“Write what you know”, I’d heard it said a million times before. And as it turns out, it was the best advice I was ever given.
I’m not a seasoned writer, nor an award winning author. But for many years I’ve experienced a closeness with my reader’s, a personal connection that all writers pray for.
They came to me, sharing their dreams and stories, not just about a man known the world over by only one name- ELVIS- but also about their own lives.
Why? What had I done that I should be so blessed with a reader base so early in my career?
My story, Eternal Flame, is fiction or Elvis-fiction as we like to call it in the Elvis-world. I can assure you, it’s not the preferred reading material for the average Elvis fan. It’s not even a popular genre for most publishers. What sales in the Elvis niche are stories written by those that knew Elvis Presley, truth or variations of the truth is what sells books. So, why did I bother?
The Elvis world is flooded with “stories” every year. And as an Elvis fan myself; I knew it would be hard for a fiction writer to fit in. Bottom line, Elvis fans like the “real” Elvis. We don’t want a shadow of the man. We want to know what made the real man tick. But he’s been gone for more than thirty years, and new stories are hard to come by. Many biographies have been repeated, rearranged, and or reworded so many times over that one can’t help but feel skeptical when ever a new book hits the shelf. After all, nobody likes to spend $26.00 for a hard back, or more, only to discover they’ve read it all before!
With this in mind, I set out to write what “I” craved as a fan, a fantasy that felt real to me. I wrote “my” relationship with the legacy that is Elvis Presley, what my heart knew to be true. And before I knew it, Elvis fans around the world slowly joined the journey. Turns out, my story was their story. Nobody was more surprised than me.
Soon it became clear that readers were drawn to not only the characters, but to what was real inside the story. They were drawn to the struggle, and bottom line—they could relate. Inside these written words of honesty, they saw a piece of their own life. Somehow by bringing my own pain into the light, I drew closer to my audience. We created a bond.
Every writer needs a reader! After all, what’s the point in writing if nobody reads?
So if you’re a writer, no matter the level, and you’re struggling to connect with your fan base, take heart. Let me encourage you to find just one pulsating truth inside the fiction your writing. Express it honestly, even if it brings you great pain. Reader’s are waiting for stories that move them. They want to connect with you, with someone. Don’t be afraid.
And if you’re an avid reader let me just thank you for all your time and devotion. Without you, waiting to read what comes next, storyteller’s like myself would be truly lost.
“You” are the reason we write.
Thank You!
Patricia Garber
Copies of both Eternal Flame and Dream Angel are available on Amazon.com in both print and Kindle. Signed copies are also available on this website, just see the "Home" section for the link.
**All photos in this blog are from the personal collection of Patricia Garber. The art work is by Gerry Brophy, and was contracted for creation and owned privately by Patricia Garber**
Copies of both Eternal Flame and Dream Angel are available on Amazon.com in both print and Kindle. Signed copies are also available on this website, just see the "Home" section for the link.
**All photos in this blog are from the personal collection of Patricia Garber. The art work is by Gerry Brophy, and was contracted for creation and owned privately by Patricia Garber**