Don't Write What You Know--Write Your Passion!

This last weekend I was writing to condense my five page synopsis into a two page synopsis. The one thing I noticed about myself in this process was that I ACTUALLY liked going over this story again.

--and I can honestly say that hasn't been the case with all my stories.

In May 2008, my writing life changed. I wrote my first picture book/easy reader story. It's called Peter's Messy Room. Peter is a fly, not a regular run-of-the-mill house fly, but a green bottle fly living in the country. Peter changed my focus as a writer. In this last year, I've written seven other Peter stories, one faerie story--The Faerie Who Lost His Wings, and one middle grade story--MISSING: One Garden Gnome.

I love all these stories, and enjoy revisiting each and every one of them. I could NEVER say that about my romances. Oh, they were okay, but there was always something about them that I couldn't put my finger on, some problem that I couldn't fix, something about them made me cringe and want to put them away . . . forever.

The missing element in those stories was passion.

Oh, I liked writing them. And I certainly love reading them. But I wasn't passionate about my writing romances. I never felt the need as a writer to make certain the characters had their HEA (Happily Ever After). Oh, I finished the story with the requisite HEA, but I didn't want to look at those stories again--still don't.

My writing was missing that one elusive spark that makes it stand out.

Many editors and agents will tell a newbie writer to write what you know. Writing to the current market is crazy since the new books hitting the shelf were bought one to two years ago. I can't write what I know because in the real world unicorns, gnomes, and faeries don't exist, though this lovely environmental artist , Sally J. Smith, might change your mind! What I can write about is my passion. I have a passion for fantasy intermingling with real life. I love escapism in books that I read and in movies that I watch. Real life is depressing. I want to experience fun and happiness when I escape, and that is what I want to bring to the reader.

--A chance to escape into a new world and experience new and fantastical creatures.

Oh, gotta go. Rory Leafhopper, esquire, First Gnome to the Princess of Celestia, wants a refill on his coffee and I'm the only one big enough to handle the eye dropper without scalding myself.

Write on!