Do you study trends?
I just finished writing a post over at my other site about how being a trend watcher or a future thinker can help you figure out how to make money. As I was writing it, I thought, this is probably a great topic for the audience at TWL too.
I don’t have to tell you that writing, whether it be, fiction or non-fiction is a competitive business. Just about everyone wants to be a writer which means publications and publishers get lots of pitches and see one too many manuscripts.
Sometimes it’s not the quality of writing or the professional nature of the pitch (yes, these things matter too), but sometimes it’s down to the writer thinking outside the box, thinking ahead, looking at what’s going to be popular or a trend in the next decade and beyond.
Offer them something they haven’t seen and you’ll get their attention. I’m guessing they’re read on and at least want to know more about your article or non-fiction book.
Show them you’ve done your homework, you’ve dug deep and you’ve got some facts and research to back up what you’ll proposing writing about.
For example, what will the average workplace look like in 2030? What sort of jobs will be available and how can people get the necessary skills?
Do some brainstorming and see what you can come up with.
And it’s not just non-fiction writers who can use this technique. As a fiction writer think about what society will look like and how will you characters live and what sort of problems will they encounter?. If you’ve never thought about writing a book that takes place in the future or even a sci-fi one, now might be the perfect time.