No matter how good your writing is there’s no guarantee that other people will like it. Yes, that’s a little tough love. 1 person just isn’t into the genre. Another doesn’t like your phrasing. That 1 thinks it’s too high brow while this 1 thinks it’s too low brow. And so on and so forth. It’s called having opinions. We’ve all picked up a bestseller that everyone is raving about and then put it down after a chapter or 2 because it just didn’t “grab” us. No one really has to explain why they don’t like an author’s writing. How many books did you have to read in lit classes where the instructor waxed poetic about how the author did this or that and used this device that caused the writing to be as near perfect as any could possibly be and, yet, you despised the book? I guess that the takeaway is…write for yourself. Sure, familiarize yourself with the market for your genre and read books on writing and improving your writing but you don’t have to do it totally by the numbers. Your book isn’t a paint by numbers kit. Be original. Be daring. Be shocking. Change things up. Just because the books in your genre have been written a certain since they 1st came out, does not…I repeat…does not mean that you have to do it that way. This is your book, poem, short story, essay, etc…. Write it your way. I can guarantee you that there are people out there will appreciate your take on the subject. Develop your own style…hell, your own genre. Shake it up! Every few years there is a shift in what’s popular…be the person that causes the next shift!
“Stay faithful to the stories in your head.” ~ Paula Hawkins
Inspired Writer 