Things I keep meaning to blog about

Hey everybody!

It seems like once a day–every day–I think of something that I really want to blog about. But it also seems like I always get too busy or the idea just slips my mind.

So here goes. A big list of stuff I keep meaning to blog about (but usually forget).

–It seems

TRENDS:
Trends are a part of life, and certainly a part of business. And, more than anything, it’s a part of this business–this publishing thing.

Everyone can probably agree that trends happen.

Most people can probably agree to what trends are.

But no one knows what the trends will be.

Instead, people look at things that are currently successful and, inevitably, rush to put out things that follow in their wake.

Twilight begat (to borrow one of my favorite words from Bible study) paranormal romance.

Hunger Games begat dystopians.

And now it seems that Percy Jackson and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are spawning a whole new boom in middle grade “boy” fiction.

This is all well and good, but it always frustrates me to some extent because, in the rush to duplicate success, it seems like (to me) like a lot of people duplicate the wrong things.

At the end of the day, I think most people duplicate what is easy.

This movie worked because it starred that actor.

This book became a phenomenon because it deals with that subject.

This TV show works because it does–or doesn’t–have magic. Or vampires. Or 1960s womanizers.

And so on and so on.

The problem is that the obvious thing about a successful show, book, movie is not always what MADE that show/book/movie successful.

I don’t think Hunger Games because the phenomenon it is because it is a dystopian. I think Hunger Games has sold millions and millions of copies because it is GOOD.

And that’s the thing about trends that kinda drives be crazy.

Because, dude, duplicating good is hard.

WRITING PROCESS:
With National Novel Writiing Month in high gear there is always a degree of blowback on the subject. Now is when people rush to tell other people how to write a novel.

I think talking about process and theory and ideas is a good thing. But I think telling anyone–especially new writers–THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT is a bad thing.

Why? Because there is no one way to do it.

What those people are really saying is THIS IS HOW I DO IT, THEREFORE THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY.

And that

The thing that