Write What Excites You

This blog had a variety of titles: Be you. Follow your heart, not trends. Write for more than the money. My problem picking one was because they all fit and boil down to the same thing: write what moves you. Write the story that keeps you up at night and won’t let go. Write the character who whispers in your ear. Write what intrigues you.

Good writing requires energy. That’s what engages readers and it cannot happen if the writer is bored or reluctantly pounding out words. Not being into your writing is the fastest way to kill momentum in the work and the writing process and end up with garbage.

The good news is that the problem of engagement is rarely about ideas. Most writers have too many ideas. The trick is finding one you can stick with through the entire project, be it a novel or long format nonfiction work. Pick something that will keep you excited for the long haul.

Start by selecting the idea that matters to you. In other words, don’t pick the idea you think will be most successful or easy. Choose the one you care about the most, regardless of its alleged marketability. The truth is no one can predict what will sell and what won’t, but I can almost guarantee if you write solely for money you won’t do as well as if you write about things that excite you.

Here’s why: Your feelings toward an idea or project shows in the work. I avoid them these days. If I’m bored by the topic, my writing will reflect that and I will bore the reader too. This has been proved through the years with client work. When I take projects that bore me just because they pay the bills, I struggle with them and with myself. It’s miserable and the writing is often lackluster and cumbersome. It reveals my apathy and I’ve never found a way to hide that. My lack of interest also made the writing process excruciating. It stripped the joy from it and I always end up regretting having taken the project.

My best advice is not to write what you know, but to write what excites you in some way. Look for topics that interest you in some vital way and projects that challenge or intrigue you. If you can’t see the value in the work, it won’t feel worthwhile to you and you can kiss your motivation and enthusiasm goodbye. If you don’t feel something for the work, pass it on to someone who will or let it go. It’s hard enough to put words on the page when you want to write them. Don’t put extra obstacles in your path.

Whether you are writing for yourself (novel, article pitch, blog) or for another (client work), follow your heart. Write honestly and sincerely. It makes life as a writer far more rewarding.