camden markets entrance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s a crowded marketplace for a writer these days. The web is crammed wall to wall with scribes, all vying for attention. If the online avenues for writers were Camden Market in London, or the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market in San Francisco, the stall holders would stretch right up to the water’s edge, respectively the River Thames or the Pacific Ocean. It’s easy to see why some drown in the choppy waters of self promotion.
So how does a writer stand out in the crowd?
The key is to BE ORIGINAL.
If you’re a writer of crime thrillers, the last thing the world needs is a funny little Belgian detective with a twirly moustache. Create a detective who likes to line-dance while solving cases. If nothing else, it may add a musicality to the work.
Vampires are all the rage in literature at the moment, but why jump on that bandwagon? There are hundreds of writers creating vampire novels . Look for an alternative – a good place to start might be used car salesmen. Or politicians.
Erotica is also very popular at the moment. If you are tackling this subject, try to find a different angle. Aristocrats swinging naked from chandeliers is so passe, and a lady’s heaving bosom in the presence of a gallant cavalryman belongs to yesterday. Perhaps try a vampire love story?
Science fiction covers such a broad spectrum, and yet there can still be a tendency for the writer to veer towards familiar themes such as aliens and spaceships. And other worlds. It might be a cunning twist to introduce a time-travelling erotic vampire.
Never give up hope.
i love this hahaha
Thanks K!
As always, worth reading. Thanks Andy!
heh-heh ~ vampire love stories ~ heh-heh … you make me giggle
Seems an age since your last post ..
Yes, I’ve slowed down a bit just lately, am working on full-lengthMS, and it’s a slow ride at the minute. Also, gearing up for NaPoWriMo next month, so that should see an increase in posts hopefully.
Hello, I’ve nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! See my post here: http://lilybyrne.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/now-im-a-versatile-blogger/
Well done and best wishes,
Lily
Hi Lily, thanks, it’s an honour to receive this from you.
For me with the e-book revolution finding a good original book is like going through a car scrap yard looking for a complete undamaged nearside wing mirror for a 1987 Ford Fiesta.
Yes, I know what you mean, but hasn’t literature always been a bit like that? Even in hardback/paperback the best seller charts are rammed with cookbooks and celebrity biographies, so it just evolves naturally, along with the rest of the world, fast lane to slow lane.
Very true; ‘same old same old’ I guess; which is reassuring I suppose.
There can never be enough sci-fi or vampires!
Indeed, well, by the time I’d finished writing the post I kinda came to that conclusion. Love that stuff, even though I rarely read it.
I’m afraid vampire love stories have also been done to death. The kids love ‘em.
Yes, there is that.
Thanks for following my blog. I enjoyed reading the above. I’m sure I’ll be reminded to visit again and again by your visits to my blog. Again, thanks.
Nice to hear from you.