by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
No matter what writing project we’re working on, the next one is always more fun and exciting. Much like Scrat from the “Ice Age” movies who is constantly in search of the golden acorn – there’s always a better nut on the other side of the fence.
So how do we know if the current writing project we want to shove in the shredder right now is our true calling as a writer or a diversion from our soul writing? Got me. Trial and error is what has worked in my past.
One trick I’ve tried on myself is to imagine I was going to be marooned on a desert island and I could only take one book, no Nook, Kindle or iPad. What book would I take? This can eat up hours of time thinking about it, try it.
But then what we might want to read for pleasure is not what we may want or need to write. So my other trick is to tell myself I can’t write that stuff anymore and see what my gut says. If I get a happy high-five and confetti throwing, I can pretty much deduce this was not a project from my heart.
Writing is work and commitment, so it’s best to date the right genre upfront if you can. One author friend learned to write with Romance Writers of America and then switched to fantasy, her true love. She’s had a great career with TOR.
One of my favorite authors, Janet Evanovich, built her career in romance fiction and then moved over to mystery. Not only did most of her romance readers follow her, we are quite happy that heroine Stephanie Plum has two men to choose from in her life. Viva variety!
Nora Roberts writes both romance and mystery fiction because she can and she’s a producing juggernaut of an author. Debbie Macomber found her romance fiction niche from the beginning and built an empire.
There is no magic test and sometimes we just need a change. I write both non-fiction and romance fiction to keep both sides of my brain happy and balanced; my inner journalist and hopeful romantic get along better that way. My friend Cindy Hiday published in romance fiction and is now veering into women’s fiction. If the genre fits, wear it!
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