Write what you love?

[SaronaNalia]

The part about getting published does bother me a bit, but she's trying something new. That's hard, and I think she deserves credit for that.

Perhaps she didn't mean it so offensively at all. Maybe someone told her that her voice has a teenage feel, and that she might have more success with her work in the YA market, or something like that.

[victoriastrauss]

Originally Posted by SaronaNalia

Perhaps she didn't mean it so offensively at all. Maybe someone told her that her voice has a teenage feel, and that she might have more success with her work in the YA market, or something like that.

When I wrote my first novel, I just wrote it--I never considered audience or genre. The protagonist was 15, but I thought it was a book for grownups, because I considered myself a grownup (I was 17). But the woman who later became my agent saw that it was YA, and told me so. I was a bit shocked at first, but once I got over myself I saw that, yes, it was YA--just like the books I'd been reading and loving for so long. So it is possible to wind up in a market by accident, realizing only afterward that it's the right place for you.

- Victoria

[ElizabethJMW]

I went to a book reading by Tamora Pierce once and something she said really stuck with me. It was something like this, maybe not the exact words, but: Write what you love, because you're going to be the only audience it has for a very long time (and possibly forever).

I love writing. Obviously, yes, it would be awesome if I could write all day and get paid to do it. But that's not why I write. I do it because I have to and feel like my brain would explode if I didn't.

I write scripts for a local non-profit dance theatre company. I honestly don't care if they give me credit or not, the fun part was writing it (and seeing it come to life is pretty cool too).

I also make zines. Because I love zines. No one ever makes money writing and publishing zines, most people spend money they never see again. But it's a medium I love because I've read so many things in zines I would never have read anywhere else. And because I can feel free to put to print whatever I want. No agents. No queries. Just writing because I love to write.

I tried to go to college for journalism, because after telling every high school counselor and careers class teacher that I loved writing, that's what they suggested I do. I got straight As but I HATED it. Sure, I could do it and write those boring news stories, but then I was spending all my writing time working on stuff I didn't like and never had time to write anything I actually wanted to write. And was miserable.

But hey, everyone's different. A lot of writer's don't understand the world of zines, but it doesn't make me like them any less.

[dancing-drama]

Hmm... she might have meant it to come across differently. It's not easy to express yourself in 140 characters.

[fireluxlou]

Originally Posted by SaronaNalia

The part about getting published does bother me a bit, but she's trying something new. That's hard, and I think she deserves credit for that.

Perhaps she didn't mean it so offensively at all. Maybe someone told her that her voice has a teenage feel, and that she might have more success with her work in the YA market, or something like that.

It shouldn't bother you. Lots of writers are hired by book packagers in YA to write stories for them, the book packagers give them the idea and gist and they write the books.

Lauren Kate, LJ Smith etc.

[Elidibus]

At first, I was a bit upset with that quote. But then I began to think about it a bit and I can't say I blame her. I mean, come on. In this day and age it seems like all you have to do to get a YA book published is over complicate a love triangle (usually with paranormal or dystopian qualities) and give the book a black cover and boom! You beat out everyone else vying for shelf space.

What's worse is when what you love to write is extremely popular. I was killing kids in reality TV long before it was cool, dang it!