Stephen King: Horror. Brandon Sanderson: Fantasy. Michael Connelly: Mystery.
It is quite easy for readers to box an author into one genre. Is it fair to do so? No, I don’t think it is. In fact, I think it is disrespectful of readers to say that an author should only write in one genre because that is the kind we enjoy the most or because it is the genre that specific author is mostly known for. While there is a good number of authors who decide on their own to write in one specific genre, there is also a large group of authors who aren’t content doing the same thing with every story that they tell.
No matter what genre an author is known for, it is their choice to write in whatever genre they desire. At times, a horror author might write a love story because they are tired of the former or a fantasy author might dip their fingers in the sci-fi genre because they are sick of having to describe every detail of their worlds. I know exactly how this feels.
I am nearing the 100k words mark on Heavenly Lights. It’s amazing how what started as just a little spark of a thought turned into a four hundred page novel in a little over half a year. But here’s the thing: I am growing tired. My writing has been taking a hit because my brain is fried due to working on the same story every single day for the past seven months. So, I have come to the decision that I am going to work on some other projects as I go forward with Heavenly Lights. These will serve as side projects that I can revert to if I feel the need to step away from HL without sacrificing writing time. I am working on a sci-fi novella that I am writing in a very unconventional way. I am also working on a YA novel the idea for which came to me sometime last year and then blossomed about a month ago when I was making dinner. It’s amazing what can happen when you are making macaroni and cheese. (What can I say? I’m a broke college student.)
With that said, here are my goals for the rest of the year:
Heavenly Lights– Finish the first draft by in the middle of Summer 2015, finish rewrites by September. After that, off to the editor.
Project ABC (YA novel)- Finish the first draft in the middle of summer 2015. This one is more of a guilty pleasure project and is easy to jump into even when I am in a writing slump. I am aiming at about 60k words in this one. I will be working on the second draft soon after I am finished writing the first and will have it done within a month, then it’s off to the editor.
Sci-Fi Novella– This one will be done sometime in the next couple of months. Whether or not it is something that anyone will see remains to be decided. I am going to be the first to admit that I don’t know very much about writing in the science fiction genre.
Witch on Trial– Yes, there is a witch, and yes, there is a trial. It’s a humorous fantasy story with a good amount of science fiction throughout. That is all I am going to give you for now. This, like Project ABC, is sort of a guilty pleasure project. I don’t have a set date on which I want to finish as I am writing it in short spurts. This novel will be the first or second in a series that I hope will be a lot of fun for readers.
There is the overview of my writing projects and goals. What are yours? Do you have projects in different genres that you are working on? What one is your favorite to write in? Share below in the comments!
Evan W.S. Morgan 