So far in my write life, I've noticed among many things the reluctance of authors to fly against the wind. I mean, they feel the need to be imprisoned by a particular set of rules. I think this is not a very good thing especially for independent authors. Looking at what we're called should tell anyone that we are free to do what we please. We ought not to act like the trads who are imprisoned, many times unnecessarily, by a list of sacred rules and regs. But unfortunately, I see that many indie authors are as scared of freedom as the trads are, sometimes even worse. There are many instances, but I wanna focus on writing style for now.
I've been told by other indies that I should study how works in a particular genre are written and write mine like that. Well, this is not a totally bad advice, especially for beginners. But I've been reading almost all my life. If there's anything I should be able to identify, it's the genre of a story. Knowing about as many genres as I do and I decide to write something that doesn't resemble the style of the most popular author in that genre, I don't think there's anything wrong with it, provided of course that my story truly belongs to that genre. I mean, if we all did something similar to what every other person before us has done, then our readers would get bored and totally abandon reading as a fun activity. So when I hear authors getting worried that their story, even though it's bonafide (e.g. romance), doesn't end or start like a typical romance story, I just have to sigh. It's normal to have such doubts, but if you're one of such people having such a problem, I'd like to tell you that you have no problem. Rather, you have a blessing. A gem, to be blunt. Just imagine everyone in the world wearing white T-shirts. It would look really cool, right? Now, fast forward to a few months or a year later and the trend is still on, but is it still cool? Nope. It's now mundane, commonplace, ordinary, typical, etc. Now, imagine that all of a sudden, you become the first and only person to wear a red shirt. Et voila! One of two things will happen. People will either be jealous and hate you or they would turn your home to a pilgrimage site. Either way, you become well-known all over the world. That's the exact same thing that will happen when you go against the set norms of a particular genre, when you veer away from the typical, when you produce something new and different that stands out and challenges the boundaries of that genre. Of course, not much is guaranteed in this industry of ours, but such a book would most likely go on to be a bestseller. Even in traditional publishing, it may get rejected at first, but it would eventually get to the top just provided it's well done. So don't be afraid to try, don't be afraid to push the boundaries, don't be afraid to break the jail, don't be afraid to be unique, don't be afraid to be different, don't be afraid to be free, because all these are what make us independent authors. Go, Indies! WE ARE THE BEST!
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