Getting started with a writing project can be daunting. It is difficult to know if the ideas in your head will look any good on paper, and whether anybody else will want to read them once they’re written down. It can be especially intimidating when you’re starting a project that’s close to your heart, a project of passion that showcases your own creativity and unique ideas. The best way to approach it is to have faith in yourself, follow your own dreams, and stick to your guns… but remain flexible.
So, how you can achieve this and realize your vision in writing?
Find your niche
The internet as a whole, and Amazon’s book-buying empire in particular, has made self-publishing much easier today than it was even 10 years ago. This is fantastic in that it gives writers the opportunity to reach a wider audience, but it also means that certain genres have become saturated with content. If you want to stand out in a popular genre, like modern crime or young adult vampire fiction, then you’re going to have your work cut out for you.
The best course of action here is to identify exactly what makes your writing and your ideas unique. Although it may be tempting to look for signifiers of success in others’ work and then try to replicate them in your own, this can only lead to the homogenization of everything that’s published. Inevitably, your voice will get lost in the crowd.
Instead, find your USP (unique selling point) and focus on that. Why will readers want to read your work over other people’s? What do you have that others don’t? Perhaps you’re writing from experience about something that is particular to you and your life, but relevant to many other people. Maybe you are approaching a subject from a bold new angle that hasn’t been seen before.
Whatever it is that makes your writing different, identify it and hold onto it.
Create something original
Once you have your niche locked down, it’s time to make something original. As writers, we are influenced by every book that has gone before us. This can make it difficult to come out with an authentic-sounding piece. It’s fine to pay homage to your favorites and to take inspiration from masters of the craft but remember that your individual voice is what makes you unique. It is what will make readers pick your words over others’.
This is where it can get tricky because, as mentioned in the introduction, you do need to stick to your guns whilst remaining flexible. You need to hold onto that USP you identified at the start but be prepared to accept that ideas are malleable creatures, bound to change and flex the longer you look at them. As you write a piece, especially a purely creative one, you may find that your original idea starts to morph into something completely different. This is okay so long as you stick to your own original voice and aren’t tempted to conform to what you think your audience expects.
A whole new world
Following your dreams through writing can lead to some crazy and fantastic situations that are stranger than fiction. When established author and journalist, Maria Konnikova, set out to write her latest book, she had no idea just how far it would take her. Her original premise was to write a book about the role that luck plays in life. This took her to the world of poker, entering live events and being coached by a successful professional. Fast forward a year or so and Konnikova is now an official PokerStars Ambassador, with a new writing project chronicling her journey online.
Many authors and writers have found themselves pursuing alternate career paths which they have arrived at through writing. When J. K. Rowling originally started crafting the Harry Potter series, she wasn’t thinking about acting as consultant to the screenplays of those very same books or becoming a co-writer for a stage play based on her fictional world. It’s unlikely she was thinking about her future role as a spokesperson for mental health and literacy, either! She was simply pursuing an idea, despite living in a demanding situation at the time.
This just goes to show that following your dreams and having faith in your own ideas can lead you the furthest. Whilst not everybody can experience such astronomical success from their writing (nor would want to!) it is worth bearing these examples in mind as you work on your own project. Remain true to yourself and you never know the opportunities that lie in wait!
The Story Reading Ape said:
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Charles Yallowitz said:
I can’t help, but think of the people who hunt for the successful niches of others and try to jump on a bandwagon. Kind of pessimistic, but I’m wondering if there’s a benefit to this activity. How often do authors start in the popular arena and then branch off to what they really want? Does their initial project pigeonhole them into a genre/style/world or can they move on? I keep thinking of how Rowling wrote books after Harry Potter, but they didn’t hit the same level of success. Think I’ve gone off topic here.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Interestingly enough, a review I read said that Rowling’s novel was actually one of the best things they’d read all year.
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Charles Yallowitz said:
It probably is really good. Guess I’m thinking more about establishing a niche and then trying to step out of it. For example, I’m known for fantasy, which is why most of my audience doesn’t go to Bedlam. I’ve even had people tell me they aren’t interested in vampires even though Nytefall takes place in a fantasy setting. So, that niche part could be a double edged sword at times.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Oh, I agree. My point about Rowling was that, even if she’s written a killer novel, she’ll only be remembered for Harry Potter no matter what.
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Charles Yallowitz said:
Yup. Though I think many of us wouldn’t mind being known for one blockbuster book franchise instead of none. 😜
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Oh, fine, you can twist my arm 😀
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Charles Yallowitz said:
Funny that you mention that while I’m editing the next Bedlam story. 😀
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I said twist, not yank it out of its socket and beat me with it 😀
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Charles Yallowitz said:
That’s too mundane for Lloyd. I mean, it’s so predictable these days. 😜
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Staci Troilo said:
The USP. It’s important. And a little elusive. It’s difficult to both write to market and write to your heart’s calling—all while finding what makes you unique and staying open-minded about other potential opportunities. Great post, Nicholas. You raised many thought-provoking points.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you, Staci! You’re so right–the USP is such a strange creature!
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rijanjks said:
A thought-provoking post. There are so many different facets to writing, but of course, the most important it simply getting started. Thanks, Nicholas!
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Well said, Jan 🙂
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rijanjks said:
Reblogged this on Writing and Music and commented:
Author, Nicholas Rossis, gives some thought-provoking things to consider when starting a writing project. It is well worth the read!
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jenanita01 said:
Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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kimwrtr said:
Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
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Soooz said:
Great post, Nicholas. I’ve long pondered what it is about any of my works that would make them unique. I write in several different genres because that is where my muse leads me, flexing and challenging myself to explore beyond my comfort zones with each book I complete. I’ve discovered that my USP is not so much what I write but the style in which I write them. Is that the elusive X-factor that separates us from the crowd? I’ll let you know when I sign my first movie deal. Hey! I can dream … right?
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Well, let me know so I can buy my ticket to the movie 🙂
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Soooz said:
😎🌟
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