Scrolling through Twitter this morning, it looks as though a couple of agents engaged in a chat became tired of the question what’s the hot trend right now.
Are there really writers out there who can identify a trend and shoot that curl? I imagine that’s a very handy talent to have. If you are a chameleon who can write just about anything and make money off a wave, good for you. We do talk a lot about how writing is a job and a way to make money. If you can catch the next wave and ride it to the beach, repeatedly, you’ll be more likely to pay the rent.
Alas, you could be a writer like me. I find the whole concept of finding out what’s in and pitching to it very alien planet. It’s not the way I’m wired. Call me crazy, but I’m not going to ride everyone else’s wave. For example, I know I’m not much of a romance writer. That closes down large chunks of the market to me. I can write romance as a subplot, but I’ll never be able to crank out a bodice-ripping vampire seduction epic. Okay, maybe as a parody I could do that, but that kind of book is just not in me. And I know it’s hot turf.
Of course, let’s say I could crank out my seductive vampire book. Given the archaeological speed with which publishing moves, if it is picked up, my vampire book might not see the light of day for two years. By then vampires will be long gone, and everyone will be writing about sexy zombies. Or skewed future dystopias. Or books where women persist in wearing their corsets on the outside.
Hmmm…it looks like it might be pointless to try and ride that wave. It looks more like I need prognostication to figure out what the next hot trend is. Years ago my friend Dan and I toyed with writing a zombie epic in the style of Ann Rice. That was a joke between the two of us. Never in our wildest dreams did we figure zombies would be ANY kind of literary wave.
Can I just say right now that zombies are not sexy? For the record? In case you’re getting ideas out there?
What’s a writer to do? My idea is this: I’m going to write what I’m interested in to the best of my ability and try to refine it. Then I’m going to try to publish it.
What does this mean? It probably means I’ll write books I’m satisfied with, and they’ll be books I’d want to read. I imagine some readers will like them too. I don’t count on being any kind of next trend, although hey, the zombie thing happened, so you never know. The idea is that I’ll be true to my own artistic vision. Call me crazy, but I think that’s part of writing.
It’s another kind of talent. You can shoot at the market, but why not figure out what you have to say uniquely? It’s not necessarily a trade-off of money versus integrity. I think you can have both.
Meanwhile, I will continue to work hard at making adolescent trolls the next big thing.
Catherine
