There is an old saying about “write what you know.” But we shouldn't we also consider "write what you love?" If you are passionate about a subject it will be easier to write about, your excitement for it will shine through and keep your readers engaged. Writing can take a long time, especially if you are creating a full length novel. Writing what you love fuels your passion and keeps your interest for the long haul.
We are going to look at the books and movies you love, as well as your other interests, passions and memories to help find out what to write about. These can be a quick reference to turn to when searching for writing ideas and inspiration.
The first question to ask yourself is, what do you think would be fun to write? Do you want to write a sweeping romance, a Sci Fi novel, poetry like T.S. Elliot, or a screen play? If you aren’t sure then think about what you enjoy reading the most and the movies you love to watch. Write in the genre you love.
Book List:
Write a list of your favorite books with a short note about what you liked the most about each one.
What are the similarities about these books?
What is your favorite genre?
Another great idea is to read these books with a writer’s eye. Study the plot, the characters, the wording to see what you like about it. Learn from what you enjoy reading to see how they did it.
Movie List:
Write a list of your favorite movies, the ones you can watch over and over.
Include a note about what you specifically loved about each movie.
Was there any characters or specific scenes that were a favorite?
What are the similarities about these movies?
What's your favorite genre?
Love List
Write a list of everything you love, you feel excited about, or stirs your interest.
Allow yourself to write whatever comes to your mind, people, themes, subjects, objects, genres, hobbies, music, anything!
Circle the items that you are the most passionate about
Consider including some of them it in your next story. You can also use the list to give traits or hobbies to a character.
Passions
What causes are you passionate about?
What really makes you angry?
What makes you really happy to see?
What do you feel very strongly for or against?
What would you want to say to the world, how would you want to inspire others?
Memories:
Is there any specific time in your life you would like to write about?
What time in your life do you look back on fondly?
What time in your life put through a lot of challenges and changes?
It may seem difficult to write about the troublesome times, but it can also be very rewarding and help others who may be going through the same thing.
So, now that you have all of your lists, woo hoo! you can see in more detail what it that you really enjoy and what stirs your passion. This is what you should write! You don’t have to include everything you've listed in one book. But including some of these elements will make your writing sizzle and make the writing process a lot more fun.
Questions? Comments? How do you decide what to write? Let me know!
I totally agree; the only thing you should ever write is what you're passionate about. If you try to seek out trends or 'the next big thing' you'll never write as well as if you write what you love. Great advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks Angeline, I can't agree with you more! Besides, by the time you write about the next big thing the fad will be over or the publishers will be too bombarded with it anyways :)
DeleteI had some struggle with deciding to write romance because so many people look down upon it, but I love reading it and I love writing it!
That's a fantastic way to organize your thoughts. For me, it's pretty simple to decide what to write. I don't start a project until I'm thinking about it so much that I dream about it. Once I'm dreaming about a project, there's just no room for anything else.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome, the muse is strong with you!! I have never dreamed about a story, but I do love daydreaming about them :)
DeleteAndrea
I completely agree. Good advice!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dana! I need to go over to your blog and catch up on your posts :)
DeleteI do agree that you should write what you love. It's too hard to write otherwise! And this is a lovely idea! I'm going to write up some lists!
ReplyDeleteLet me know if the lists help! I found that I had a lot more things I was excited about than I realized :)
DeleteJust stop by to say: AGREED! lol
ReplyDeleteYou have given some very good ideas here. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrulations on your award
Exactly!! It can be hard to write what you know sometimes, especially if your working on say SciFi, Fantasy and dystopian. These work souly in the realm of what if? Part of me thinks that if everyone just wrote wht they knew, books would be no where near as exciting! I love the list, really constructive.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, plus even if it isnt sci fi or fantasy etc you love something or it interests you then you are more likely to want to learn about it :)
DeleteGreat suggestions and lists! Thanks for sharing them. ^_^
ReplyDeleteThanks Jackie :)
DeleteThis is an awesome idea of how to find out what you want to write. I always believe people should write not only what they love, but what they know for it makes for better story-telling. Congratulations on the award!
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is good to write what you know, having a passion for something will make you want to learn it and know it better too :) Thanks Christine!
DeleteGood advice. I've been lucky that since I started, the ideas just come. I've heard so many people say they want to write, but don't know what, and this would be a good place to start.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful, It does seem that a lot of people have trouble with what to write, so I hope this can help them, or give new ideas to those who are already writing :)
DeleteLuckily Iv always known what aspects I love about certain movies and books, its just connecting those events that can be troublesome...
ReplyDeleteThats wonderful! Yeah, connecting them can prove to be a pain. I agree :)
DeleteAndrea, this is really fantastic; I'm going to bookmark it for future reference (and for when the well runs dry, so to speak!). It's so generous of you to do all this work for us - thank you! :-)
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
Awwwww, thanks Mina :) I feel all warm and fuzzy wuzzy.
DeleteAndrea
How about "write what you know and love?"
ReplyDeleteI suppose that would mean write about your hobbies or experiences that had an impact on you. I love adding on the second part. Sometimes writing can get so technical we forget that it's art.
I think i like that even better :) I am not discounting write what you know, because that is great too.
DeleteI am a believer that writing is an art, a therapy, a craft, an outlet for the imagination, it is so many wonderful things and should be done because we enjoy it :)
Congrats on your award! And great advice there! If we only wrote about what we knew, there would't be very much out there. I agree more with the love part... and plus with the cast resource of info on the web we dont even have to go anywhere these days... all we have to do is google it!
ReplyDeleteI usually wait til an idea pops in my head, usually inspired by a plot...sometimes a character, and if it wont leave me alone, I start plotting it out and then draft it. I lean toward fantasy and sci-fi but I'm open to just about anything.
Thanks for sharing! I don't mind doing a little research for a story either especially if it ignites my imagination.
DeleteFantastic post and wonderful advice. The old addage of "Follow Your Bliss" really applies. I really like your list ideas, particularly the "love list"--I'm thinking about trying that one sometime this weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteWoo Hooo! If you do try it let me know. I am wondering if this would be as helpful to others as it had been to me. I discovered a lot more interests and passions that were hiding around in my subconscious.
DeleteSuch great advice. It's not as fun to write what you think others what you to write or what you think others want to read, and lackluster quality results. Loved the lists. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I read all of this. I agree about writing what one is passionate about.
ReplyDeleteI have a few unfinished manuscripts, and the reason I couldn't complete them was because they didn't match my passions.