During 2007 I made a conscious effort to spend more time on my novel-length ideas and a wee bit less on short stories. It was a hard transition, and after a while I realised that short stories had become a comfort blanket to me. Bit of a shock, tbh! I had to admit it to myself, though. I'd started out as a short story writer, and once I'd had a few accepted and published it felt safer and less scary than the novel-length world that also tempted me. :) Shorts also give a sense of achievement in a smaller space of time, and that can be such a lure when dealing with all the doubts and insecurities that crop up... But I *wanted* to spend more of my time on my novel length ideas.
Last year it was a struggle, a battle, but this year it seems to have happened, and I’m so pleased! How did I do it? I’m not sure. :) Perhaps it was a natural transition, or maybe it took me a year to rearrange my thinking..? I did spend a lot of time pulling together my novel-length ideas before Christmas, and drafting outlines. Perhaps that was it.
I’ll never give up writing short stories –- aside from anything I think shorts are the best possible promo a writer can do. In fact, I’ve been quizzed more than once by other writers as to why I write short stories for a small fee, and I always respond by pointing out it gets my writing in front of hundreds of readers, who might then go on to buy more of my work. Shorts are a terrific way to learn, and to gain a readership, but the only way I can learn and grow as a novelist is to keep writing longer work and keep challenging myself.
I’m excited, because when my mind has been idling, it's always on the bigger stories. I'm brimming with thoughts about the two novels I’ve got open right now: Inescapable (a contemporary erotic romance) and Rampant (a paranormal erotic romance.) So, wish me luck –- I truly feel as if I’m entering a new chapter in my writer’s journey. Exciting!
more cat pictures
