Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

How Writing Is Like Hair Color #amwriting #Writertips


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This might get a little longwinded so bear with me 🙂

 

How many of you remember arguing with your parents when you were a teen and desperately wanted to color your hair?

My daughter used to drive me crazy with these requests.

“Please, Mom, Stephanie’s mom let her do it.”

Or my personal favorite.

“You just don’t understand.”

No amount of talking would persuade her that it was a fad and it would pass. And I refused to allow her to change that beautiful golden-brown she’d been blessed with at birth.

Stale-mate.

Years later she became a mom and when her son wanted his hair shaved on the sides and colored blue on the top, she bought removable dye and did it for him.

The lesson?

Times change. People change.

Aiden almost 7 yrs old-March 2014

 

What does this have to do with writing you say?

Maybe nothing, but recently I’ve been hearing lots about author branding and when I delved further into what this mysterious identity might mean, this is what I found.

From a Google search:

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, large or small, retail or B2B. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets.

business – The Basics of Branding – Entrepreneur

Makes sense; we all want an edge right?
Except, it’s not that easy, is it?
How do we decide our ‘brand?’ What does it look like? How do we promote it? Does it mean we can only write in one genre?
Many professionals tell us this is the case. Pick one road and ride it to the top.
Sounds good, right?
Except the top is a very slippery slope. It changes almost as fast as those hair color fads.
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When you pick up a story to read, what do you choose? Is it the same genre time after time? Is it the genre you write in, or something completely different?
How does this affect your writing?
One of my favorite posts on finding your voice/brand comes from Chuck Wendig, who is a master at getting his point across.
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2012/01/10/25-things-writers-should-know-about-finding-their-voice/
This is another great post from The Writer’s Digest:
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/voice-in-writing-developing-a-unique-writing-voice
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that voice is as unique as you are, so don’t try hiding behind the latest fad.
Be who you are, and people will follow.
Jacquie Biggar

10 Replies to “How Writing Is Like Hair Color #amwriting #Writertips”

      1. So true, it took a few years for us to get out of the advice rut and write our own way. At the end of the day, it’s about following your instinct and trying new things. Who knows what you’ll discover? 😉

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  2. A few years ago I only ever read thrillers with 90% of them being either murder or litigation. Now I’m more attracted to the colourful covers, the ones endorsed by other bloggers or ones that are plastered on posters on the London Underground… this has led me to read different genres… I think I’ve fully fallen into the current fad!

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          1. That’s the key isn’t it? To have fun while writing. So many people giving me advice told me writing is serious business. “You’re not allowed to have fun.” LOL! Guess we’re doing it wrong, eh? 😉

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  3. Great analogy, Jacquie. This plays right into what I was talking about today. Trends change, tastes change… that’s one of the reasons I like being a multi-genre author. It does complicate branding, but the flexibility is worth it. (Great pic of your grandson, by the way.)

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    1. Thanks! I know we’re often told to stick to one genre, strengthen our ‘brand’, but I enjoy reading different types of books so why wouldn’t my readers enjoy that from me? I’m kind of hoping by hitting different genres in my writing I gain a wider variety of readers 🙂

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