Sometimes things don't turn out the way you'd hoped. You put an entire year into a project and a co-author, and it morphs into something as messy as the cat puke I cleaned up this morning. So I began this writing blog to start fresh and to keep me accountable for my writing and my sanity. I'm currently in the process of re-evaluating what I truly want to write. Do I want to continue writing YA? I'm thinking no. I like to write "sweetheart" YA, something that pales in comparison to the edgy YA teens are in demand for. And if teens don't want it, agents don't want it. That leaves me with MG or adult. My voice has always been on the young side and I've actually started an MG paranormal. Problem is, I haven't read much MG. Don't kill me, but I tried reading Harry Potter and I couldn't get past the first few pages. It just didn't hold my interest. And I wasn't the only one. My son was looking at me glassy-eyed too. So how well can you write a genre you haven't read much of? Then there's adult... I already have a couple adult paranormals under my belt, and I'm working on a third, but I'm almost not mature enough to do a bang-up job in this genre. Am I the only one who feels like a 14-year old in a 34-year old body?
I guess I'm just going to take it one day at a time. Work on both and see which I think about the most on my commutes back and forth to work and at night while I'm lying in bed, my brain set in overdrive. How did you decide "what" to write? Do you write YA because you have teens in the house? Do you write adult because that's what you enjoy to read? Or do you write MG and picture books because you're an elementary school teacher and surrounded by kids all day? Ha! That's another genre I've tried...picture books. I've got four of them just sitting on my hard drive. I wonder if there's an agent out there who'd take on such a confused *cough* multi-talented client like me?
Oh my gosh, I love the look of your blog. And the name is just perfect. Sometimes things don't work out and that's okay. we make mistakes, lose friends, whatever. But you're starting over and that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI think time tells us what to write. I'm too immature to write adult too, I think. And all those big words, jeeze, I have kids. I don't always have time to read with a dictionary. So adult for me is too much stress. I guess all and all, your voice will find you. You fall into that place where you're most comfortable and the stories will come too. Whenever I have that moment where I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to write another thing. The dog has to pee and just like that, out on the back lawn, something comes to me. I know, I know, weirdo. You never know who might follow you on one of these things. But I'm glad to be the first.
Welcome to the blogosphere!
Thanks so much, Tam. Really, if it weren't for you, I'd have thrown in the towel on any genre. And I'm glad you're a weirdo. It makes for interesting reading. :)
ReplyDeleteButterfly, it's lovely to meet you. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I couldn't pass up coming over here and meeting you. I love your post. It takes me back to not too long ago when I struggled with the same thing. The conclusion and realization I finally came to is that I don't write genres. I write stories. However they come out is how they come out. I seriously doubt Flannery O'Conner was thinking about what age group she was writing for. She just wrote what she had to write. It came out adult, but honestly, I was reading her when I was a teen, and I was blown away.
ReplyDeleteI've been lucky to find a publisher who publishes lots of genres. My most recent book I keep asking them about is one that could be adult or YA, and I stewed over how they'll market it if they do offer me a contract for it. Finally they told me it doesn't matter. Just tell the story.
The thing is, there are so many ways to publish these days. There are also thousands of agents and small publishers and mid-size publishers and even self-publishing (gasp). I'm a firm believer no one path is the right one. Find what works. I thought I'd never find a home for my strange fiction that doesn't fall into any neat category. My spy thriller coming out in September - yeah, it's kind of more of a family drama than a straight-on thriller. My novella Cinders looks like a fantasy. It's so much more than that.
Anyway, I've rambled on way too long, sorry. The point is that you have to find what works for you. I think writers who box themselves into genres end up stifling their voices. Write what you love and the rest will follow.
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle. I read your excerpts of Cinder and enjoyed them. I also read about your love of MacBeth. Have you read Haunt Me Still by Jennifer Lee Carrell? It's about the MacBeth curse. A great read!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading more of your posts. :)
Glad you enjoyed the excerpts! I haven't heard of that book. I must check it out.
ReplyDelete