At the end of last year, a friend of mine had her plan in place (an incredibly ambitious plan) of everything she wanted to write in 2012.
In January I was in awe of her.
Now, as we're about to start the second half of the year, I'm jealous.
Because I'm not sure what to write next.
It's not that I don't have any ideas. (I'm not one of those "one idea at a time" writers....who, I must admit, I'm also jealous of, because they don't have to contend with the distraction of shiny, new ideas.) It's that I don't know which to work on.
I asked someone this weekend, who'd read both THE FIRST VICTIM and CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN which type of book they'd like to read from me next. They said they'd rather read something closer to THE FIRST VICTIM. Others have said they won't more stuff in the vein of HITWOMAN.
The problem is, I enjoy writing both. So how does one choose between two loves?
Do I ask my agent which she thinks she can sell?
Since my next release is another HITWOMAN book (coming in October!) should I stick with that voice/genre to build my brand?
Or should I diversify my readership?
Or maybe I should just flip a coin?
Tell me Killer Friends: What do you think? How do you make "impossible" decisions? And how far in advance do you plan YOUR projects?
(Oh, and my friend, the one with the year-long plan? I think she's going to have an amazing publishing year in 2013. Stay tuned for the details!!)
5 comments:
Ack. This is one of those problems I can see smacking upside the head when I get closer to this becoming an actual career. Right now, I just write whatever strikes my fancy. I started thinking about what I'll be writing for NaNo this year and it's looking like a dystopian - if I can get these edits done.
I wish I could help you. I'd love to see either type of story - or something totally new, if that's striking you right now. I'm flexible. You could always try eeny-meeny, and if whichever one you pick feels like a disappointment, then you should probably write the other thing. (Sounds silly, but it works sometimes.)
Wow, this seems like a nervewracking decision. And I assume it's pretty hard to please everyone with one book so maybe this is a two or three part plan? Since you've obviously done AWESOME writing what appeals to you - that's what I would do. Write the idea that won't leave your head and I bet you that your readers will DEVOUR It:)
Speaking from the experience of someone whose spent the last seven years writing whatever strikes my fancy, I would really suggest building your brand. I've done contemporary, erotica, sci-fi, paranormal - fae, vampires, werewolves, and dabbled in historical and always felt like I was a loose cannon. I enjoyed what I was writing, but I have a sneaking suspicion that readers may not really know what to expect from me because I was all over the place. [And personally, I would love to fill my shelves with the Hitwoman series!]
Speaking from the experience of someone whose spent the last seven years writing whatever strikes my fancy, I would really suggest building your brand. I've done contemporary, erotica, sci-fi, paranormal - fae, vampires, werewolves, and dabbled in historical and always felt like I was a loose cannon. I enjoyed what I was writing, but I have a sneaking suspicion that readers may not really know what to expect from me because I was all over the place. [And personally, I would love to fill my shelves with the Hitwoman series!]
Stick with the brand! I worked in advertising and I used to see companies get tired of their logo or message loooooog before the public did. You can never brand enough.
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