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

So far this week I’ve received no rejections – but I’m worried that they’ll all arrive in one swoop and I’ll crumble under the emotional strain – or perhaps I’ll have an alcoholic beverage before 18h00.

Is it just me, or do other aspiring authors feel a bit deflated when the day has ended and there’s still be no news – will I grow out of it?

Last night I trawled lots of literary agents blogs and found that they all said how hard it was to get their attention – gulp – not a good thing to do late at night.

However, one thing I did agree with is that the first novel can often be the practice one – mine certainly was – and I’m now on my third and if I dare say so myself – my writing has improved with time, effort and study. Maybe my current WIP will be the one, in which case, 2010 will be another year of hard work, editing, re-writes and moments of low self-esteem.

I take comfort in the knowledge that one of my favourite authors – Anita Brookner – didn’t get her first novel published until she was 53yrs, I believe. However, that’s an awful long time for me to wait – sigh.

Perhaps I‘ll hear today, perhaps I won’t, but I’m going to keep trying and improving.

The garden is full of blue and great tits – so at least nature is smiling on me!

Happy word flow One & All

My word, I’m at it again – checking and re-checking my emails to see if an agent has left me a favourable message. I suppose at least i haven’t had another rejection – but there’s still time for that today.

A Twitter friend told me to keep sending the novel out to small chunks of agents and I loved what she said. It’s often late in the evening when I trawl the Internet looking for suitable agents and I bookmark them. However, when I think about what my Twitter friend said, I drop anchor and wait until another rejection hits me before I reach out again.

The waiting is so darn difficult as it’s long and it can be ultimately unrewarding.

I have put the comp WIP aside and moved back to my novel Almost an Affair as a change of pace and scenery as Lord knows I need it. This novel is slightly more complex than On God’s Front Lawn as there are more characters and sub plots.

I have also bookmarked some small publishing houses to consider as I note from looking at writing sites and reading writing magazines that some people have more success with this route.

Well folks, this has offered some distraction from checking my emails and I will resist checking after this and return to my current WIP – although no promises!

Happy word flow One & All

A friend advised me to look at the Predators & Editors sign and the agency that has shown an interest in me isn’t recommended – the shame is it doesn’t say exactly why.

My worry about the agency not having any books with publishers was perhaps correct – I just hope that someone else checks me out soon as being let down is not a great feeling.

Happy word flow to One & All

I checked my email late last night to find that an agent had contacted me to request 3 chapters following my query email. I was initially excited at the thought of someone finally being interested in my work.

I am more sanguine this morning and I check the agency’s web page again and notice that so far none of thew clients have their work with a publisher. Now this is a new agency and I am an aspiring author – everyone has to start somewhere – so I cannot judge the agency for just starting out.

My point is, if further interest is shown, I feel I should give the agency the chance to show their capabilities just like they would be doing with me.

However, this is the first step on the rung and it may lead nowhere, so I have to check my daydreams and continue to work on the two WIP I have underway.

It’s great to dream & hopefully the proverbial dream will come true.

Happy word flow folks