For another discussion on trends, see Writeminded today. Jan Kenny ponders trends and wonders what others think.
Don’t write to trends
It's inevitable that, with the announcements on the street about erotica and paranormals being hot property, writers begin to think, “Shucks, I think I could write one of them there steamy vampire/werewolf/shapeshifter books.”
Don't. Oh please don't.
Not unless you love reading those books and want to write your own tale about the same things.
Believe me, more than once I've plumbed the depths of my brain and wondered if I had an erotic vampire book in there somewhere. Because those things are H-O-T. Nothing bubbles up from the cauldron, though, so I guess I'm still stuck with military romantic suspense.
Imagine my relief, however, to read this by Sarah Strohmeyer over at The Lipstick Chronicles:
Instead, I think what I'll do is learn from my mistakes. If there's any mistake I've made in this business, it has been to – at times, not always – concentrate too much on what sells versus what I love to write. Because in the end, the latter is all that matters. And though the industry will always, always push you to write yesterday's hit, don't let them. Stick to your guns. It could be tomorrow's phenomenal bestseller.
I often feel the temptation, though. I suppose it's inevitable that I'll keep casting the bait and looking for that hot vampire and his sex slave. I'll find them just about the time the market swings toward sweet close-the-door romances. It's just the way my luck runs……
What about you? Writing to trends, or just plugging away at what you love to write and read? Where do you think the market will go next?
[Bear in mind that I've never picked the winning horse or the winning LOTTO numbers, that my stock portfolio is solid but not astronomical, and that I sold my house in the months BEFORE the market took off and moved overseas where I missed out on several years worth of real estate appreciation. OTOH, I do believe the housing market is in a nosedive and this time I'm waiting it out. Time will tell if I've missed the boat again or if I'm hot on the tail of a new trend. Which is really kind of the way writing works too, I think.] 🙂
The art of criticism
As you can see, the vacation posts have gone missing. 🙂 I still intend to do them, though perhaps they will trickle in at a one a week rate until they fizzle into nothingness because no one is reading them. 🙂
Indeed, getting my buns back to posting regularly has been difficult. I think it's because I learned something whilst traipsing across volcanic landscapes and through tropical rainforests: I can live without the Internet. Not only that, I can get more done if I limit myself. And getting stuff done is something I need to do. I have requested revisions waiting. I have a thesis to finish. I have new ideas waiting for their turn. Must get busy.
Anyway, still catching up on my favorite blogs. Several good things out there today. Diana Peterfreund is talking about critiques in this post.
But more importantly, what I'm really looking for in a critque is not just to fix the bad stuff, but to make the good stuff better. I've been thinking a lot about that old critiquing maxim, “Don't just say everything's good.” I used to think that meant pointing out the bad stuff, even if it may hurt the artist's sensitive feelings about her baby. Now I'm thinking it means that you shouldn't just let good rest on its laurels. You should point it out when there's good stuff that can be great.
It's true that critiquing styles and needs change the longer you've been writing. This is one of the problems I have with my Wednesday night group. They are into a different, line by line style of critiquing that just doesn't work for me any longer. Part of the reason for this is that they only want to read 5 pages at a time. What begins to happen is that people bring the same 5 pages over and over, or only bring the first 25 pages in groups of 5 before tapering off to nothing or starting something else entirely.
And, sort of a segue if you consider the ensuing conversation about first drafts, Lee Goldberg gets into a discussion about bad ideas perpetrated by novice writers (specifically, putting first draft work onto the web and sending out email to folks you don't know asking them to read it, though the writer claims it's not first draft and has been edited). The controversy rages in the comments trail where Lee is alternately praised, insulted, and slammed for his post.
This also brings up, for me, the question of being a writer. If you write, you're a writer. But does that mean you share equal footing with those who have more credits than you? What makes a writer? Credits? Or just a belief that if you write and others read it, you're the same as the Lee Goldbergs of the world? Sometimes, I grumble to myself about not being a real writer. It's because I have a healthy respect for the process and I don't believe that my words, as written the first time, are sacrosanct. My credits are tiny right now. I'd never dare use them to insist on equal footing with, say, Tess Gerritsen. Imagine the silliness of that!
I AM a writer, and I am dedicated to getting better at what I do. And I don't believe published = godlike. We all make mistakes, that's for sure, and not everything that's published deserves to be. But when someone with a lot of experience tells you something's a bad idea, maybe you ought to listen to the message, even if you don't like the way it's delivered. Just my opinion.
And now, for some serious fun, go read Paperback Writer's post about the SOILs. ROFLMAO! I love the way she skewers RWA here. Sometimes, you gotta wonder about these ladies who judge contests. I've been a victim, so it's not a new question for me. In the PAN ranks, I don't know what it's about. In the PRO and unpublished ranks, it really is sometimes the green-eyed monster. Other times it's just inexperience. I cringe to think of some of the comments I've given in the past. They weren't meant to be hurtful or mean, but I'm afraid they may have come off that way. Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20.
The Skinny on fashion
This is a writing blog, for the most part, but damn it, it's also an “Ohmigod, NOOOO!” blog from time to time.
I graduated high school in the 80s. I had the big hair. I wore the skin-tight jeans that prevented me from bending over or taking deep breaths. I adored the skinny ties and thought break dancing was cool. Quaint little bumpkin, wasn't I?
Fast forward a few (ahem) years. No friggin' way do I, as a 30-something woman, want to ever wear skin-tight jeans again! Imagine my fear when the NYT runs this article this morning, A New Size for Denim: Extra Tight:
The market for denim styles with escalating prices has become so sophisticated that some companies claim to be able to predict where the skinny trend will lead. “Somewhere between October and next February, it will hit all parts of the country,” said Jeff Rudes, the president of J Brand, which expects to ship more than 140,000 pairs of skinny women's jeans this year, with leg openings as narrow as 10 inches around. “This cycle is then good for 18 months to two years. It can't get any narrower than this without stopping blood flow.”
I am not happy about this. 🙁 It took me a while to warm up to pointy-toed Italian shoes, but I did. Am I doomed to wake up one day and think this is cool too? Sheesh, I hope not. I'm betting that my lack of a size 2 silhouette may prevent it anyway. 🙂
Day Two: Kauai Pictures
Pride of Aloha 
Port of Nawiliwili, Kauai
Waimea Canyon
Waimea Canyon
All photos copyright of Michael W. Harris, 2006.