To Trend or Not to Trend?

This is one of the biggest (in my opinion) questions writers must ask themselves when they get started on a new story. To write to trend or not to write to trend. It marks the baseline of how you want to craft your story and who you are telling it to.

In a recent blog post I went over my list of drats and how each one is separated into categories like telling myself, telling a friend, etc. The same is true when you decide who you want your audience to be. Do you want it to be the super trendy and latest genre topping hit where it reaches the masses easily on all of the algorithms?

For a lot of writers, the answer to that question is a yes, and understandably so. It’s easier to market a book with comps that are popular and have it stand out to those well known popular tropes. That is until that genre or trope wanes and dies down.

That’s the thing about tropes and genres and trends… they change. Sometimes overnight. This is not to say that if you do write to trend your book will automatically shoot to the top of the pile and you’ll “make it” overnight… it does make it easier. But like I just said, things change in an instant. One minute we see people gushing over the top about one specific book and the very next that book is on the backburner for whatever reason and they are all aboard the next hype trend.

So, where should you fit in? Anywhere you want to.

Where do I fit in? I choose to write the stories I want to tell versus writing the stories that I think will sell well (i.e.. on trend). For me it comes down to my heart and what my soul yearns for. I was born a creative… and with that I want to be… well, creative.

I want to be able to use my creativity to craft a story that is true to me. A story that only I could tell. This is also not to say that those who choose to write to market are soulless goons who lack creativity… they most certainly have creativity to be able to write and craft worlds people love… I’m just saying that when you line up and compare the “top charts”, a lot of the books tend to kind of read the same. They tend to follow the same general format and plotline.

It’s no fault of the authors, it’s what works. Rightfully so. It’s comfort. It’s known. It’s like a warm hug.

But… even with warm hugs, I think you still need to find that something extra. Which is why when I do choose to pick up a top seller or tiktok sensation, I tend to only enjoy ones who have done something slightly fun or quirky with them. It makes them standout more and feel more unique even though they are staying on trend. So being on trend isn’t always a bad thing. I would never say that it is.

I just think that sometimes, readers can feel when you’ve written something solely to market versus written something directly from your heart. And yes, sometimes those two things can completely coexist and align perfectly. And huzzah when they do!

For me, when I started thinking of writing Whisper of Secrets, I will admit that the first notion was “to trend”. The initial idea was 100% based on a trend. I cannot say what that is without spoiling a lot of things for the series but just know that there is one aspect of the series that was completely under the guise of being on trend.

But over the weeks after the initial spark of the idea, my creativity ran rampant. I could no longer contain it to just write to trend type stereotypes and I let it run wild. I unleashed the story from within and ended up with an entirely different plan from the original thought. And I AM IN LOVE WITH IT!

I know, I know… we are supposed to hate our own art and writers are supposed to doubt everything they write and I am aware that I am being a total unicorn because I love my book. But that is honestly the whole point of this blog post. I wrote from the heart. I wrote the story I wanted to write and told the tale I wanted to tell. There are pieces of me within every character, every interaction, every plot twist. All of it… is me.

But th more and more I read my book, the happier I am with it. I am thrilled with all th subtle clues and breadcrumbs that only a handful of eagle-eyed readers will be able to pick up on and follow and I love that. I love the dynamics between my characters and how Savi and Aster ended up being mirrors of each other in the end. And how there are so many things that come full circle without ever having planned it that way, it just happened. So many tiny things that make me so very happy.

Do I think it will mass market sell, sell, sell? Hell no. I think it’s going to be polarizing and split perfectly down the middle for people. Some will love it, some will hate it. But I am okay with both. I don’t want to be everyone’s favorite. I don’t even want it to be anything other than what it will be, no matter what that ends up being. I know that probably doesn’t make sense to a lot of you, and that’s okay. It makes sense to me.

I joked partway through my editing process that you always hear “write the story you want to read” and I laughed my ass off because on one hand, it’s totally true. Write what you want to read because you’ll be reading it fifty billion times before you’re done with it. So to that note… why not write what you enjoy? Why not write what brings you happiness and the story you truly feel compelled to craft. Because if you don’t… editing will be a million times more frustrating for you, I promise.

In the end… do what makes you soul sing and what makes you come back to it day in and day out. Even on the hard days, or the days you feel like giving up. Whether you write to trend or not, do it with passion and love for your craft and it will show in your work.

‘Til next time,

Happy Reading!

<3

Rhea