“Only write from your own passion, your own truth. That’s the only thing you really know about, and anything else leads you away from the pulse.”
Coming from a woman who’s authored over a dozen books, I’d say she’s onto something. If you feel pressure to conform to what is currently popular, come back to center: those books are already written, and we don’t need any duplicates. What we need is YOU. Your story. Your voice. Your unique fingerprint. Tell me about what hurts, what wall you had to knock through to get out of bed this morning. What dreams keep you inching forward right when you’re ready to give up. We want the turnarounds and the awakenings. The chaos and its slow dissolve. The missteps, the awkward jokes, the kind remarks, and brazen jumps in becoming your own hero. Tell us about the moon from your own spec of dust, the things you would only dare speak to the night.
Polished Pear Creative Editing 
I love this 🙂 It’s so true. Every single one of us has a story to tell — a story that will inspire, uplift, educate, comfort, evoke emotions, and really make a difference in someone’s life. Dare to be different, dare to be you! 😉
🙂 In 9th grade speech class, I was given the quote “Dare to be different” by Weird Al as an off-the-cuff prompt. The assignment was to give an impromptu 1-minute speech. All I could think to say after reading the quote out loud to the class was, “Uh, duh!” Lol.
Haha! that’s great 🙂
I met Weird Al in 1989. He was SO cool and down to earth!
Nice!
This is very true! And it also saves you from having to do a TON of RESEARCH! 😉
Lol. The research is in the details! 😉
So, Amanda…I tend to enjoy action thrillers, horror novels, and fantasy books. But — after watching the movie by Nicholas Sparks, “Safe Haven” — I think I may abashedly be moving toward his romance novels. But have you written anything that you might recommend to me?
Phil! Hey, there! I applaud you for moving into new genres! I think that’s wonderful that you felt inspired enough to step outside your comfort zone and give something else a whirl! Romance novels (or novels that largely contain romance, like Nicholas Sparks’) are no different than action thrillers, horror, or fantasy in a way. A great romance novel has ALL of those aspects. Obviously a romance is going to be heavily character-driven. You really need to know who your main characters are, what their individual struggles are, and their struggles as a couple. The reason why Nicholas Sparks is so successful in his plot lines is that he always has compelling TENSION in his books. He makes the characters pine for one another. He makes them wait, drives them mad, and always always uses external circumstances to get in the way of the couples’ love. You have to ask yourself, “What do my characters want?” “What do they need to go through to get it?” “What would they being willing to sacrifice; what are they NOT willing to sacrifice? What MUST they sacrifice in order to develop as a character?” Your best teacher will be other books in this genre that you find compelling. Great love stories last throughout time. While reading, pay attention to choices the author is making. Some of my favorites are “Like Water for Chocolate,” “Chocolat,” any Jane Austen book, “The Forty Rules of Love.” Movies also are perfect motivators for this type of writing. If you need clarity on the type of story you’re trying to tell, write down what you loved about the books and movies you’ve seen (as afar as plot, theme, character, and setting go). The more awareness you have around this subject, the more clarity you’ll have when you move forward into writing. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Amanda
That sounds like some wise advice, Amanda. Thanks for sharing. 😉
You’re welcome, Phil! Will be interested to see how it goes. 🙂
Amanda