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Blogs by Marie Lavender
Writing Out of Your Comfort Zone 2/6/2017 10:53:41 AM
Don't limit yourself to one genre. When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a novelist. I knew from a young age that storytelling was my thing. Scenes played out in my head, and it was my job to get them on the page. I was that girl, going around telling everyone, “I want to be a writer!”
As I grew up, I was influenced by romantic comedy films and romance novels. As I began to get interested in various subgenres of romance, I could feel the possibilities unfold. My writer’s mind was opening bit by bit. When I finally self-published my work starting in 2010, there was a good range of tales, from literary fiction and poetry, to contemporary romance or romantic suspense, even paranormal romance. There were even some romantic mysteries. In 2012, I was discovered by Solstice Publishing, and through them, I published historical romance, lighthearted romantic fantasy, even launched a paranormal romance/urban fantasy series, Blood at First Sight. My stories in progress? They’re all over the place as well, from romantic suspense to dystopian romance, more historical romance, time travel romance, erotic romance, even a six-book romantic comedy series. The list goes on.
Last year, I decided to reinvent myself as a writer. Why? Because out of nowhere, it seemed, my story ideas quickly took on a life of their own. Categorizing them had become difficult. I was crossing multiple genres. In July of 2015, I published a children’s fantasy novella, A Little Magick. Writing the story was a little daunting at first, but it was fun and so worth it! This was so far from my usual scope of storytelling that I knew I had to take a step back and reevaluate some of my priorities. I adore writing or reading about romance, and that will likely never change. But I knew I could no longer consider myself just a romance author. I took a look at my 117+ works in progress, and I knew something big had changed, whether or not I realized it right away. This writing journey was a constant evolution. I thought of the cocky writer who’d brushed off her professor’s advice in college, yet now it truly resonated with me.
“Don’t limit yourself to one genre.”
Truer words were never spoken. Suddenly I knew how to define myself in my writing career. I learned to open my mind further, to wherever the muse wanted to take me.
And here I am, just tackling the launch of the Code of Endhivar Series with Blue Vision, my first foray into science fiction (yeah, I never saw that coming!) with a strong element of romance. My mind is awake, open and ready to receive, to go in any direction, even if it’s a little scary to approach at first. Will I ever write horror or non-fiction novels? I’ve learned that life often has a way of both surprising and challenging us. So, maybe the muse will take me there someday.
In the meantime, I am comfortable with who I am. A sometimes weird, romantic visionary…I am a multi-genre author, and that’s all right with me.
