This is a semi-regular column I will do on the second Friday of the month if I have advice that I dislike and can tie into the month’s theme. This month it’s all about ignoring what you like to read about and instead choosing to write what’s popular, and why I highly recommend against it.
An analogy
Let’s say you’re sixteen years old and a skilled player and huge fan of volleyball. You love the sport. You know everything there is to know about it from the rules to the tactics. Hell, you’re good enough that, with enough lucky breaks, you could go pro.
You also know that there’s a lot more money and fame in basketball. However, your, passion for and understanding of the sport is nowhere as deep. You know the basics, like the shot clock, two pointers vs. three pointers, free throws, etc. But you don’t know the whole culture, tactics, etc. and frankly, you haven’t much cared. Does it make sense for you to switch from volleyball to basketball? Sure, the ceiling is higher. However, being able to get even up to where you could get in volleyball, relatively speaking, is going to be much harder, because you lack the practice, the knowledge, and the passion. This is not to say the switch is impossible, but it’s going to be a much longer, tougher road, with no guarantee of success.
Tying it back
Think about that from a genre perspective. To use myself as an example, I love fantasy, especially of the low variety. I know the quirks, the tropes, the beats, all of it, because I read so much of it. Now, for the sake of argument, if mystery is what’s popular and has a higher ceiling on fame and fortune (I don’t know if it is, but let’s say it is for the sake of argument), does it make sense for me to switch to it? I mean, my understanding of the genre is limited. I know it involves finding clues, making deductions, etc. but my understanding is limited. Also, I’ve never cared much about the genre, even if I tied it back into my beloved fantasy genre.
Does it make sense for me to try to write a mystery in the hopes of increasing my success? Not really. For one thing, because I don’t know the genre well, there’s no guarantee that I would be able to write it well. For another, because I lack the passion for the genre, writing it would be a miserable slog. I would constantly be second guessing myself, and forcing myself to write something that I really don’t want to in the hopes of making a buck. That doesn’t sound like something I want to do.
I’ve always believed writing should be a labor of love, not a labor of profit. I mean, I could try but that doesn’t mean that I’ll find any success, especially if I’m not very good at writing a mystery. I’m much more likely to find success if I stick to a genre that I already love and understand instead of trying to write what’s popular, in my own opinion.
https://alexjbrock.com/advice-i-take-issue-with-write-whats-popular