Want to write fiction? Follow your curiosity. J.F. Penn on the Wordslinger Podcast

Excerpt from my interview on the Wordslinger Podcast with Kevin Tumlinson, where I talk about why following your curiosity is so important.
"I think following your curiosity is such a superpower. I always thought that everyone had curiosity, but I learned over the years that a lot of people don't know what that feels like.
When I worked in corporates all those years ago - I used to implement accounts payable into corporates - I had lost it. I didn't have any ideas, I never would've thought I could have written fiction.
I loved action movies, and when I wanted to write, I wrote that, but back then I just did not understand how to tap into what I was interested in and then turn that into a story.
But that's the superpower, right? Tapping into curiosity. It's like a sensation. And there might be people listening who don't understand what that feels like. They might think, 'oh, I would love to write fiction, but I don't know how.' And I think that's the first step. It's sort of when do I turn my head to look at something? Or when do I click on something? Or when do I see an image that makes me interested or a news item?
And that's the thing that's you, that's different.
We put our fascinations into our writing and I think people shouldn't be scared to do that.
Coming back to how the world has changed, we'd all like to have the blockbuster, we'd like to have that breakout massive success. But the reality is, being a writer for as long as we are and still being a writer, is we have a niche, and we just have to please the readers in our niche.
You can find the full interview on the Wordslinger Podcast

[@ronvitale]

I couldn't agree with you more!