What Should You Write and What Should You Avoid?

Today, I thought I’d share with you a process I go through when I’m in writing coach mode.

My first question to a client is what type of book are you planning to write and in a couple of sentences, tell me about its plot.

I’m hearing more of the same thing and as I read through published books on sites like Amazon, I’m seeing the same plots over and over again.

But isn’t that a good thing?

It never has been and with self published books rising by 40% this year, readers are going to want something novel…excuse the pun.

If you’re writing the same thing as say a well known published writer, theirs is probably going to get picked over yours. If the reader decides to buy it, it’s going to get compared to yours.

So, what plots are being overdone and what advice do I give to my clients?

I’m seeing lots of plots featuring FBI agents or ex FBI agents and guess who they’re chasing down? You guessed it, serial killers. Ones no one can catch. Ones the ex FBI agent couldn’t catch or the one who’s got a score to settle with the agent. There’s a lot of cat and mouse type plots out there too.

In women’s fiction and romances, I’ve been seeing divorced or widowed women who return to their hometown to lick their wounds and along the way uncover a terrible secret. There are also lots of books where family members return to a childhood home or summer vacation house and discover something unpleasant.

I’ll be honest these are all great plots and I never say never, but if you’re going to write something like this right now, sit down and brainstorm ways you can put a new twist on things. Maybe it’s the guys returning home to lick their wounds instead of the ladies.

It’s these little twists, and giving the reader something that stands out from the crowd that can garner you a publishing contract and a bunch of appreciative readers.