“Write What Inspires You!” was the subject line of a
Christmas greeting I received from writer and longtime
subscriber to this SharingwithWriters newsletter Penny Sansevieri. I was moved
to share her motto and my take on it with you in this New Year.
We read too often on the Web and
elsewhere, that we should research topics, themes, etc. to be sure there is a
niche for what we are writing. The thing is, authors may become discouraged.
The other thing is, there is really nothing brand spanking new in the world.
But even more than those two things is this:
By the time we
finish writing a book (sometimes even an article or essay) that has a perfect
niche with little or no competition, the moment is often gone. Someone else has
done the same thing a minute earlier. Or the national, worldwide, or literary
tide has turned. I believe in "Write your heart and someone--if not the
world—will follow."
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .
I appreciate this post. I've come to the conclusion that if I'm going to "write by marketing department" I'm going to become "discouraged" if not down right batty. Instead, I've recommitted to write the stories that only I can tell. Thanks for the confirmation.
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