Writing to Your Passion or The Market?

[AliceRose]

I try and write about all different sorts of things. But honestly, I think if you're writing something you're passionate about, you would do a better job. There's nothing worse than reading something that sounds forced; I think you can tell if an author really cares about their subject matter or not.

Saying that, I think it's a good idea to practice in all different genres. If there's one area you enjoy writing about more than others, that's the one that you would want to sell. But I do enjoy giving everything a try - even if the end product turns out bad!

[AmandaT]

It probably depends on how much money you are hoping to make. If your passion is not interesting to most readers then you should still write about it but just accept that you won't make much money from it.

[wedgwood]

I'd say passion. Most people say write for the market but some of the best selling authors are those who wrote what they wanted to write and then just sent it out to see if there's a market for it. True creativity, in my book.

[DJWritingWolf]

My answer is inbetween passion and the market, I LOVE to write my fictional stories and novels, but I also would love to earn a few bucks from my efforts. I have many worlds to explore in the depths of my mind, and I am always looking around for inspiration for new ideas, such as watching fantasy films and learning from them to start off a new adventure.

[Zain]

I think that entirely depends on your goals; do you want to be an author, or do you want to write books? While both may seem the same, they differ in focus. Is it the appeal of calling yourself a writer or the work itself that you seek? I don't think there's a wrong answer, simply two kinds of motivation. If you're good, there's a high chance you'll get published. If you aren't, either you get lucky and find a publisher or not. While mainstream gets you a higher chance at publishing, it surely doesn't guarantee people will buy your book. You got much more competition. I doubt it really matters in the end - passion and market don't have to be opposing sides, and everything has a downside. To end this rant on a good note - everything does have an upside as well.
Personally, I write whatever idea comes to my mind. If the idea is worth a try, I attempt to make something out of it. And likewise, I think that if a story is worth a try whether it's of your preferred genre and themes or not, people will give it a chance. Bit of a naive attitude, maybe, but I muddle through.

[Enigma]

Gosh if I wrote for the market I might make some money. Lol I write for passion always have always will. One day l'll find my audience.

[KattPascale]

How often to passion and market mate perfectly? I think passion can MAKE a market if its good enough

[scuba_steves]

Write what you love. After all, what joy is there in writing if it isn't something you want to read? Plus, as so many agents tweet on Twitter (yes, I know....), the market changes. So, you might write about vampires and werewolves now, but maybe by the time your book is done and out to agents/self-pubbed, the market will have moved on to princesses and ogres.

[srivolco]

Before we go into figuring out whether one should write to address their passion or the market, the basic question of why you want to write has to be answered. If you write for yourself and commercial success is secondary then you need not take market into consideration. But if you wish to garner a commercial success then you most definitely need to incorporate your passion with what the market wants. For without passion for what you write you will never give it your best and without considering what the market wants even your best will always fall short !

[aaronhattle]

Combine the two! Write about passion in a romance novel! They go great on the market.

[jsinard42]

I often find myself writing for the market, but whenever I can I blend the two as much as possible.

[MassimoMarino]

I don't know if it is passion or rather an urge. Writing is like a wound that never heals... and a story oozes out of it. That one story rarely cares about the market but if it is well narrated and well written it will find its readers.

[whybark]

Passion

[SharisseEM]

I suppose that if I'm starting out, I would write to the market but if I've already established a following then I would write to my passion. Best case scenario though would be to write to the market but come up with a storyline that you're passionate about. Find a way to blend both together. If you're writing for the market and it's not what you want to write, your readers will be able to feel it.

[milliethom]

I began my trilogy because I'd been wanting to write it for absolutely years, so I suppose my answer is that I write to my passion. When I first got the idea for my books, very little fiction covered the period of history I'd set my mind on doing. But by the time I eventually had the opportunity to write, there were several, similarly themed books/series on the market. Whether or not that's a good thing for me, I've yet to see.