Write Your Own Story
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 22nd, 2006 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Too many writers are asking if they should write more like a certain author or if they should switch to the hottest selling genre and my answer would be emphatically: NO. Writers need to write their own story, that which is yearning to come out and be read by their audience, not some attempt to copy the style of a bestselling author or hot category.
What makes your story unique is you the author. Your life experiences, education, background, and individual style of writing is what makes your story special. If you try and mimic another writer or shove your story into a category that doesn’t fit, you will fail as a writer. Be true to your writing and make sure it comes from the heart and soul, not the brain telling you to write another way to possibly improve your chances of being successful.
Every book is different, every writer is different, following the lead of your instructor or coach and abandoning what you feel as a writer is wrong. I’ve had many authors with whom I have toured over the years tell me that it is possible for writers to over-think their training. They reach a point where the mechanics of writing become second nature and that is when they need to let the words flow the way they want them to, not the way they think they have been taught or the way someone is telling them to write.
I post this blog not as an expert in writing, not do I profess to undertand all that is required of a writer to complete a novel or manuscript. I’m sharing with you what professional writers have told me time and time again. Write your own story, in your own words, in your own style, and worry about the category or marketing later. The book comes first, everything else will fall into place at the proper time.
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