Very lightly edited. Be advised. :)

So, I recently saw a notable WP writer's Twitter post where she talked about her writing strategies.

It's been a couple days, so I don't remember exactly how this was phrased, but she mentioned that she usually tries to work on one book that's something she's passionate about, and another that fits a popular trope/genre.

WARNING, STRONG OPINION AHEAD.

This, in my honest opinion, is not healthy.

One should never, under any circumstances, write a story because it's a popular trope/genre/concept. If you feel passionate about a somewhat popular idea, by all means, write it! But, if you are writing something just because you know it's a popular idea, it's a waste of potential.

I've actually read some of the works by the aforementioned author, who I won't name.

All of her books have become quite popular, but it's easy to tell which books she felt passionately about and which ones she didn't. The ones written due to the popularity of their trope/genre are evident, and I'm quite sad to say, felt rather unoriginal to me.

I know that it's easy to fall into this trap.

I could, in theory, write a billionaire story because I know it'll get a lot of reads. But, as it's a genre I have no passion for, the quality would be quite poor. Knowing this about myself and my writing, I prefer to take a chance with books like Safe Haven and the Perkins School series, or 2050. Those books aren't slam-dunk, million-read hits, but they're original and I put my all into each one.

A lot of people have told me that they feel otherwise, but you should always write for you. If you feel passionate about your idea, even if it's not a popular one, others will likely feel the way you do about it too.

If we all write stories solely because the idea is popular and lots of people will read it, then no new ideas will ever get the chance to gain traction.