To Be or Not To Be...Staying True to the Heart While Writing for the Market
"What's the point of writing a book if it's just going to sit in your desk drawer?"
Now then, with those quotes in mind, consider the following dilemma...
You spend a year constructing a story. It's somewhat of an intricate plot. The characters are flavorful and well developed. Your voice is strong. The writing is as well. You know all this because of feedback you've received from publishers. All is good...except your story is more Dickens than Austen. It's a little edgier, a little darker, spending more time on the streets of London than in the ballrooms and dining halls. There is a publisher willing to pick it up--if you completely change the plot and focus on high society instead of the vulgar commoners.
Would you rewrite the book? Should you?
Here we are, back to the same old predicament. Should an author write to fit the market or stay true to their inner self? This isn't a problem for those who are Austen or Amish on the inside, but for the many who are rebels at heart, this issue is a constant demon to battle.
I contend that unless you write a story you're passionate about, your lackluster attitude is going to show through. Who's got time to read a milquetoast novel? Who would even want to?
That's not to say, however, that one cannot write to the market as well. It's just trickier to find your niche. How in the world does one accomplish this? Buckle up. Here we go...
First, focus on a theme and/or truth that fires you up. If your central message falls flat, it doesn't matter what genre you've chosen to write in. It will fail. Does justice make your heart beat? The act of forgiveness? Unconditional love? Getting excited about a message has a way of getting your creative juices flowing.
Next, think about traditional mainstream genres that could possibly work with your theme. Just brainstorm at this stage. You're not committing any vows here. This is simply an exercise to bend and stretch your authorly flexibility.
After that, ponder some of your favorite stories. What are the plots of the novels you love? Imagine those plots in a different genre. Same story, just different trappings is all.
Now that you've loosened up a closed mind (hopefully), write down a 2-3 sentence story idea in one of those mainstream genres (such as romance, mystery, contemporary, historical, etc.).
That's all. Now set that piece of paper aside. Pick it up next week and see how you feel about it. Either it will have grown on you by then, or chuck it aside and repeat the process. Eventually you WILL land on a story that will resonate with you on the inside while being something more marketable than Regency Amish Zombie Aliens. Run that story idea by an agent or editor before you commit to writing the entire manuscript. If their eyes light up, you've got a winner that just might sell AND a story that's coming from your heart.
Of course, that's great for new story ideas. It doesn't help when you've got a finished manuscript such as the dilemma at the beginning of this post. In that case, if you can't cheerfully rewrite the story, then cut bait and move on...or self-pub and move on.
Which is a whole other topic.