The Secret to Writing a Bestseller

I haven't a clue. :)

And I don't think there is one. There's no secret, no magic bullet. But I do think there's some basic ingredients to the bestseller recipe. Like . . .

Hard work.

Great writing.

Fresh storytelling.

Timing.

Opportunity.

Heaps of LUCK.

Mix all those up--and listen, I know the last three aren't really in your control--and you *might* have a bestseller. MIGHT. Because as y'all know, nothing is guaranteed, especially not in publishing.

But I believe there is something that will help improve your odds: write what you love.

Maybe it won't sell a bazillion copies, maybe it will. But if you're lucky, your book will touch a reader in a way no other book has. Because if you write what you love, your passion for your story and your characters gets infused in the pages themselves, and your readers will respond to it . . . they will feel it, and in the end, isn't that what you want? For your readers to feel? To be moved? To be transported to another place or time? To be scared? To want? To wonder? To fall in love? And if your novel touches enough people . . . voila! Now we're starting to talk bestseller. :)

So give yourself a gift this holiday season: permission to write what you love. Just write . . . without fear, without expectations. Without pressure. Write the story you're dying to write, because if you love it, chances are, another person will love it too. :) And maybe more than just one . . .

So what are you writing? And do you have any other ingredients to add to the bestseller mix?

Writing, Tunes, and Kick-Butt Storytelling

For me, good writing is like good music.

Good writing has a rhythm that's effortless--at least for the reader. :D Prose so smooth the words disappear, leaving the reader with images and feelings perfectly crafted by the writer. Voice plays a huge role in establishing this flow. Think Maggie Stiefvater--her prose is incredibly lyrical, and her voice leaps off from the page from word one. Same for Laini Taylor.

Music is the same. Bands like Snow Patrol, Coldplay, U2, The Beatles (I could on on FOREVER but I'll stop :D) are brilliant with musical composition. Snow Patrol is my all time favorite band for a million reasons, but Gary Lightbody's voice (very emotive) and the rhythm of SP's music combine to never let me go. (hehe) I'm a huge alt music junkie, and SP tops my list, but also love some good indie-folk-singer/songwriter stuff too. Sometimes I want to crank Silversun Pickups or Kasabian or Florence +The Machine, sometimes I want to listen to Jack Johnson or David Gray or Tristan Prettyman. But regardless, the music I love makes me feel. And that's why I listen. :)

Back to writing! Rhythm aside, don't underestimate the power of storytelling: books with characters and plots that grab you and won't let you go. A great storyteller can suck you in with a perfectly crafted visual that makes you pause and think "whoa." And after that whoa moment, you keep reading. Because YOU HAVE TO. Stephen King is a master storyteller. Ditto for J.K. Rowling.

It's the same with music. Sometimes I hear a lyric and think "whoa." So much packed into one line or one-chorus...well-done. 

Need examples? I've got 'em. :D

"On his face is a map of the world"
-30 Seconds to Mars "From Yesterday" (LOVE 30 Seconds to Mars)

"Blame the box with the view of the world
And the walls that fill the frame"
-Jack Johnson "Fall Line " (JJ is AMAZING in concert)

"You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter"
-Taylor Swift "Mine" (T. Swift is a BRILLIANT songwriter IMO)

So much packed into so few words, right?!

I think the best writing combines effortless rhythm with brilliant storytelling. 

Taste in music varies; it's as subjective as taste in books. But I think you can appreciate good music when you hear it (even if it's not your genre of choice), and likewise, I think you know good writing when you see it. :D

What do you think? What makes good writing? And what musical lyrics blow you away?