Total Pageviews

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Do you have to be Emotionally Connected to your Writing for it to be a Success?

I've given this question some serious thought now while the excitement and anxiety of releasing my book has finally settled down. And I do believe this topic will generate a mixed response.

Some writers write what is in their heart and therefore their main focus is to write stories that they want to write. But other writers only write what they think will sell.

I am a writer who writes from my heart. That doesn't mean I don't consider my readers when I write these stories. Quite the opposite: my readers are my pivotal focus. But I think writing from the heart is far easier than writing what I think will sell.

There are two main reasons for this:
  1. I don't have any experience of writing sci-fi, paranormal romance or dystopia because I don't read these sort of books.
  2. I am not about to start chasing the trends on the off chance I may get rich, famous or hugely successful. Again there are two main reasons for this. Number one: I am never, ever that lucky and number two by the time I have written books in these genres another genre will be hot. I figure I may as well stick to what I know I write well.
The stories I tell always have a personal connection and I believe this passion is what carries the readers through. If I don't write with this connection, I don't honestly know if there would be a story to tell. I know a lot of writers are like me and they basically write about something in their life experience.

This isn't always literal of course. Writers could just write fiction with only a vague element of truth but their stories often come through from some sort of life experience.

What do you think? Are you a writer who writes from their heart?

10 comments:

  1. I write what I want. It is influenced by life experiences somewhat, but not entirely. I don't worry about what sells because if I'm not into a story, it probably wouldn't sell anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Belva,

    Thanks for commenting. What you say is very true. If you're not interested in your work then how do you expect others to be?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I usually don't follow trends when I'm writing. When I get that itch, it involves something that has recently come to my attention, stirred me up on an emotional scale (either for joy, pain or sadness). It could be something brand new to all of us at that given time or it could be something that's been around for a couple years or decades that I'm experiencing for the first time that I want to put my own twist on following my perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Even non-fiction (I do tech books), are better with a little flavor. Across my career I would get thankful e-mail's So yes. I took the Connections Series from the BBC about 1980? James Burke as inspiration to write tech books.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Jackie,

    I think a lot of writers can be like that. It's always interesting to see what's stirred up in your writing.

    Tcat,

    My first two books are non fiction and I tried to make them as entertaining as possible. So even though they're not the same as the books you write, I completely agree with you about the flavour.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Eamonn,
    I see you're from Australia. I spent 2006 travelling Down Under and it's a wonderful country. I spent a little time in WA and most of the time in Melbourne. It inspired me so much I wrote my first book about it.
    - L.K.

    Hi
    Thanks for connecting with me on LinkedIn.
    My biggest problem is that I'm currently reading 100 books simultaneously (with another 100 to read after I've finished these). But I suppose this is what one has to contend with living here on Earth where there are only 24 hours in each day.
    Eamonn

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's certainly true, Eamonn. I wish there were more hours in a day or we didn't need much sleep.

    ReplyDelete
  8. There are more hours in the day on Venus: 5,832

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Starving Children

    Today I saw this dreadful picture of a starving child which someone posted online.

    I wrote:

    Eamonn:
    "The child's parents are probably Catholics, and follow the Pope's dogma forbidding birth control."

    Dr. John R. Beyer wrote:
    "As a Catholic I'm at a loss to respond to such an inane and ignorant comment as Eamonn's. Our concern is to protect all innocents and not waste breath on blaming others as a lame defense. Perhaps the naked should clothe themselves in understanding and giving. "

    Eamonn responds:
    By pushing an anti-birth-control dogma, the Pope and his supporters (like Dr John R Beyer here) are subjecting these children to horrid lives of starvation.

    http://eamonngosney.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/starving-children.html

    ReplyDelete