My Crack (and no, this isn't about my butt)

-
Pens, notebooks and books. Just looking at the words gives me shivers. I look at all three things in any Target, Barnes and Noble or grocery store.

Right now I'm obsessed with:
I feel like I've finally found my niche with YA (and I hope that doesn't change!) It's a whole new world for me and I love it. I was obsessed with Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books when I was little. I always thought I'd be good at writing funny-type books for 11-13 year olds. Right now I'm working on an edgy YA for later teens, and I've never had a story fall into place like this has.

Did you have to go through different genres before you found your niche?

Comments

Sarah Ahiers said…
You should try a uniball signo pen. AWESOME.
And no, i guess i didn't play around with my genre. BUT, i write in a few (fantasy, sci-fi, horror and all their little branches) so i don't know if that counts?
March 3, 2010 at 10:35 AM
Tamika: said…
Ha! Target is my home away from home.

I started with Women's Fiction and that's probably where I'll live. I relate well tell stories that impact today's woman.

Happy writing!
March 3, 2010 at 11:09 AM
Stephanie said…
When I started writing, I just wrote...I had no clue who I was really writing for. I had a story to tell and that's what I was doing. It wasn't tell later on after I'd finished my first novel and was looking into what I had to do to get it published that I learned about genre. That's when I ran into all sorts of problems. My book started out in present day, very adult, women's fiction, then flashed back to her teen years for a good portion of the book...very YA. Then the end came back tot eh present and dealt with some very serious adult issues. I had no clue how to market it. needless to say, the story is shelved indefinitely. After that I found I really enjoyed writing women's fiction and chick lit and realized some of what I wrote was categorized as romance too. But I love YA and stories of self-discovery and coming of age stories.
March 3, 2010 at 12:53 PM
Kelly@ JustWrite said…
Funny, I've never had any doubt that I would write YA. I guess maybe I never matured past my teen years! Truthfully, I believe books were never more important to me than when I was a preteen/teen. Maybe that's the appeal, that I will be able to make sense of their often confusing world.
March 3, 2010 at 12:57 PM
Rhonda said…
Pens, notebooks and books are my three favorite things in the world. At back to school time I wander through the supply aisles with a glazed look in my eye and run my hands over the rows of neat, shiny new notebooks and pens. I'm also very, very picky about what notebooks and pens I will buy/use. I'm SUCH a nerd.

And don't even get me started on books. I'm going to be blogging about my book habit later today. It's not pretty.
March 3, 2010 at 1:41 PM
BK Mattingly said…
I loved the title to this post! For me, I didn't have as many genres to choose from. I wanted to write about what I know. I began writing in high school and I'm still in college so YA is where I belong now and it's stolen my heart so I doubt I'll be changing it anytime soon. I noticed you're following me so I thought I'd stop by and say hi and thanks for checking out my blog!
March 3, 2010 at 2:01 PM
Anonymous said…
I knew my niche right away and I think I'll always love it. I have recently tried branching out into new things and it's strange and fun but I haven't lost the love for my "home."

And I looooove pens!
March 3, 2010 at 2:58 PM
Raine Chasing said…
I'm with Falen on the Uniball Signo pens. They are awesome.

The first novel I started to write way way back was fantasy, then I moved onto sci-fi, and now edgy YA. I guess I don't really have a specific niche - I leave my options open. My edgy YA novel seems to have the most potential since I've read alot more YA than fantasy or Sci-fi.
March 3, 2010 at 4:30 PM
Elizabeth Mueller said…
Hmmmm.... Well, like L.T., I've always known my genre. I can't stop thinking about it. But I have strayed and experimented with other genres and still do very well with them.

My heart will always belong to fantasy, though! :D
March 3, 2010 at 5:24 PM
Unknown said…
I loved Judy Blume when I was a girl!! I should reread some of those books...

My genre, literary fiction, fits my writing style like a glove. I have found, though, that experimenting with other genres and moving outside my comfort zone takes my craft to the next level.

Have a fab evening!
March 3, 2010 at 7:11 PM
DL Hammons said…
Been a mystery writing dude from the very beginning...but I do slip in an occassional to other genre's when I write short stories.
March 3, 2010 at 7:28 PM
ck.twilighter (Chasity) said…
Butt Crack!!

Bwahahahahaha!!=) I love it!

WOW... those pens look sleek and I am sure it feels great when writing. I must admit I am a Cheapo so i havent heard of it.
Moleskin notebooks... again WOW... I can imagine writing in those. I wonder if i can find them locally in Hawaii...
Thanks for sharing these goodies.

YA books... any book.... hehehehe, I buy plenty of.
I was read a lot of Judy Blume as well.. among other novels.
I hope you continue to enjoy your reads!


BTW, I want to extend an award to you and your blog:
http://lll808.blogspot.com/2010/03/yummy-my-first-award.html

Take care!
March 4, 2010 at 1:41 AM
Suzette Saxton said…
I have always loved writing anything for children. All ages, all genres. :)
March 4, 2010 at 10:49 AM
Suzette Saxton said…
P.S. Your post title had me laughing out loud!
March 4, 2010 at 10:50 AM
Shelley Sly said…
I'm with the others -- love the post title!

I'm still searching for my genre. I've written two books in two different styles, and I'm not even sure which genres they are. One might be able to squeeze into the YA classification. But I think once I figure out exactly where I belong, I'll feel more at home.

Great post. Love pens and notebooks, too!
March 4, 2010 at 11:07 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Name is Lisa and I Write Crap

-
Image
I used to be so afraid of writing something horrible, that I wouldn't write anything at all. I'd have a half-hour or so to myself and instead of getting as much down as I could, I'd type, delete, retype and delete again. I had to have perfect sentences formed from perfect ideas. It didn't work. It took me years to finally learn to just write anything. Even if it's crap (and it usually is first time around). But I'm finally OK with writing a crappy first draft. If it's still crap when I'm done, well, that's another problem all together. I used to think, What if I died tomorrow and my family found this notebook full of god-awful first drafts? They'd think I was a terrible writer! If I can write only awesome sentences, they'll realize what talent I had and be sorry they didn't take more interest in my amazing stories... or something like that. Anyway, now when I start writing a story (whether it's a novel or a screenplay) I just
Read more

Yet Another Embarrassing Confession (you would think I'd have run out by now)

-
The absolute worst part about being a writer for me is grammar and punctuation. With every post I put up, every email I send and every story I write, I am waiting for someone to come back to me and say, "Seriously? How can a writer not know where to put commas?" Commas are my enemy. I have no clue where they go. I try to put them where I think would be a natural pause in a sentence, but I know I'm usually wrong. I basically toss them up in the air willy-nilly and let them land where they want. Can you recommend a grammar/punctuation book that is easy to understand? (I never took a "real" English class in high school, so I'm starting fresh). The Elements of Style is too...sterile for me. I need something I can easily grasp onto. I'd greatly appreciate any, suggestions. (<< that comma was a joke. See, at least I can joke about my ignorance)
Read more

The Time I Exploded When I Was Seven

-
Image
I was seven the summer of 1977, when my dad told me Elvis Presley had died. For a young kid, I was actually pretty interested in music and felt bad about him dying. I asked how Elvis died and my dad told me he exploded because he ate too much. I believed him. What did I know, I was seven? A few days later my dad made us egg salad and olive sandwiches, my favorite. I ate my entire sandwich and asked for another one. He made it for me. I ate about half of it when suddenly I started to not feel so good. I ran to the bathroom and threw it all up. My dad came in and said I ate way too much. Couldn't he have told me that bit of information before he made me the second sandwich? I started crying hysterically and wouldn't stop. He asked why and I told him I was exploding like Elvis and about to die. He laughed. I cried and threw up some more. I didn't eat egg and olive again until I was 28 and my husband made me try it. Now I love it. But only one sandwich at a time
Read more