The book you write will change
YOUR life.
- Joanna Penn
While at a writer's conference a few months ago, someone asked the question of the panel of agents and editors,"What do you see as the next big trend? We've had vampires and zombies, what's next?"
The agent who answered, knew exactly what the questioner was asking and she responded truthfully.
To paraphrase, she said something along the lines of "I don't have a crystal ball. No one knows what will capture the imagination of the public and cause a wildfire to spread in the publishing industry. But if you're looking for an inside tip so that you can write a story based on what you think the next big trend will be...you're playing a losing game." I say...
Write from the heart
That is the only way to write. Now...if you just so happen to LOVE vampires and zombies and Dystopic worlds (think Hunger Games) ...great. Write your little heart out and in this very moment the market will love you for it. But for the rest of us it's a huge mistake to force a story, simply to catch a ride on the coattails of the latest whim in the publishing industry.
Write from the heart
Your story is your voice, and your voice is unique. No one else can tell your story like you can. Embrace it. Believe it. Trust it. And don't worry about writing the next '50 Shades of Gray'.
When you write simply because you MUST write, because the thought of not writing hurts too much, then you are listening to your heart. And whether or not you become the next JK Rowling or Stephanie Myers matters not in the long run; for the book you write WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. But only if, you...
Write from the heart.
I think we all need to hear this. We're human and we are tempted to follow the fads, aren't we? I can say, though, that I have NO temptation to follow the zombie and vampire fads...I don't even care about reading those books, much less to write one. When all is said and done and the zombies and vampires have slithered into Old Hatsville, classic stories and lovely writing like yours will still be relevant, as they never go out of style.
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