Falling in Love With Your Writing

If you're an avid reader, you've probably fallen in love with a book before. It was un-put-down-able while you were reading it, and when you were done you wanted to tell everyone about it.

Writers have to do the same with their own books. If a writer isn't completely besotted with their book, it shows in their writing. People don't want to read half-hearted books -- they want to read books that were crafted with love and passion (not necessarily a book about love and passion, though. That would make everything a romance. *eww*).

This is why writers have to be very careful with what they choose to write about. I can't tell you how many times I've had an idea for a book that I thought was brilliant, and then, after a few days, weeks or months, decided it was boring and moved on to something else. It might seem heart-wrenching when you have to leave a brilliant idea behind, but you definitely end up better off than if you'd carried on developing the idea when, ultimately, it would come to nothing.

So how can you be sure that you've come up with a truly amazing idea that you can actually write a whole book about without giving up? Well, you can never be really sure. But here are some clues that you're on to a winner:

1. The idea keeps recurring to you, over weeks, months or even years
2. You can't stop thinking about it
3. Sometimes, you even speak to the ghostly characters that are trying to form to populate your story
4. It's the sort of thing that you, as a reader, would love to read

That last one is crucial. Never, ever, EVER write a book that you wouldn't love to read.

Also, remember -- if you decide to go through with your book's idea, realize that you'll be stuck in this world, and with these characters, for months, if not years.

If that sounds OK to you, then get on with it.  And I mean GET ON WITH IT. If you wait too long, you'll become bored of the idea again, and the world will miss out on something brilliant.

Fall in love with your book. Or else!