OBSESSIONS
by Linda Gillard
A lot of people want to write, but think they have little to say. One of the keys to writing a book and getting it published is obsession. If you want to get a book written, you need to write about your obsessions - and you need to become obsessed with writing about your obsessions! That’s the only way you’ll get it done, especially if you have a day job or children.
Obsession is also what will make your book publishable. If you care, the reader will care. A fictional obsession (or your own obsession) combined with an unusual point of view or “voice” will hook the reader and possibly an agent or editor. These two characteristics are found in many bestsellers.
It doesn’t matter what the obsession is…
Lynne Truss wrote a bestseller about punctuation. (EATS SHOOTS AND LEAVES)
WATERSHIP DOWN was about rabbits!
Mark Haddon wrote a bestseller about an autistic boy investigating the death of a dog. (THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME)
THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (a novel about obsession and obsessive attention to detail) was about an assassination attempt that the reader knew would be unsuccessful.
In LOSING NELSON (Barry Unsworth) the anti-hero is obsessed with Nelson’s life.
In THE COLLECTOR (John Fowles) the anti-hero is obsessed with collecting butterflies and a beautiful young woman.
Make a list of your obsessions. Don’t be shy – we all have them! Treat this list as a resource – a source of powerful writing energy. If these are your obsessions, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about them, so you might as well use them in your writing.
Remember: if you care, your reader will care. Enthusiasm is infectious! And what sells a book – to a reader, an agent or an editor – is passion.
Linda Gillard (www.lindagillard.co.uk)