Knock it off!

Today let's talk about comparison.

There are so many books out there in the libraries of the world, but a few authors have hit celebrity status. I work primarily in the Young Adult genre right now, so I'll name a few obvious individuals who have hit it big. Veronica Roth, Suzanne Collins, Tahereh Mafi, Marie Lu...the list goes on.

In the dystopian sub-genre, you'll often read things like: "If you loved The Hunger Games..." or "For fans of the Divergent series!" And I think that's great. What an accomplishment for Roth and Collins to be the standard, at least for a time, in their genre. I also understand this as a marketing strategy. Authors and publishers are leveraging on the similarities to these books, dipping into a vast pool of readers that are craving their next thrilling fix. I get it completely.

But for those who are just putting pen to paper, for the hopeful writer who dreams of celebrity, I would caution you: Don't try to recreate someone else's success in your own career. The last thing you want is for your work to be called a knock off. I'm a student of other author's reviews. Call me crazy, but part of my process as a writer is to spend time reading through reviews left on other books in my genre. After all, it is the reader we hope to please. What better place to get in their minds, then in their reviews.

The types of comments I often read are: "Same plot as Divergent!" or "So basically it's the Hunger Games, but with zombies."

If there is nothing new under the sun, if we are all just recycling the same ideas-rearranging them to form another story...then yes, there will be similarities. But with hard work and the application of our own creative efforts, we CAN pen stories that, while mildly similar, stand on their own as inventive and new.

You have experienced things that I have not. You have lived a completely different life than me. If you were to dig deep, write in a way that scares you a little, be vulnerable...you'd find that you are not, in fact, a knock off writer. You are unique and creative and bold. You can say something that I can't, in a way that I never could.

Don't be afraid to step outside of the mold. Be willing to try something new. You won't please everyone. But you will find your group of readers, and you will know that they are YOURS...not borrowed.

I believe in you!
Always,
Laura Fran