The Ultimate Answer to How I Got to #1 on Fantasy

2 - Asking the right question

After over a decade of mingling with fledgling writers in various fandoms and platforms, I have identified one trap that many of us (and I myself, sometimes) fall into.

Think back on your experience with the literature world. 

Usually, for young people of the internet age, it most likely started with you being introduced to an online writing platform. You discover a famous or successful online novel with hundreds of thousands of views, or even millions. The novel has a huge, active fanbase who regularly shower the author with comments, likes and votes. You perused the story and are captivated by the quality of writing, and the world in which it unfolded.

This is usually the point where many readers become "inspired".

They feel they want to write "something". They want to become a famous writer, like that writer. They feel they can be just as good at writing as that writer, or even better. 

And they proceed to write a story.

Paradoxically, that inspiration is also the root cause of why so many beginner writers gave up halfway through.

You see, writers with a finished book often write less because they want to write, but because they have a story to tell and a message to convey that could only be done through writing. 

Most people started out on the wrong foot. With the wrong source of inspiration.

1) We see a successful book and writer. 

2) We want to write. 

3) We decided to write.

4) Lastly, we think about what we want to write. 

The trend I noticed in established, successful writers with unique, acclaimed, renowned stories...is that they see something, become inspired by it, and decide to use writing to convey that story or message. 

Take Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series for an example:

1) Eoin Colfer has always loved telling stories. He once wrote a school play, among other things.

2) Adult Eoin Colfer saw an old photo of his younger brother as a kid, dressed up in a suit. His brother is a crafty, sly troublemaker. 

3) He thought it would be interesting to see an adventure featuring an impeccably dressed genius criminal kid, like a young Hans Gruber.

4) Lastly, Eoin Colfer decided to write about it.

J.K. Rowling also started out pretty similarly; as a child, she loved reading stories, and writing picture books. As an adult, Harry Potter "simply strolled into [her] head fully formed" one day while she was sitting on a train, and she decided to write about him. George R.R. Martin was inspired by the War of the Roses to write A Game of Thrones. 

This trend is even clearer in stories that are meant to be a critique on society. Dystopian classics such as 1984, Animal Farm, Lord of The Flies, Brave New World aren't written primarily because their authors wanted to be famous, or just to make a living (those were probably reasons, too, yes, but they're not the primary reason).

Rather, the authors had a message in mind that they want to tell, a question they wanted to explore, a chilling cautionary tale they wanted to warn society with.

Unlike us writers of the internet age, authors in the paperback days did not have the luxury of free online spaces like Wattpad, where they could market and advertise their work-in-progress. They did not get to interact with readers. They were not exposed, or at least not that exposed, to the success of other works.

As a result, their source of inspiration comes mainly from themselves. They had a question, they had a story, and they felt they could tell it best through writing. 

Other storytellers might feel they could express it better through music, drawing, or moving images. Those people become composers, painters, screenplay writers, or movie directors. 

These storytellers' inspiration wasn't born from seeing millions of views and votes and comments, and thus are not reliant on them. They love the craft, the process, the elbow grease of writing (or other forms of storytelling), and the idea of the story they came up with. Not the goodies that might follow. 

That is why they were able to stay on track and finish their book, even as they work alone in a void (often battling addiction, poverty, relationship troubles, existential crisis, depression, and a host of other things known to plague writers XD), not knowing if their book would ever see the light of success once it was finished.

The issues with many novice writers today are:

1) They started writing mainly for fame, not out of a love for storytelling and writing, and without a clear message or story in mind. 

That is why their stories tend to have little direction and meaning, and end up as little more than copies of the famous stories they look to for inspiration.

Also, since they didn't have the passion for the craft of writing from the start, they didn't feel the need to brush up their grammar and vocabulary, learn basic page formatting, hone their prose and style, and do the necessary research, leading to lazily written stories filled with typos, poor formatting, shoddy prose, flat characters, and hole-ridden plots. 

2) They are dependent on feedback from others to keep on writing.

When these writers don't receive any feedback, or not enough of it and fast enough, they tend to give up (often blaming the platform for not having enough opportunities for new writers in the process).

Now, don't get the wrong idea: Giving up writing is not a mark of failure. That is simply the defining feature of someone who are suited to become a writer, and someone whose talents and interests lie elsewhere.

This is the same with all fields of interests and art. And don't think I'm just being holier-than-thou and preaching to make you feel bad about yourselves. Ask my Dad, and he'd tell you how many interests and phases I've been through as a child. 

The thing is, liking something as a consumer does not translate to liking it as a creator.

How many little kids who asked NASA astronauts on school visits how to become an astronaut, actually chose to become astronauts when the time comes for them to choose majors?

I love watching Pixar animations. I love listening to music. I love looking at art. I love reading novels. 

Only one of those 'loves' ever got anywhere. 

My father had always been cautious before paying his hard-earned money for me to join some extra-curricular class. And he was smart to be. Like most kids, I would insist I really, really love the craft, and promise to study hard. Only to give up a few months later.

I like watching 3D animation, yes...but do I want to sit in front of a screen, pulling all-nighters, coloring a scene one frame at a time? Do I have the talent for drawing realistic art? Do I have the eye for detail? 

Becoming a creator, or mastering any skill, or even loving someone as a significant other, requires you to love ALL aspects of it. Or at least, be mentally prepared to slog through the worst parts. Not just the mental image of the finished product. Not just the highs and the exciting parts. Not just the goodies that might follow. 

So, to protect you from wasted time and effort, and unneeded heartache, don't start off asking yourself, Do I want to write? 

(Because we all know your answer to that)

But rather, ask yourself: What do I want to write about?

If you realize that there is nothing you're wondering about or excited about exploring deeper. Nothing you're bursting to let everybody know now. Nothing you've always wanted to see but never did. Then perhaps...just wait, and continue to enjoy being a reader for the time being. The more you read, the more experience you get. One day, an awesome idea might hit you out of the blue, and you would know straight away that you would tell the world about it, if it were the last thing you'd ever do.

Often, the birth of a good book is not because someone wanted to write, but because someone had a story to tell.