We all have preconceived notions about what we want to write. Usually it closely echos what we read. For myself, I’ve always read Science Fiction and Fantasy so that is what I try to write.
But is that what I should be writing?
Two years ago I wrote a story aimed at Juvenile Readers and I had a real blast doing it. I truly enjoyed watching the characters develop right in front of my eyes. There were scenes where I actually teared up and others where I laughed out loud.
I suppose it was a fantasy of sorts, but it wasn’t the kind of fantasy that I read now. Was I straying from what I SHOULD be writing?
Not at all.
You see, I read books like the one I wrote, when I was younger. The book was one that I had been trying to write literally for years. My kids enjoyed it and I thought it worked out pretty well. The only problem I had with it was it wasn’t real fantasy!
In my mind, I had drifted away from what I wanted to write and had therefore written a book of no consequence. It simply couldn’t be as important as the adult fantasy I had written previously. Except, it was a much better book than the adult fantasy. I just couldn’t see it.
It all started to become clear when I did my 30-in-30 self-challenge. I wrote some SciFi, some Fantasy, some horror, and several other genres too. I realized that I could write stories about pretty much anything and apply whatever genre felt appropriate at the time. Naturally, I can write some genres better than others, but I shouldn’t limit myself.
There are authors out there who specialize in one or two genres and that is where they play. There are others who write in a few and there are still others who write in many. So which is right?
In my mind, they all are. They write what their muse tells them to write. They don’t try to control or limit their creativity. To them, one book is just as important as another regardless of genre.
When I finally came to that realization I suddenly had a wave of new story ideas. Some are for Juvenile Readers, some for Young Adults and some for Adults. The story that speaks loudest to me will be the one that I write.
Personal Update
As I mentioned last week, I resent “Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero” to another publisher. That happened last Tuesday, so I don’t expect to hear anything for a while.
I’ve also got a start on my newest Juvenile Reader book. I’ve been averaging about 500 words per day (yeah, I know, not quite up to my usual tallies) and I’m sitting at a solid 2,500 words right now. This is the story that my son is already out telling his friends about. My goal is to have the first draft completed by June 8th. At that point, I’ll get my first readers to review it (AKA my kids) and prepare for the first full edit.
I’ve also got a story idea for “The Writing Show’s First Chapter Contest” I’m thinking about writing the first chapter of a Young Adult story I have in mind. The rest of the story will be written during Nano this year. Somehow, I’ll have to fit writing that chapter in since the contest ends June 20th (I believe).
That’s it for now. I hope you have a great week!
