A rejection letter flopped through the letterbox and I was instantaneously transported to failures-ville, thinking that my genre didn’t fit in and that I was unmarketable – poor me syndrome kicking in.

I logged onto Twitter and a fellow writer – Jammer 0501 – James Killick – who’s blog you can connect to via this site, made me laugh as we began talking about my love of Anita Brookner and how I don’t write about vampires.

Anyway, he challenged me to write a short story combining the Brookner – Vampire genres and I’ve already written a page and a half – when finished, I will see if a writers’ mag would publish it.

So out of the gloom, I’m reignited and swilling new words and thoughts around my brain.

I’m now also approaching a couple of publishing houses to see if I would do better there – I can’t give up – I don’ want to and all writers have highs and lows – I could do with more highs though.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably on Twitter – if not, tempt yourself into another dimension – it really can perk you up with the french fries are down.

Happy Word Flow One & All

I thought I’d give you dear readers a taster of my novel that I finally sent to a few agents after a lot of work and re-working.

Chapter One
Moving to the coast seemed like a good idea when they viewed the area and the properties in the summer. The sky was a vivid blue with a bright sun daubed in the centre of the canopy. The sea drifted lazily to and fro and the milling crowds eating ice-cream and dressed crab gave the impression of being a holiday haven, and life appeared idyllic once more.

Today however, with the grey mantle overhead and only crowds of seagulls to fill the holiday void, the area was less appealing.

‘Don’t look so glum Em, it was bound to look less idyllic on a normal English day,’ remarked Daniel as he caught a glimpse of Emma’s expressive face, with her wrinkled up nose and slight down turn of mouth.

‘It feels less welcoming, as though we’re bringing bad karma with us,’ she sighed.

Daniel shrugged off Emma’s morose feelings and drew up behind the removals van which had pulled up outside a detached house, positioned slightly back from the road.

Not sure if this was enough to wet your appetite – if anyone is interested, I could write some more.
Remember this is a contemporary women’s fiction with a romantic core genre – so I do know that some of my followers will not be interested.

A new week begins – anytime soon I could receive a yay or nay from an agent – the sun is shining but my nose is running.

Happy word flow One & All

I open The Writing Magazine April 2010, that is delivered once a month and what should I find, but an article on not worrying what genre or target audience you are writing for – just write.

I won’t re-write it but check out Maggie Alderson views & comments on
www.maggiealderson.com I feel so much better for reading this article – what a difference a few hours can make.

I will now wait until I finish the next WIP to decide what genre is sits within.

Happy, Enlightened words flow folks.

When an agent responded to my query by saying that they weren’t looking for y genre currently, it made me reflect on whether I had understood the concept of my genre totally – that perhaps the one bracket wasn’t enough.

My protagonists are men and women in their forties, so too old to be classed as chick-lit, which is a genre that some agents proclaim is passed its sell by date. Gone are the days of Ms Jones.

I had classed mine as women’s fiction, but that in itself is an all-encompassing bracket that perhaps doesn’t enlighten the agent enough to clarify my target audience.

I would love to be able to say that i write for the woman in her forties ad beyond who wants an introspective read on characters with flaws and foibles who don’t always achieve redemption in the end. In fact, i like dark, twisted, shocking endings, but again agents point out that we’re in a recession and that people want happy, sickly sweet endings (well not those exact words, you understand)

My novels aren’t gripping psychological thrillers, rom-coms, crime or fantasy. No that would be too simple for my twisted mind. I would love to say more of a literary novel but I’m not sure that my writing’s yet worthy of that status – but should i say it once to see if i achieve a different reaction?

I looked up on an Open University site about genres and they mentioned ones I’d never heard of – dirty realsim, maximalist – and they said their list wasn’t exhaustive. Good grief – am i now being told that i can make up my own genre as anything goes? I could start a trend for introspective, thought provoking, wrist-slashing genre – too dark perhaps?

I wrote a piece recently where a woman who’d suffered years of domestic abuse, made her abuse hang himself whilst she held him at gun point. The woman then shot herself, and her young son ended up in an adolescent psychiatric unit having witnessed the scene that culminated in his emotional breakdown. My husband said it was way too dark and harrowing, leaving him with a nasty taste in his mouth – blood, I said hopefully – no, just unrelenting pain. Back to the drawing board then.

I hoped that writing this would clarify the genre issue for myself, but it’s just confirmed that I truly am an all round good egg with dark edges.

Happy – or not as the case may be – word flow One & All