Monday, May 23, 2016

Are You A Great Writer?



How many writers set out to write a really good book -- and end up doing so? What might help a book become great?  What are the standards for greatness?

Writers have the intention to write the best possible book they are capable of creating. However, something limits them from fulfilling that goal.  And even when they truly give it their all and produce their finest work, it often isn’t good enough to put their book in elite company.

Authors are human beings and our species is faulty.  We get off course easily.  Some things distract us from being our best versions of ourselves.  We get tired, stressed out, sick, injured, broken-hearted, in accidents, drunk, high, divorced, in fights, arrested, fired, raped – and all that could happen to humans.  Along the way to writing a book, our path gets diverted and our efforts become stalled, diluted, or downsized.

We get distracted or our time gets diverted. Perhaps we lose steam and our vision for our grand book.  Or we get too focused on reacting to the burdens of a life dependent upon earning money, staying healthy, doing chores, fulfilling relationship obligations, and meeting the demands of existence.  Writing may be our only salvation – and the most important thing to us – but it still takes a backseat to a long line of stuff that needs to be dealt with.

To have a chance at writing a great book, a number of elements might need to fall into place. Certainly, one has to have the burning desire, the driving passion, and the inner push to want to write. They have to be disciplined and dedicated to putting time into their craft. They need to be talented, informed, and open to help from gifted editors.  They have to find a way to say something new, or something old differently or better and to present information and ideas in a unique way.  They need to generally be healthy enough – mentally, physically spiritually and emotionally – to write.  But a troubled soul tends to nourish great writing.  Maybe the angry, depressed, addicted, or criminal writer is the one that has the right frame of mind to write at a high level – or does one need to find peace, balance and tranquility in order to produce an extraordinary book?

What makes a book great is arbitrary and yet there’s some type of formula because a certain number of books will be perceived as great this year – regardless of what happens in the world.  Some number of books will be perceived as great and become best-sellers or win awards or total up a pile of favorable book reviews.  They will be great because people will see them as better than competing titles of today. They’ll be viewed in comparison to all–time or even recent great books. They’ll be seen as great for offering something fresh, unique and creative.  They’ll be seen as great if they are the first of their kind. They’ll be viewed as great if other greats bless their work.

Great books:

·         Debunk or challenge a myth or long-held belief.
·         Set a standard or question the standards of the day.
·         Present a new writing style.
·         Touch our hearts, minds, and souls.
·         Influence to change an aspect of our own life.
·         Make us laugh, cry, think question, and feel something.
·         Have us pining for fantasy to be real or for wishing reality wasn’t so harsh.
·         Offer memorable characters that we love or hate.
·         Share truths we’ve always known but hadn’t spoken aloud on.
·         Leave us feeling emotionally spent and craving more.
·         Uncover a fact, secret, or event that’s important to society.

Writers want to pen great books.  Ego, the pursuit of wealth, and the desire to be liked can drive many ,but the writer just wants to break through barriers and obstructions and produce a work of art that impacts a generation and lives beyond his or her lifetime.

Greatness and great books come to only a handful of authors. Are you destined for such greatness? How will you overcome setbacks and use your resources to the maximum to do your best?  Is your best good enough?

Great authors make great attempts. Will you take a step today towards greatness?

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

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