Saturday, October 29, 2011

Writing Surprises


Have you ever sort of surprised yourself while writing?  I don't mean an unexpected twist in the plot, necessarily, but there are definitely those kinds of surprises along the way.  One major surprise for me was the insipriation to write something supernatural/paranormal AT ALL!  I was always a contemporary reader and writer.  I loved chick lit - stories about real life situations that managed to show the humor in all our downfalls and blunders.  My whole life I tended to write funny stories, emotional stories, and dramatic girl stories, but they were always realistic.  Until my idea for Sweet Evil came along. 

Writing supernatural elements was extremely difficult for me, and it still is. I'll go back during revisions and find all the places where I need to expand on the abilities of my main character.  I just forget.  It's still surprising to me that I'm in this genre, and while I'm enjoying it far more than expected, I do hope to write a contemp someday.

Is there anything about your writing journey which has come as a surprise to you? Anything you've steered toward or away from unexpectedly?

Hugs, Wendy  :)

11 comments:

  1. I can't seem to write paranormal. I've tried. I had my half finished that you've had to read how many times? LOL.

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  2. Hey, I liked that story, Kelley! And I loved your vamp story, too. Don't forget about that one. Caleb...*sigh*

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  3. I'm such a contemp girl too... But I have dabbled in other genres and I was really surprised at how well my dystopian story came out. Maybe one day I'll build it into a novel.

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  4. One time I was writing down the first part of a story, and when I looked back I realized I'd written it in first person! I never do that! It shocked me even more that it worked for the protagonist.

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  5. Fantasy has always been my favourite genre, so when I eventually had an idea for it I was so excited. I never thought I could have an idea good enough to write about and now I have too many!

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  6. This biggest surprise I had was writing a superhero romance for an anthology. Which I actually liked quite a bit. Alas, it wasn't good enough for the anthologist.

    -LupLun
    Shooting for the Moon

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  7. I don't have a set genre that I write to, but it's usually a weird storyline. Speculative fiction, paranormal, science fiction, dystopian, horror, steampunk are what I usually slip into with writing.

    Then when I was visiting my terminally ill father, I wrote GROWTH, a general fiction short story. Growth was published as part of an anthology. Then I was invited to write for another anthology that was general fiction predominately (I still added some mystery and adventure, but it wasn't my normally weirdness. So first two publications were a surprise for me.

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  8. If I steer away from something - it's where I'm going to end up, lol.

    My favorite is when something happens while writing a scene that totally thows me, and makes me want to do a happy dance.

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  9. I normally don't write general fiction, I can't ever think of something interesting enough for it. Well one idea I have is predominantly mystery but it can't be pure general fiction. I don't mind reading it though.

    My favorite genres to write in are fantasy and science fiction.

    As for surprises, I once wrote a short story that surprised me. I normally don't write short stories for one thing cause I have trouble thinking of short plots, and for another it was horror.

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  10. I'm the same way! I never imagined writing a post-apocalyptic YA, but here I am, writing one :)

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  11. Thanks for sharing everyone! :) Have a great Halloween!

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