Monday, February 28, 2011

Just a few? Get a Clue!

I’ve been reading alot of blogs lately. I’ve read blogs on Voice, Point of View, Developing Unique Characters, The Importance of First Lines, Promotion, How to Write a Synopsis...you get the idea.  Well, reading all these blogs got me thinking, what type of writing do I want to write?
Saying romance is not enough.  I want to write more than just a romance novel, I want to write one that has suspense in it as well. I tend to combine my love of romance, with my love for mysteries. I grew up reading Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Victoria Holt, before I moved into Janet Dailey and a few of the other Harlequin novelists. I even thought I read something by Edna Ferber, but I could be wrong.  Ohh, Barbara Cartland, was the other lady I read.  I have often asked myself, how can I write romance, when I am the most unromantic person I know.
Just lucky I guess.
But back to the type of writing I want to do.  While most writers are clamoring for 80K and 100K word counts, I realized full length manuscripts might not be my thing.  No big.  I prefer short stories.  Lots going on in less than a hundred pages.  I like that and editing is a breeze! Really love that! Oh did I mention you can write them quickly?  My first short, which I submitted a couple of months ago, I wrote in about a week. I LOVED that. And I’ve written two more short stories, while I’m STILL working on edits for a full length manuscript.
What was I thinking?
Short stories are the way to go.  Everywhere I look publishers are actively seeking short stories. That works for me. How much action and seduction can I pack into 30K words or less? I’m not quite sure, but I can’t wait to find out.

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