My dark and twisty side has be outshone by my ooey-gooey, lovey-dovey, happy ending side. The truth: I salivate over romance. My fantasy library consists of shelves packed with my collection of romance novels, ranging from Jude Deveraux to Charlotte Bronte (my newest fantasy includes a Kindle packed with romances too). I will continue to read and write upper YA, but my adjusted focus will be to write romance for adults.
Like all growth spurts, these growing pains have hurt. I'm letting go of old dreams and making way for new ones, and I'm venturing out of my cozy YA corner into new and bigger audiences. But the pain has been worthwhile because I'm falling in love with writing all over again. It doesn't feel like a job or a chore; it's me fulfilling my new dream of writing romance novels for the next 30-40 years. I'm just sorry it took me this long to embrace who I am as a writer. Here's hoping I don't suck at it.
At the end of the year my blog will undergo changes to incorporate my genre more artistically. For those of you who relish the dark and twisty side of me, I promise it's still there. I'm still Emily, just Emily peddling a love story (you can gag if you'd like).
Have you experienced any growth spurts lately?
33 comments:
I'd like to experience a writing spurt soon - does that count?
This is awesome Emily! I think it's so important that we grow as we go through this journey. I'm sad to hear you won't be querying your YA anymore, but I think it's important that you move to what you love and are passionate about. Congrats on the growth spurt!
I think it's great. And no sappy here. I love romance and no longer roll my eyes at my ooey gooey side. =)
I'd hate to put away something I'd worked hard on and never come back to it. I like the idea of starting off in a new direction, but I'd hope to be able to come back to these old projects once I'm wiser and see what I could do with them. Good luck.
Nothing wrong with some juicy romance!
Good for you, Emily! I'm sad you're not querying your YA anymore, but I've given up on a few of my books as well. It's not fun, but you grow from it. Good luck on your adventures writing romance! I'm a sucker for a good romance. Excited to see what your new blog layout will look like! :D
Go for it! At the end of the day, you have to be happy with what you do for it to show in your work.
I look forwards to the updates on your new romantic WIP :o)
Go, Emily!
I like dark and twisty on the mystery side of things - and that's what I write in short stories. But my novels are much less dark, and they all have a romance. After all, what's life without a little love!
Hit me with some romance baby.
On a second note, you were supposed to blog about the blogfest thing from Cassie Mae's blog today.
So exciting! I love that you found your true genre calling (and I love romance, too)! Congrats! Can't wait to see the changes.
Fantastic post! Good on you for being brave enough to make a change. I'm so excited for you!
I am really glad you discovered your place. It is sad to put something away (like your first baby MS) but I'm glad romance makes you so happy and I'm excited to see the new bloggy stuff.
Don't be sorry about how long it took you to embrace this. Focus on what you learned on the journey :-)
Good for you! I think it does take a while to find out your writing niche. And you have to love what you're writing, when you spend so much time on it.
Congrats on finding your genre. That's awesome. Maybe you could still self-pub your YA as an e-book and/or POD? Then at least it won't languish without readers. Just an idea...
I don't think I'm a YA writer either. I've tried, and I'm ashamed to say I've mostly tried 'cause it's the 'in' thing right now. But it doesn't seem to sit right. I love New Adult and Adult fiction.
I realized a few years back that I can't write a book without romance in it. I couldn't write straight romance, but a book without any romance at all just seems boring to me now.
You know, I did the same thing about three years ago. I was writing MG/YA and stopped querying a novel I'd written because I knew what I really wanted to write was adult adventure romance.
Gotta follow your heart. << was that too mushy?
Leigh, thanks! It was a big decision, but I feel good about it.
Liz, thanks for not rolling your eyes. : )
Iain, I totally agree!
Melissa, I appreciate your support. I feel good about the change so far. We'll see how my books turn out!
Andrea, that's how I feel!
Shell, I might come back to my MS someday. I'll have to think about it.
Trisha, I prefer to write for adults, too. Even my YA was upper YA.
How wonderful! It's so important to find one's true passion--and exciting. I love your last line: "Write what you love, read what you love to write, and dream big." Ah, such golden advice.
As a fellow romance writer (in the wings, that is), welcome! I hope it's everything you expect it to be. And don't worry-- you can still incorporate your dark and twisty elements into romance novels if you so desire.
Welcome to my world! I never ever ever thought I'd be a romance writer, but that's what I am. It's fun, huh?
I read your previous post and had to find this one about becoming a romance writer. I say three cheers! What a wonderful thing to feel comfortable with your genre. It's like coming home.
Cynthia, thank you very much.
Jasmine, yay! Another romance writer!
Rebecca, it's a blast. Why did I write anything else?
Good for you, Emily. I write both adult romance and YA (always romantic, though not necessarily romance), and I read both as well. I agree you have to enjoy both writing and reading your genre to really gain the necessary skill at it. I'm glad this feels like such a good fit for you, and I hope you experience a lot of joy in this next phase of your career!
It's always best to focus on what you truly love. Good luck with the changes ahead!
How did I miss this post yesterday? Sorry I'm the last to comment. I'm so excited for you. I'm so glad you found your passion for writing again. No judgement from me--you will be awesome :)
Emily, this is amazing. I'm so happy for you! I love romance and can't wait to see what you do with the genre :)
Juliana, thanks! I hope I know what I'm doing... : )
I wrote a romance for nano this year for exactly those same reasons. Jude Deveroux is the author that I am most excited when she has a new book and I always like a happy ending. Don't forget you can add dark, twisty turns to romance too.
I started out as a serious, literary writer, but I've moved a little more toward writing for a wider audience (I hope). It took awhile, but I'm glad I have.
A very inspiring post. Thanks for sharing. It takes courage to admit that.
I am so happy to hear this Emily! You know it's weird, but as I've gotten to know you, I always thought you would write wonderful adult romance novels. I'm so happy for your growth spurt...in both departments:)
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