Insecure Writer's Support Group is a blog hop hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh where totally insecure writers can get together and share the things that are making us go argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They say you should write what you love and forget about popular trends. As with most advice it's a lot easier said than done. Especially as a writer who reads and runs a book review blog. It's hard not to be enticed by the next big craze and not to want to read and write in a genre that's taking off. So what happens when you're such a slow writer that the trend dies before you've even finished editing? This is the dilemma I'm facing at the moment. I tend to be one of those people who reads book reviews before I decide if the book is for me and one comment I've seen time and again is that readers are starting to get bored of dystopian fiction.
This does not bode well for my dystopian MS which has taken almost three years to even get to an editing stage. I know dystopian isn't a new trend but I can't help thinking that by the time I'm ready to publish, dystopians will have fallen off the radar completely until it's next cycle of popularity. By which time I'll probably be moving into a nursing home!
I guess all I can do is forget about what's popular, write what I love and hope that there are other die hard fans like me out there who will always love a good story about a world gone bad.
I think you just said it - there will always be fans who want to read that genre. keep working on it anyway.
ReplyDeleteIf it's a good story, people will read it and love it. Since you're self publishing anyway, no publisher can turn it down for being past the use-by date.
ReplyDeleteYeah I get this. I think it's hard to nit want read and write something that's booming right now. I'd be willing to read anything you write though so don't worry. Besides, I was never into the whole dystopian thing. It was huge and I, and others, was like, meh. I'd read a book no matter the genre if it sounded intriguing, though.
ReplyDeleteSame thing happened to me--YA is kinda still on the radar, but for self-pubs, it's go-NA or go home. That's why I'm writing a NA novella right now, see if the trends are true or not. But, people will read you no matter what, even if it's not popular. IOW isn't a big seller, but the people who have read and loved it got the point. And as a writer, you can't ask for anything more. :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely just write what I want to and never get influenced by the popular trends. There are always going to be some people who will want to read your novels, even if the genre is less hot at the moment. (But, I don't think dystopia is cooling off, IMO.)
ReplyDeleteI'm writing what a lot of people consider to be very passe right now, a YA vampire novel. But, all I see are HEAPS and HEAPS of people still clamoring after YA vampire fiction. The books still selling incredibly well! The truth is, there will always be people who will love vampires because they've been popular for 200 years and counting. No reason to mind the numbskulls who think they know better than what is actually happening at the moment.
I think books about totalitarian governments going to extreme lengths to control its citizens is a timeless fascination for people in general. You've got nothing to worry about.
Write the book you want to read. If you don't, there is no guarantee that anyone else will. Plus, you know what you're looking for in a story, and no one has a better hope of delivering that specific story than you. If you aren't publishing when a trend *hits*, it's entirely possible that you are too late. It's also very probable that if you are chasing trends (you in *general* there; not pointing it at anyone) rather than writing what really matters to you that you aren't writing the best book you could be writing. And that's a true shame.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely spot on, Kathy! The best writers write what they want to read. I went to the SCBWI Conference in Sydney once and a bunch of publishers said, "Forget about the trends! They'll be out by next year. Make the trend."
ReplyDeleteI think a good book is a good book no matter whether it falls into a trend or not. I mean, vampire books haven't been "popular" in a while, but Holly Black's "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" was one of my favorite books last year.
ReplyDeleteI had the same issue with my vampire story. The craze was starting to die, but I loved the story and wanted to see it published anyways. It doesn't matter what is currently trending, if you want to see your book published, go for it. You may be surprised and have the fans come flocking no matter what is popular.
ReplyDeleteThere will always be someone wanting to read a good book indeed, whether you get it out 3 years more or at super speed
ReplyDeleteFour years ago, a friend was shopping a dystopian to agents and was often told "Dystopian is dead." And yet, there have been huge successes since then. I think many agents just use "it's dead" as an excuse if they don't like the ms. There's always room for a great book. Just don't make the mistake of writing in a genre you don't really like just to try to make a sale. (I'm doing that now and every day I realize more clearly that it's a mistake...)
ReplyDeleteOh, Lan! *big hugs* I get what you mean about writing a book in a 'hype' genre. I'm the type of person who reads what I want, so no worries! I'm sure that there are still people out there, like me, who will definitely read your book! When you do what you love, it's shown. How is your manuscript going? I'd love to read it someday. Share some snippets with us, will you? ;)
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Lan! :)
Hi Lan!
ReplyDeleteI see where you're coming from. I loved your conclusion about how you can only write what you love and hope that there will be readers who want to read. That's the only thing any of us can do, I think. I wish there were more people out there who loved sweet, funny YA contemporary lol! Hope you're doing well!
Ninja Girl