Blaming The Trend

I watched a special on
CMT (Country Music Television)
and a bunch of songwriters were talking about
how hard it is to sell songs
because of the trend
toward singer-songwriters.

The next day,
I watched a special on
country music star Alan Jackson.
He explained that the main reason
he started writing songs solo
was because he was touring so much,
he couldn’t afford the time
to go to Nashville
and sit down with songwriters.

Blaming a trend is lazy thinking.
Trends and yes, even fads,
start for a reason.
Experienced romance writers can tell you
why vampires were popular two years ago
and why 50 Shades of Grey is popular now.

Know your business.
Know why trends are occurring.
Figure out a way to benefit
or to sidestep a trend
(like virtually meeting with singers).