Seven Things that will Doom Your Novel

[Steerpike]

Pretty good article. I disagree with Number 5, because I've seen too many novels published in recent years that clearly do exactly this.

How Not to Write a Novel: 7 Things That Will Doom Your Novel | WritersDigest.com

 

[Queshire]

Way too heavy on the sarcasm for my taste though...

 

[Dark Huntress]

I don't need to read things not to do...I already know them from experience.

 

[Philip Overby]

I thought it was a pretty good article. I think Number 5 I have mixed feelings about. You do have to just write what you write and hope for the best. But studying the market isn't a bad thing to do either. I don't mean just sit around and jump on bandwagons, but knowing what "type" of books people read will lead you to success if you're careful. Meaning more like studying the history of what people have read and more than likely, those trends will come back around. I think having a "voice" is important, because you can write the 90,000,000th vampire romance story and still make it yours if you have a strong enough voice and vision.

 

[Robert Donnell]

The “write to the market” thing has some basic issues, Rush Limbaugh fairly well "invented" talk radio, Tom Clancy "invented" the techno-thriller. So if you have good stuff you can create a niche that was not there before.

Now if you are selling to a publisher of a certain niche market then by all means write to that market, but if you are looking for a wider market, write for the wider market.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

Good article. Loved the humor and sarcasm
Thanks for sharing

 

[SeverinR]

#5: the key is the last word..."only".
Writing for the market to some degree is good, unless you are truly trail blazing as Robert said.
But if you write -only- to the market, you are taking the same old thing and shuffling it a little, nothing original, merely a immitation of something else.

TV is selling to the market, they are rehashing the same worn out shows rehashed. When you see the new shows, look at them and drop them into the prime time categories, and they will probably fit comfortably with some other show.

Friends immitation, Family sit-com(Full house/Cosby/ ie comedian thrown in with spouse and little straight men(women and children) Reality tv categoies, Detective shows(Law and order, NCIS,),
#5 is about creativity.

 

[Lillian Crowe]

I'm mixed on this article. I feel like it's like the sayings 'write every day' and 'show, don't tell.' It's advice to follow, but it's not exactly groundbreaking.

 

[zizban]

But I like keeping a chip on my shoulder!

 

[Ghost]

You'll attract pigeons if you keep a chip on your shoulder.