Fan your passions, impassion your fans.

Everyone says to write what you’re passionate about, but as any long-term married couple will attest, passion comes and goes. What one is passionate about one day becomes a simple continuing fascination the next… then suddenly the flames of passion are alive again in another week. How do you keep writing when inspiration is such a fickle fairy?

I believe the answer, at least for a professional writer, is to stop writing once in a while. Don’t just take a sabbatical, go do something to turn the heat back up. If you know what areas you’re passionate about, it shouldn’t be hard to plan something to re-spark your interest. It’ll be better in the long run than simply forcing mediocre material into your lyrics or PR copy or whatever.

Just as people can smell a marketing ploy a mile away, people can tell when you’re forcing enthusiasm. Those argyle socks you REALLY wanted for Christmas? Your mom totally knows you’re lying and you hate them. So do your fans a service: Become a better writer by keeping yourself on fire about something. Are you a political writer? Go to a protest. Better yet, go to a counter-protest. Music writer? Go sit in on a jam session or some cultural recital you’re not familiar with (dude… Tongan drummers are amazing).

Even if you’re not actively writing, every once in a while you need to fire yourself back up to stay passionate. It’s not a sign that you’re losing interest, it’s a sign that you care enough to perform some regular maintenance. Trust me, your fans will thank you.

P.S.: If you liked what you read, please share it with others!