Writing For Your Audience

In the writing world that we're currently in, a lot of writers think that they need to tailor their novel to whatever is popular right now. I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't do this. You're probably thinking, but Elysia, if something is popular, shouldn't I write about it?! Well, I hate to break it to you, but just writing about something popular and hoping that it gets published probably won't work. In the traditional publishing world, it can take years for something to hit the shelves of your local bookstore. If you start out writing a novel just to appease an audience, you will probably end up uninspired and discouraged before you've even finished. Instead of writing for the world, write for yourself. You will want to keep your reader in mind, but don't just write something because you think that it will be popular. All things popular will go out of style in time (do you remember leisure suits...?), so don't write something just crossing your fingers that it'll be as popular as the things that are trending. A trend is a trend, and most trends will disappear. Write what's on your mind, and what you have a passion for, and that's where you'll find your niche, and what you love.