Write what you love

Write what you love is often accompanied by the advice not to write to the market. It's always seemed like a catch-22 to me, unless you are one of those lucky and skilled authors whose work applies to both. The market dictates what gets published, whether it be by determining what is hot or what is over-saturated. Yet writing something just for the sake of selling it often produces a work lacking in passion.

Sometimes I see submission calls that spark my creative interest. However, my skills aren't honed to the point where I can crank out something worth submitting before the deadline passes. Writing novels to sales trends is an even bigger losing battle. By the time a subject is recognized to be popular, publishers are in search of the next trendy thing or something truly remarkable.

Writing has to be a labor of love. The hours spent plotting, writing, re-writing, editing, and polishing more often than not go unnoticed. I almost feel guilty when I consume a novel in a matter of days when I know that the author must have months or years writing it.

It goes without saying that I write for the love of stories. No one is flooding my inbox for my work. I write the stories I'd love to read. In the mean time, I keep my eyes open for submission calls. Last month I wrote a zombie erotica that got some positive feedback. I was also reminded how over-done the zombie theme is. By the time I catch on to a trend, it's already over. I didn't hold out much hope of finding a market for that story. Then a bizarre submission call popped into my inbox. I crossed my fingers and sent my story off in hopes that it would fit the call.

Whether it gets picked up or not, it was reassuring to see that something I'd written purely for the practice of writing could find a home. And I do need the practice.

Have you ever picked up a published novel and wonder how it got published? Have you ever thought you could do better?

I think these are common thoughts that run through a would-be writer. There are those one hit wonders of the literary world that for one reason or another get published against all odds and make it big. The reality is that it truly is difficult to transform ideas into words. The right person has to read your manuscript and believe in it as much as you do. Someone has to think your work will find a market.

Successful authors don't start out with the knowledge of how their novel will turn out, if it will appeal to readers, if it will sell, if it will vanish from the shelves in a matter of weeks. Authors write. Success is an after thought based on so many factors that it is impossible to predict much less guarantee it.

So I am resolved to write. Even if my words never leave my laptop, I will at least enjoy building my stories and exploring the characters that just will not leave me alone.

Currently, I am dabbling in the arena of male/male relationships. Romance and erotica are my guilty pleasures. I've never written M/M, but I loved what JR Ward has done with her Qhuinn/Blay story line. I can't wait for their book to be release. Sure the market for M/M romance is smaller than the heterosexual relationship market, but the Qhuay fans are fanatical (and mostly woman as far as I can tell).