Trends don't tempt me, but the fanfare around the 50 Shades trilogy piqued my curiosity and lured me in. I almost quit reading the first book because the writing was cringeworthy. But, I begrudgingly stayed to finish the story and learned a valuable lesson.

Writing doesn't have to be good if the story is. Stories captivate, and stories sell.

The 50 Shades series was unbelievably successful. Here are some figures to illustrate how the enthralling story performed:

• 50 Shades of Grey was one of the top ten bestselling books of the decade

• The book grossed over $440M

• The trilogy sold over 150M copies

• The film adaptations of the story raked in over $1.32B

• It made E.L. James filthy rich — her net worth is around $170M today.

If you have an idea, you can write a story, too.

Watching Twilight inspired E.L. James to write novels. She wasn't a trained or experienced writer, but she had a wicked idea for a good story.

An idea for a story won't get you very far if you don't write any words. E.L started by writing and anonymously publishing erotic stories online. Now she's an industry mogul and a professional writer.

Don't let a lack of skill or experience stop you from writing.

No shade to James (or pun intended), but her stories crushed it without using literary language. Repeating adjectives nearly bludgeon you to death.

Get your story on paper and craft compelling characters. If you give readers a reason to care, you too can publish a story — and make some cash.