GENREALITY

My backlist has stories that are contemporary, BDSM, paranormal, and even a couple of sci-fi shorts. Some of the stories have a more romantic tone/feel than others, and some push the envelope sexually as well as character wise. And my idea pile is a mish-mash of all of the above, so what do I want to focus on? Sure, I want to write a story that appeals to me creatively, but let’s get real. I really want to write a story that will make any agent/editor who reads it sit up and drool at the thought of getting their hands on it. And that means I need to push myself beyond anything I’ve ever written before. Expand my horizons, and write a bigger and better story

The question is…how do I do that?

Thinking about the reader feedback I’ve gotten and the reviews of my work that I’ve read I think about my strengths as a writer. What’s praised about my stories? Obviously I write hot, and the ability to write steamy sex scenes is one of my strengths. But when I flipped through some online reviews of my books I also noticed that many readers mentioned that they felt a connection with my characters. They understood my characters, and often felt like they were people they would hang out with. So character development is another strong point. Yay!

Another thing I noticed was that in many reviews and letters the reader said that they hadn’t expected to like the story for some reason (be it because it was first person, BDSM, or simply a character they thought they wouldn’t like) but once they started reading, they enjoyed it. This told me that I had good instincts for just how far I could push the envelope without losing readers. I just needed to trust them more.

Next up I thought about my weaknesses….
Well, first up would be technical ability. Proper grammar is a huge weakness of mine. It’s something that I feel very insecure about so I made the decision that if one of my cp’s for who grammar is a strength was unavailable when I needed something looked at, I would invest and hire a freelance editor to go over my stuff before I sent it in. Obviously my grammar skills can’t be too bad as I’ve managed to have eleven novels published, but that’s not the point here. The point is that I’m insecure about that aspect of my writing. I worry about it, and the worrying can steal my creativity. Acknowledging this, and have a plan in place to deal with it will give me the mental space and freedom to focus on the aspects that I do feel confident in, and just write.

Worldbuilding is another weakness of mine. The paranormal stories and sci-fi shorts that I’ve written were good exercises, but I struggled with the worldbuilding in each of them. I love to read fantasy and paranormal books, but I have to acknowledge that I don’t love to write them. Adding paranormal elements to my contemporaries is great, but in Primal Male when I had to figure out the whole shapeshifter race/world I just about drive myself nuts-and not in a good way. That means I can scrap the thought of expanding my sci-fi short stories and turning them into a novel. I want to push myself, but I don’t want to bite of more than I can chew.

Hot and sexy, character driven, contemporary stories. Sounds good, but not super original, right? With so many threesome, foursome and moresome books out there how much further can the envelope be pushed in the erotic fiction genre? BDSM has unlimited levels and angles, and I’ve already touched on some of those in previous stories. I’m steering clear of immortals, shapeshifters and time travelers, so exactly how am I supposed to push my boundaries and make my future stories stand out?

It’s simple. Keep it real.

For me that means focus on the character. Make sure the characters are real, three dimensional, and appealing to readers on more than one level. When I first started writing, it was always about the character. I started with building a character, then putting them in a situation, and letting them run. Then I began trying to plot, and be more intricate, to create storylines that hadn’t been done before. I started thinking too hard, and I forgot the most basic rule. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

So, I’m writing this post to remind myself ( and you) not to get wrapped up any drama, especially when surfing writer blogs and craft magazines and stressing out because my story/idea/work isn’t as complicated or plot driven or unique as everything else out there. The most important thing to remember is the most basic….nothing else in the story matters if the characters fall flat.

With that in mind, Next week I’ll be sharing my tips on how to create a well developed character.

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Related posts:

1. Expectations: Looking Back
2. Trailer Boy on Character, Part 1: The Basics
3. Back in the Day…