Yesterday, I was told by a friend of mine that my writing was all over the map. Now, despite the advice of another friend of mine to ignore it, I found that I can’t let it go without some reflection. Is it true? Could this be a problem in my future?
Since starting off in this whole novel-writing experiment, in 2002, I’ve written four books, half of another, and a novella:
1) Contemporary category romance. Not viable — total training project. Rejected at partial stage.
2) Contemporary category romance. Award winner. Requested full under consideration.
3) Half of contemporary category romance, put aside to complete Book 5.
4) Contemporary romance novella.
5) Contemporary action adventure with romantic sub-plot.
6) Contemporary romance. Award winner. Requested full under consideration.
Books 1,2 and 3 were written for the same line. Book 6 began as a sequel to Book 3, but then morphed beyond category constraints. Books 1,2,3,4 and 6 are all the same tone: modern, sexy, contemporary romances. Book 5 is a modern, sexy, contemporary action adventure with a romantic subplot. Book 1 ain’t working, Book 3 needs a bit of reworking due to the craft advances I made while working on Books 4,5 and 6 (Book 2, by the way, was almost completely rewritten after receiving its request for this reason). I wouldn’t try to market books 4,5 or 6 without an agent, which I’m in the process of trying to land now.
So, where is the “all over the map” statement coming from? Perhaps from my newest projects?
7) Partial of chick lit.
8) Just started YA chick lit.
Now, though I term one a chick lit and the other a YA chick lit, there are only three years of difference in the ages of each heroine. It’s entirely possible that my future agent will market them to the same place. These books are modern, sexy and contemporary. They just aren’t romances. So, not so much different.
I haven’t written any historicals, or fantasies, or other projects that are markedly different. I use the same voice for my fiction as I do for my newspaper articles. Yeah, my other friend was right. Ignore it. Glad I worked that one out, if only in my own head.
