The Passions of the Heart: Sherry Peters

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Today, is a guest post by Sherry Peters, author of the Ballad of Mabel Goldenaxe series. In this post, Sherry discusses a topic important to every writer but one that is even more meaningful to the indie author. It's something she calls...

The Passions of the Heart

I don’t think it is any great shock for me to say that the publishing industry is in immense flux. It can be incredibly frustrating, but there are also many more opportunities for writers. Along with the changes in the publishing industry has come a booming trade in “How To” books for writers.

There have always been books on how to write different genres and on elements of the craft. There have also been a fair number of books on how to end writer’s block. Now those books on writer’s block have multiplied. There is also an abundance of books on marketing your book, building an author platform, and how to write the next best-seller.

This bombardment of options and advice can leave writers reeling. That’s because so much of what is out there deals with the business end of writing. Even the books on craft spend a lot of time on what editors are looking for, what gets accepted, and what doesn’t. In the end, most writers question their choices on what they should write. Should they write to market? Is it even possible to write something new and still make it as a writer?

Because of all the questioning and pressure, writing stops being fun. Writers find it harder to write. Nothing we write is good enough.

One of the most difficult thing for a writer to do, is to focus soley on the writing during the time they’ve set aside for writing. The distractions of Facebook and checking e-mail are just excuses. Often we find other things to do besides writing because we worry about our work being rejected or if we’re going to make a sale.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

When you set aside a specific time for writing, focus on your writing and the story you want to tell. Most importantly, write what you love.

Writing anything, be it a short story, a novel, or an epic series, means you are going to be spending an awful lot of time with those characters and in that world. If you don’t enjoy the story, your reader isn’t going to enjoy it. If you love the story, if it is something you are passionate about, you are going to want to spend more time with it.

Writing what you love is no guarantee that your story will sell, but then there is no guarantee when you are writing to market or to trend. But chances are you will have greater success when you write something you are passionate about. Your love for the characters, the world, the story, will show through. Your readers are also going to see that passion, they are going to feel it, and be affected by it. And that is what makes readers buy books and recommend them to friends.

So what are you passionate about? Is it a specific genre? Is it a kind of character? Is it a political or social theme? Whatever it is, find it, make it yours, and write it.

About Sherry Peters

Sherry Peters is a writer and a Success Coach for Writers. She attended the Odyssey Writing Workshop and holds an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. When she isn’t writing, she loves to have adventures of her own including spending a year working in Northern Ireland. Mabel the Lovelorn Dwarf is her first novel. For more information on Sherry, visit her website at www.dwarvenamazon.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherry.peters1

Twitter: @sherry_peters

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