It's hard to believe it's April already. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Easter. The IWSG question this months is: Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?
The whole process of writing and publishing is one giant exercise in risk-taking. We put ourselves in the stories we write (even when it's fiction) and then bare it all when we let those stories out into the world for others to read and judge.
Then there's the risk of choosing a genre that might not be considered easy to sell.
Or the topics that people might have issue with.
Or the style of writing that might step slightly from the expected norms.
Or heaven forbid we should break those golden writing rules.
So yes, I'm a risk-taker when it comes to writing. I love breaking rules if it gives me the impact I want for the story. I don't have a choice of the genres I write in because while the market might be flooded with YA Fantasies, I love reading and writing YA Fantasies. And if the story edges toward a controversial topic, I will do my best to handle the topic with as much sensitivity and respect as I can, but I won't shy from it.
One more thing: I won't dumb down my language for the teen market. I write for young adults, not children. It's ridiculous the number of articles that say you should keep the language simple for the teens to understand. A rich vocabulary is important for all of us to be able to express the nuances of life. I don't write in jargon, but if there's a word that succinctly captures what I'm after, then I will use that word...even if it has--gasp--more than two syllables.
Just sayn'
How about you? Are you a risk-taker in writing? Do you bend or break the rules, if so, which ones?
This post was written for the IWSG.
Every first Wednesday of the month, members post on their blogs about
their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you
are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE.
