I would rather write something I enjoy and know that if it's good enough it will find a publisher in time, rather than try and write something when my heart just isn't in it.
Here is a 15 minute podcast about "Interstitial Books," meaning books that don't really fit into any one genre: http://www.writingexcuses.com/2011/12/11/writing-excuses-6-28-interstitial-art/ It is very inspirational, and talks about the difficulties of not fitting into a genre, and what interstitial authors are doing to get published when everyone wants everything to fit into a category. The play button is hard to see, but is beneath the facebook button.
If it was me being published, i would have to say what i want to write. I wouldn't be happy writing something just for money.
I think you should write what you feel passionate about, what you can write from your heart. That should be your main focus, what you should hone and tune to be your best voice. I think you should also mix it up writing shorter things that you wouldn't ordinarily write, maybe a poem or song or a story for children or something about a hobby of yours, to clear your mind and look at different points of view. Whatever it is think it through and give it your best. It shouldn't matter what is selling because we are not privy to all that sells, only what sells well and often. If you tell your story from the heart it will be a winner. I believe that.
Almost all of his characters are crime/investigator authority type figures that are very serious, rarely joke around but also kind of play by his own rules in someways. He's almost always the "lead investigator" (whatever it's called in the movie). For example, in Men In Black, he was Agent K, the lead MIB agent. In Fugitive and US Marshalls he was Chief Deputy Marshall Samuel Gerard. The character is exactly the same. He's been in a few things that were kind of out of character for him. He was Two Face in one of the 90s batman movies. But you go down the list and most of his characters are the same. I don't think anyone considers him an A-list actor but he's very accomplished and he's really good at what he does.
he's one of our very finest actors and the only reason he's not an 'A-list' megastar is 'cause he's always had a kind of lop-sided weathered look, never been a handsome hunk, so hadn't gotten the blockbuster starring roles... though he's always appealed to me [and many other women] as a much more sexy guy than any of the 'pretty boys'...
LOL ... a "lop-sided weathered look" ... Yup, that's our boy! And he's funny, too. I vote write what you want, and then if an editor bats an eye at it and asks you to tweak it - and you really do want to be published - well then, tweak it!
Yeah pretty obvious that you should write what you want to and not try to pander to trends. Because what happens if you don't enjoy what you're writing, and then it doesn't sell? Then you've wasted hundreds of hours of your life, doing something you didn't enjoy, for nothing. Where as if you enjoyed writing your novel, and you're proud of it, then even if it doesn't sell you have achieved something worthwhile.
