Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Rebel Writing

 It's another meeting of the IWSG ! 



Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!


April 7 question - Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?


Why, yes I am! If you can't take risks on the page, well I don't where you can. I'm not putting in all this effort to play it safe. I have two novels out looking for homes right now and both of them, I think, may be a little harder to place than is necessarily comfortable - but I won't change them to make them more palatable to the market place. The oldest one is possibly a YA, not truly sure, I didn't write it that way on purpose but that seems to be the consensus. It might be a little tricky because something terrible happens to the protagonist. I tried to not have it happen but working with an editor who begged me to try had both of us realize that the story had to go that way. The more recent novel presents some controversial topics to do with a large corporation and indigenous land use. I wrote it out of my fury with the provincial and national governments involved and heartbreak for both the ecological disaster happening and the vulnerable indigenous people of that land. Even though I have fictionalized the various aspects I know this will be a tough call for a publisher. I guess I'm looking for a brave-hearted politically savvy publisher and I hope I find him or her.

I don't think either of them are preachy or didactic in any way but they do deal with controversial subjects that I am passionate about. I cannot imagine spending the years needed to write a novel if it didn't include subjects that I feel strongly about.

Right now both of these books are under consideration by two different publishers who each requested a whole manuscript. I am tremendously pleased to have made it this far, and I believe both of these stories need to be told. My current WIP isn't about anything too controversial right now but who knows! Things can change and as I'm a pantser (meaning I don't pre-plot or plan my novels) I really can't promise my protagonist won't stay out of trouble.

Well, it is time to get back to that wip which is called (for now anyway) Lost & Found. I wrote a thousand words a day for all of March and for April my goal is 500 words a day as I also need to start putting in some structure. I have 55 thousand words so far and will have about 66 thousand by the end of this month which is nearly a book so lots of fun! 

I hope all of you are well and busy writing (if that is your jam) or gardening or making quilts or rocking babies or painting pictures or ...



6 comments:

Liza said...

Wow! I am so impressed with the progress you have made on your current WIP! And you know I am cheering you on from afar on your two submissions. Enjoy your writing, and spring that is finally arriving!

Pat Garcia said...

Hi,
I love your attitude! That's the way I think too.
Enjoyed reading your article.
Take care and have a great month of April.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia

Margot Kinberg said...

I am so happy for you that those publishers want full manuscripts. That's fantastic! No matter what happens with them, I think you're wise to have taken the risks you take. That's when the best writing happens - when we're willing to do that. Some writing risks, of course, don't pay off. But the ones that do make everything worth it.

Chrys Fey said...

"If you can't take risks on the page, well I don't where you can." I love that. Well said, and I totally agree. :)

Nick Wilford said...

I agree with your sentiments here. We need to take risks and push boundaries or the writing becomes dull for us and the reader. Absolutely great news on the response from publishers. Good luck on those and your ongoing WIP.

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