So, the number one question any writer should, and probably will, ask is “what should I write about?”
This can either be a very easy question, or a very hard one. I do have some advice on the topic, at least.
The simplest answer to the question I’ve found is actually half a question, half an answer. It goes thusly: “What do you like to read about? Write about that.” If you like bodice rippers, write a bodice ripper. If you like high fantasy, write high fantasy. This is because you know the usual tropes, the usual beats, what works and doesn’t work both in general and for you personally within the genre. You’re not going to have an easy time writing a mystery, for example, if all you read is heroic fantasy.
To use my own work as an example, I love lesbian romance, strong but hurting protagonists, and low fantasy. Knowing this, writing about a hurting lesbian protagonist who finds love in a low fantasy setting is the obvious choice.
Admittedly, this won’t get you a plot, but it at least gets you a good baseline for figuring out where you want to go. More on plot in February’s first post, though I will give some advice now. Basically, ask yourself if there’s some sort of story that you’ve always wanted to read but could never find. If there is, then write about that. To quote Toni Morrison, “If You Find a Book You Really Want to Read but It Hasn’t Been Written Yet, Then You Must Write It.” After all, you’ve probably gone over that story in your head so many times that you’ve developed it into something that, if given the effort, you could write about it. You just need that little push.
And yes, next month’s theme is plot. I hope you look forward to it!
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