Monday, July 21, 2014

Three Things I Write and Three Things I Don't Write

Three Things I Write and Three Things I Don't Write

    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.

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