A fellow writer, Rhonda Parrish,
asked for volunteers to write a blog post in the future. I said 'yes'
not quite knowing what I was being asked, so took it as a challenge
to come up with something when the time comes. And here we are.
Things I write and things I don't write. Rather then a neat list for
each, I'll go back and forth.
Things I Write #1
Urban Fantasy. Not something I started
out to write, but I've come to find it endlessly fascinating. There's
a challenge to writing magic in a modern setting without having it
become an easy crutch to fix everything. You'll not find werewolves
or vampires in these stories, but plenty of homages to fairy tales.
My longest piece of writing is an urban fantasy novella that I hope
to sell some day. At some point it may become a full fledged novel as
I expand upon it after each rejection.
Things I Don't Write #1
Poetry. Not a line or verse. My forays
into writing poetry have turned out sub-par product. There's a knack
to it that I can't wrap my head around. Part of it is that poetry
itself doesn't capture my interest as something I'm inclined to read
on a regular basis. Anything that can put me to sleep that easy isn't
going on my reading list.
Things I Write #2
Fan Fic. I played a computer games
called City Of Heroes, which closed down in late 2012. For the last 3
years or so I ran with a group from a forum called RPGnet. As you
might guess, we did a lot of RP and I wrote a lot of fiction based on
my characters. We had a nice group and created a small library of
stories. Still in contact with some of them and we still occasionally write about them or dig up old stories. There's some good memories in those words.
Things I Don't Write #2
Straight up fantasy with dragons,
wizards, and a medieval setting. I love reading the genre, but
writing hasn't hooked me like I thought it might. My “plan” when
I started this was to write sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalypse
fiction. Two of the three have happened, but the fantasy? Not so
much. Mine has guns, cars, and electricity. As a note, I count my
fairy tales as they all tie back to my larger urban fantasy universe.
Things I Write #3
Monsters. I'm a sucker for all those
50's and 60's monster movies with SCIENCE! Shambling things from
outer space, giant spiders tearing up the west, and radioactive
creatures spawned from atomic bombs. Love the genre. This year's been
a great one for those stories and I've had quite a fun time in
writing them. I've hit a theme with my “GRONK!” series, though
I've only sold one, submitted two others, and need to write a fourth
by the end of August. So much potential for good, cheesy fun. I'm not
going to spoil the monster reveal, you'll just have to go read it
yourself. :)
Things I Don't Write #3
Violence against children. Call it my
line in the sand, but none of that. My list of taboo subjects is
pretty short, but they're non-negotiable. I might threaten them, but
they'll never come to harm physically. Mental scarring, well that might happen, like when your mom dies in a fire when bullies set fire to your house.
That's my list of three things that I
write and I don't write. As Rhonda noted, it's hard to think of things
you don't write against what you do or plan on it. My first sale was
a suspense story about a boy and his axe, not a sci-fi, so I've
learned to keep my options open. And horror. Never figured that I'd
be dabbling in that field, but it's just so much fun. Please feel
free to leave a comment or ping me on Facebook or Twitter.
