William Shakespeare didn’t “do” anything except churn out the greatest body of literature the world — not just the English speaking world — has ever known.
There is no evidence he ever met a king. Or a prince. Or even an Italian. Or had been to a magic island. Or a magic forest.
He made it all up.
That’s what good writers do.
George Lucas, if you want to stick to sci-fi, didn’t “do” anything except go to college — and then create “Star Wars.”
Oh, and about your cousin’s son? The greatest writer America has produced, F. Scott Fitzgerald, graduated college and started writing. He was a successful novelist at age 23, after a brief failed stint in advertising.
Your thesis — that writers have to somehow “do” things to write — is unsupported by the facts of who successful writers are and what they’ve done.
And there is no evidence that Shakespeare didn't do something! Very little is known about his early life!
There is an interesting new theory regarding “The Bards” early life, which would give him a lot of “experiences (mostly bad!)” to write about.
Writers who haven't “lived” 999/1000 have nothing to say, other then their own personal “angst”. Which I could care less about! We all have that!