If You’re Going to Write, Just Write What You Want to Write!

By: Ebonye Gussine Wilkins

I’ve met a handful of people who have wanted to write books. When they find out that I’m an author, I typically hear two responses: 1) “I’ve always wanted to write a book.” or 2) “I could never write a book.” My advice to them is usually to write a small amount at a time, and do just a little every day. I don’t tell people to sit down for an hour a day and write (honestly, I don’t even do that). I tell them to just to try to write a small word count each day and over time it will add up. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, start small. Just like exercising, it takes practice before these things become more fluid.

For some writers, I have noticed that they insist on writing what they think is going to be popular, not necessarily what they want to write. Yes, romance sells very well but there is a formula to it. If you don’t use the formula, it’s not a romance story. Yes, vampires and zombies are popular right now but is that what you want to write about? (Side note: Warm Bodies the movie was amazing by the way, I gave up on The Walking Dead after the first season. I’ve never seen or read anything with vampires.)

Figure out what you are passionate about, and write about that. If you like turtles, then write about turtles! If you are honest with yourself about what you want to write about, you can always find your target audience afterwards. After all, there are plenty of people who like turtles and reading; you just need to find them!

Please don’t give into societal pressure about what is popular. Just do you! (Note: It’s not okay to write hate-filled books, so don’t even go there!) Being authentic to who you are is only going to help you find the perfect audience for you.

What do you want to write about? Have you always written what you’ve wanted to write?