perceives, understands, or knows? It’s just ken. So when someone says something is “beyond” it, the topic or question at hand is beyond their particular range of knowledge or expertise.

Ken in the 16th century: the distance bounding the range of ordinary vision at sea.

English