You don't have to write an 'important' book | A Writer Pep Talk

You don't have to write an "important" book. What does important even mean? Well in publishing, it certainly has a meaning. I tend to beat myself up for not meeting that bar. This is a pep talk I give to myself a lot, that I hope will help other commercial writers/those who feel the same way.

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[jillkeller]

This was one thing I was able to sidestep as an author. Entertainment books ARE important books. I learned this at 19 when I went through Ovarian Cancer and depression. What made me smile during those months? What pushed some of the gloom and fear away from me? What helped me get me through those long, endless nights of terror and fear of the future? Romance books. Hilarious chick lit. They were my everything. They put me in a world of silly, happy, loving fun and swept me away so fully, some times I forgot I was lying in bed after surgeries or sitting in an oncologist office. They let me smile when I thought all I had were tears. Because of that experience, no one - including my own self doubt - can ever tell me that my romance novels are silly or useless. I know there are people out there that desperately need them because once, I was one of them.

[LindsayPuckett]

As someone who suffers from a chronic pain disability, escapism "fluff/fun" books are the only things that keep me mentally functional sometimes. Totally agree that the term "important" is subjective. <3

[gabrielabianchi]

"Important means something different to everyone." This is so true!

[writewithmelissa]

"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."
~Lord Betram Russell

[bobbiefalin]

I get enough 'important' in my life. I want something fun. I want an escape from important.

[marahsoore]

Well... I'm crying now. This has always been on my mind. So many of my old writing friends were English Majors who liked to expand on the 'deep' meaning of books and gush about poetic pros. And I was sitting there like 'I want to write an action book with a plus size character.... no deep meaning here'. For years it crushed me cause I thought I can't be published with something pulpy and fun. Even my 'hard hitting' stories feel pulpy... but you're right. Every book is important to someone. So thank you. I always need a reminder of this and it's great to see someone else love writing what they love.

[sarahpaige]

As someone who reads across many genres, I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say that all books are "important." Whether they're tackling deep societal issues or about overcoming adversities, or, you know, about a man and his sex dungeon that is strangely hard to resist, all books are a glimpse inside a writer's mind--the darkest, deepest, or brightest thoughts shared with the world. As humans, we live our lives trapped inside our own consciousness never being able to journey into someone else's effectively limiting our perceptions and experiences. Books, while still not perfect, give us that glimpse inside someone else's world, a window to see the world through someone else's eyes whether it's the author or the character they've written, or both. All books, no matter the content are excellent teachers of empathy, and as is proven so often these days, the world could definitely use more empathy. This is, in my opinion, the most important thing any book has to offer. <3

[lostgoth]

I personally prefer to read fun books over issue/important books unless it's written by a fantastic writer who doesn't preach.

[carole]

classic "non-important" works of fiction that have stood the test of time, despite not being "important": Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, The Iliad, Sherlock Holmes, Winnie-the-Pooh, Where the Red Fern Grows, Black Beauty, Treasure Island....i'm sure there are many others. I think standing the test of time is more a matter of chance than importance, so if that's your goal, don't feel like you have to write something 'important' to do that. Great message Alexa. What is important to someone, as you said, does not necessary mean a heavy controversial topic, but i think usually more about feeling understood, like the author sees and reflects something from the world that the reader sees too no matter how small.

[tracyspeakman]

Are you reading my mind? You are, aren't you? I just had this argument with myself yesterday. I have this idea for my first novel. I love it! The thought of writing it makes me crazy excited. Then, there's that voice, "Your first novel has to be important, ground-breaking, award winning and record shattering, or what's the point? After all, first impressions are everything, right?" Talk about pressure, not to mention a party-pooper. I'm considerably older than you. So, I also struggle with, "I don't have time for fluff. I'm already starting late." Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves? It's paralyzing. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this video! The timing is perfect, and the message is spot on. Plus, all the amazing people below commenting on just how valuable "entertainment" was for them at a rough time in life, is spurring me on. So, you might want to get out of my head now. I'm starting this novel today, and it's about to get messy in here.

[PianoGirl]

English major here with a concentration in creative writing. Believe it or not, majoring in English made me NOT want to be a writer anymore. The reason for that is because I was told by all my professors that genre fiction is inferior to literary writing and that you're lowering yourself if you pursue it. Writing primarily for entertainment's sake is childish, and is only for people who don't have it in them to write important stories. I'm not kidding, they really said this. As you can imagine, this discouraged me, as genre fiction was literally all I wanted to write. A professor once scoffed at me when I said that. After class a fellow student (who I considered a very talented writer) came up to me and said, "Don't worry about it. She's got her ways, but I think she's wrong. There's nothing wrong with genre fiction, and the people who deny that it's more entertaining are lying to themselves." He was so right. Honestly, I am not proud of being an English major because of the experience that I had. I didn't even attend my own graduation ceremony because I felt that I had been hurt more than helped as an aspiring writer. Take it from me: if you're going to college and you want to be a fiction writer, major in something else that interests you. You don't need to study writing in school to be an author. Quite frankly, I've gotten better advice from videos like these than I ever did from my professors. Listen to her, folks. You do you!

[MewLime]

I have a story (not very long, only about 8k), and I put it on Wattpad (I know lol). One thing I really like about the site is that it shows you when readers add your fic to a reading list. My favorite so far was when someone added it to a list called “best books I’ve read so far.” It’s just. SO humbling when someone likes your dumb story. 😭

[Speakeeezzy]

This pep talk was exactly what I needed to hear. I've been held back by Type A perfectionism and I'm using Nanowrimo to overcome that right now. I shelved my long term project with lots of themes and complicated characters to work on something fun and lower stakes because I really just need to finish something. Frankly, I adore fast, fun supernatural fiction, so why was I twisting myself into pretzels trying to create something else? Also, your eyeshadow looks amazing in this vid!

[carolyntaraoneil]

Love this, and totally agree! We need and want all kinds. I also appreciate that you called out Twilight -- or even 50 freaking Shades of Grey -- because those books carried the entire *industry* on their backs. The romance novel genre is SO important because without it, the publishing industry would probably die. 😂 Yet no one considers those industry-saving books or authors "important."

[ShellyflowersReadsandWrites]

Yes yes yes! To put this in a poetry perspective, for decades, slam and spoken word were looked down on as not being “important” or “literary” forms of poetry. Now, it’s so clear that these forms of poetry have helped revive what some might argue is a dying genre. If we focus less on being “important” and more on making connections, our writing is going to shine no matter what.

[ac]

Take a shot every time Alexa says ‘important’. 🙈

That being said this is the pep talk I needed. Sometimes, we can just write a fun book.

[laszlob]

Thank you for speaking to me here, that I do not have to aspire to write a Nobel prize winning novel or a Pulitzer prize worth story to entertain my readers. This is something I have been sensing but it feels so good to be confirmed by an established writer like you certainly are. If some people read my stories and they have fun or are touched or my story makes them think or feel in some way, I am doing a service to the community. Story telling at the campfires of our ancestors was not earth shattering. But it did certainly have a purpose and meaning.

[CaffeinatedCovers]

This video gave me permission to enjoy random books again instead of worrying about writing an amazing review every single time. There is value in enjoyment. Thanks for that.

[novemberninth]

"Someone, somewhere, your book is going to be important to them." YES SAY IT LOUDER!

[vivianwakoff]

You know, once I watched an interview with Luc Besson (director of Nikita and Fifth Element). When he was asked about his work being called "fluff" he said he didn't need to be the brain surgeon who cures a person from their brain tumor. He was happy to be the little pill that will cure a run-of-the-mill headache. That comment has stuck with me ever since! I don't think "fluff" gets enough credit, to be honest! Being able to make someone forget their troubles for a little while is no small feat and it can mean a lot to people who need a break!