View this post on Instagram

 

“But will this book sell?”

“Will this article be read by millions?”

“Will people actually care?”

So many questions authors have to answer whenever they finally decide to share a work they’ve been hiding in the drawer for months, if not years.

It saddens me to say that we live in a world where writers—mostly new or aspiring ones—are forced to embellish their words and speak about topics that sell, topics they don’t really care about, just to make people give a damn.

Reaching a wide audience requires covering a varied demographic—old, young, American, Asian, Arabic, and so on. This may prove difficult because one piece of work is bound to fail in touching someone’s heart.

For this reason, some writers tend to search for topics that they are not passionate about but can sell.

Including me.

I was obsessed with the idea of following trends and writing about things that I could never relate to or connect with, just to match the market.

That was until I realized that I wrote horribly. Just plainly horrible writing.

Hearted by

cancel

Name

Email

Website

Δ

It wasn’t horrible in the sense that my writings weren’t aesthetically pleasing, or that the grammar was incorrect. But why do I believe that my pieces just weren’t right? Because I wasn’t writing my heart out. This is what prompted me to start jotting down what makes my writing better, what makes it relatable, what makes it of benefit.

So, I hope those few tips may benefit you (and any aspiring author who doesn’t want to be molded by society into someone they are not):

>> Always be genuine.
>> Don’t adopt a voice that seems foreign to you.
>> Don’t let people’s hypersensitivity and destructive criticism stop you from being truthful about who you are and what you believe in.
>> Write about something you care about and that matters!
>> Don’t preach. Share.
>> Dedicate time for writing and don’t be discouraged by rejections.
>> Keep working on yourself. We are constant learners, and nobody’s perfect.
>> Write your heart out and leave your pocket out of this.
>> Fall in love with words. Don’t overthink them.
>> Have a strategic mind that helps you market your pieces, but don’t let it be the main guide for your writing.

And lastly, as the great Maya Angelou said: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

Tell your own story.

Don’t be afraid.

Be authentic.