How Wilma Flintstone Helps My Writing

Sexy witches and devils. Sexy anything, really. You’re excused if you think they’re the most popular adult Halloween costumes for women, particularly if you’re browsing the aisles of your local drugstore. Or dollar store, or wherever. Apparently this trend either hasn’t run its course yet, or manufacturers just haven’t caught on. Enough already.

The truth is that people can be pretty creative when it comes to costumes and Halloween is a really popular time of year. It’s also really popular for Etsy sellers. I’ve been working on Halloween since July, and people have been shopping for Halloween since August. Seriously. I’m in awe of people who can plan ahead. I’m good at it in my professional life, but my personal life? Not so much.

If you’re not aware of Etsy, it’s a marketplace for handmade goods. The vendors are individuals selling their wares or the small businesses of artisans. It’s an excellent place to find things you won’t find in the drugstores and to help support indie makers.

The Enduring Legacy of Wilma

A few years ago I made a necklace for myself and liked it so much I made a few more and listed them in my Etsy shop. That’s what I do. I’m not trendy. I just make things I like.

I sold a few necklaces here and there, and then September dawned. From the beginning of the month to the middle of October I sold a necklace a day without trying or doing anything differently. I had no idea. People really love Wilma Flintstone. The Flintstones in general.

Halloween costume trends come and go. Wilma may not be as popular as witches, vampires, and ghosts, but she is consistent and as timeless. She’s fun. She’s an easy to costume to wear and stand out in. She’s particularly great when you want to dress your whole family in a theme. I’ve seen customer photos with the whole Flintstone family, not to mention the Rubbles.

I was strategic about it the next year with marketing and all that, created new variations, and these necklaces are now my biggest sellers. It doesn’t hurt that they also work perfectly as Lisa Simpson costume necklaces. I make bank in September and October. Well, moderate bank, anyway. Enough for me.

The Takeaways for Writers

Wait, what? This is more than just shameless self-promotion. I swear. I mean, it’s a little of that, obviously, but there are some lessons in all this.

Be unique. Everyone tells you to find your niche, but what that really means is to find a way to tell your story in a way no one else does. There are other Wilma necklaces on the market, but no one makes them with lampworked glass beads the way I do. And I mean no one. I corner this tiny market.

Think seasonally. I sell a few Wilma necklaces during the year, but they clearly have a season, and when it’s over I’m on to other things. The same thinking can work for writers. Write stories that resonate with how you’re feeling about the season. Personal growth in spring, Travel stories in winter when people are dreaming of summer adventures. You don’t have to limit your writing to seasons, of course, but it can help you dream up titles and topics and keep your writing fresh.

Timeless works just as well as trendy. Wilma isn’t trendy. Lisa Simpson isn’t new. It’s fine, and sometimes lucrative, to write about current events and issues, but those evergreen, enduring topics will earn you reads for years. They’re bread and butter for writers.

I don’t always apply the strategies of my crafting work to my writing work, but when I do, it works.