Writing and Approval

   I wanted to share something with everyone about writing. Back when I wrote Wrong Place, Wrong Time, and Wrong Life, I didn’t pay any attention to what other authors were doing or what readers wanted out of a book. It was such a freeing experience to pour all of my thoughts and beliefs into a project. As a matter of fact, I felt like I would write that way forever. It felt so good, so why wouldn’t I? Then something happened. A familiar seed of doubt started to be planted. “That’s not how John Grisham does it.” "JD Robb does it in this style.” “My friend said that you should do this.” “Don’t you think it would be better if you did it this way?” “That’s not what people want to hear.” I started to listen to people, and my writing changed. In some ways, it changed for the good, but a lot of the joy was gone from it. It felt more like I was working to live up to people’s expectations and no longer expressing myself or concentrating on being original. You see, I never wanted to be like another author. I don’t look up to other authors or in general, other people. I’ve always been the type who wants to do something different instead of following a set formula or business model. Because of the need to write like someone else, act like someone else on things like blogs, and practically censor every thought in my work, I started to feel like writing was just work. It was no longer fun or original. It was like I was working at any other job.

   Then something changed. When I started writing Wrong End, I decided to take a different approach. I wrote whatever I wanted and didn’t cut one scene or change any dialogue based on anyone’s expectations. I simply wrote about the characters that I knew better than anyone else. They said what they should have said, got into crazy situations, and most importantly, there were so many details in the story. That’s the thing that I don’t understand about a lot of people. I’ve been told that you can put too many details in, and I can’t comprehend that. It’s those love scenes and comedic scenes that give characters life, not the action scenes. Sure, there’s a place for those scenes, but to me, the special parts of Wrong End were when nothing at all was going on. I loved seeing these characters interact with each other in the same ways that we all do in real life. Maybe that’s the reason I had to start writing for me and my characters again. I think a lot of people want to fast forward to the climax in books and in life, but when you do, you miss the best parts that connect you to people and characters for the rest of your life.

   After I got finished with Wrong End, I started writing a new book, and I took the same approach. I found my joy again. I guess I’ve learned something through this process. It doesn’t matter how many people like what you write if it’s engineered. You’ll never feel like you’ve accomplished something great in that situation, and it will simply be work. When just one person connects with something that is real and nothing short of your heart, it gives you a feeling like nothing else. That’s what I’m going for in the future. I want stronger character interaction, better romances, and yes, goofy scenes in books. I’ve been told that some people can interpret those scenes as immature or that they can be put off by characters who aren’t put together, but so what? I want people to read my books who have a sense of humor and who want to connect with characters and not just a story. I’ve always said that if I love your characters it doesn’t really matter what’s happening in the story. I’m hooked. Those are the type of people I want to connect with, and those are the types of stories I want to write.

   I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ve found happiness in writing again. I also wanted everyone to know that my stories in the future are probably going to be a little different, but I think it’s in the best way possible. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks of Wrong End. It’s a book that I truly put everything I wanted to do into, and honestly, I put my heart into ending that series. I hope you’ll all love it, but even more importantly, that book helped me remember why I write. It’s not for money or approval. It’s to express something that I couldn’t otherwise.