What I learned about my writing-self this year
I started off this year just wanting to write some fiction. To help inspire myself, I started reading a fair number of blogs by authors, both published and not.
I decided that I wanted to get published some day, too. So, I started thinking about what kinds of books get published and started trying to write some similar stories.
Bad move.
I love Hemingway and quite a lot of main stream fiction. I love King and quite a bit of popular, fluff fiction.
But, that is not what I need to write. That’s not what anybody should write besides Hemingway and King and a small handful of similar writers.
I need to write my fiction. Weird, odd, and maybe not very marketable fiction. I need to quit worrying about trying to make money at something that I
But, maybe it will be. After all, who would have predicted that Kurt Vonnegut would find enough people to read his books to provide him enough money to buy a doughnut. His books are odd, weird and excellent. Because they are his books. If King or Hemingway tried to write a Vonnegut book it would die a horrible death.
My big hope for 2007 is that I write my own weird stories without worrying about who wants to read. Then, hopefully, I can actually finish enough first drafts to start learning how to edit those stories into something that I can force my friends and family to read.

December 29th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
This is a good attitude to have. Maybe it is a self-esteem thing, but I haven’t been writing with the thoughts of selling my stuff. I’m happy to post to my blog as long as people are reading what I write. That is what makes me happy, though I certainly wouldn’t turn down any money. I guess I feel like I’m still “learning the craft”.
Keep writing your “weird stories”.
December 29th, 2006 at 8:47 pm
I was listening to the radio today and remembered how much I like garage bands and similar rough around the edges style. I think that is what I need to keep in my mind. Loud, rough, fun garage fiction.