Find your passions

I wrote a little love story called "Little White Lies" for NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago. It was meant to be a charming little love story. Now it received good reviews, which is great, but two comments were always added at the end of the review. Rather predictable and the author could have done so much more with it. I left the book for five months then reread the book. They were right. I realized that as much as I want to write an epic love story, I can't write one without adding in action, scary creatures and lots of darkness. I liked the story, but it was too run of the mill to really stand out and I wasn’t truly passionate about the story, just the challenge of writing it in a month.

Anybody can write a book. I have proven that, but to write an epic story you must be passionate about the actual story. I am a true romantic at heart, but I don't read love stories or watch them on TV. I read Stephen King and watch Supernatural so even though all my books have a theme of undying romance, the bonds of true friendship and absolute loyalty, if there's nothing dark and scary I am not passionate about the story.

I know that my writing improves with every book I write. Innocence Lost was a great theme for a story, but I didn't really know how to make my readers care about the characters. I was passionate about the theme, but the story was written for other people, not me. It was the same way with Little White Lies. You should know your target audience, but write the story you are passionate about.

You will be hanging out with the characters and whatever world they live in for months to maybe even years, so be sure that they are who you want to be with, have a passion for. If you aren't passionate about what's going on, then nobody else will be. Find your passion and have fun with it.

I know writers, that I hang out with, who follow trends. They read about the current top selling book in a trendy genre and immediately try and emulate that type of story whether BDSM or zombies or vampires, but they don't feel passion for the craft or the story just the idea that there reproduction might be the next great thing. Then after a few months they just stop because they don't have a personal connection to it.

A friend understood this idea and decided to find his passion. He chose three disposable pen names and wrote one little science fiction book, one detective book and one horror book and released them. He actually just put them out there for free and forgot them. When he was asked why, he said, “I found out I like the idea of writing, but my passion is making book trailers not writing books”.

So whatever genre you write in make sure its something you are passionate about. I like to think of my genre as paranormal romance filled with action and the darker things because that's where my passions lie. In my world those scary creatures do live under your bed and love nothing more then screwing over men lives, but the romantic in my always hopes that love conquers all. Right now even I am rooting for Damien and I don't really like the guy as much as my readers do.

Smile

JD