Hi everyone. Today I am giving over the blog to Diana Dawn. She is one of our authors featured in our "Beyond Starlight" box set. Diana is going to talk about the spin on writing multiple genres and the obstacles you can face.
~ What I did to Write Outside My Genre ~
Hello friends! I’m Diana Dawn and I’m a self-published author. I write clean romance stories including fantasy, historical and contemporary. I have a story featured right now in the “Beyond Starlight” boxed set. I thought I would use this blog post opportunity to offer a perspective on writing challenges… for example, writing in multiple genres.
I've always been a proponent of "write what you know", mainly because the content usually ends up more realistic and believable. (And let's face it, it makes things easier!) But sometimes circumstances arise that goes against this norm. For example, you decide you want to challenge yourself, or maybe you were challenged by some other factor, or maybe on a whim you've joined a boxed set that's completely out of your genre or comfort zone.
That's what happened to me! A few years back, I had joined a historical romance boxed set. I was really excited, because for years I had a specific story in my head that was finally going to get out in print. It was set in the pre-American revolution era. After several months, it was almost ready to go. All I had to do was fill in a few missing scenes and dialogue, polish up the ending and send it to the editor. And then my writing world came crashing down when the boxed set admin notified us that she had to cancel the set due to too many authors backing out. Needless to say, I was devastated. OK, maybe that’s a little over dramatic. I was very disappointed. I looked for other historical romance boxed sets but came up empty. I decided to shelf the story at that point. Shortly after, I came across an opportunity to join another boxed set. However, this one was a post-apocalyptic themed set.
Ummm… maybe not, I thought. Not only was I unfamiliar about writing in the post-apocalyptic genre, I had no clue how I was going to switch my story, background, characters, plot, locations, environment, etc. over to a post-apocalyptic era. It was my husband who encouraged me to try. So, I decided to take the challenge. First, I did my research. I read stories, watched movies, did searches, you name it! It was the most difficult writing project I have ever done. Although the story was complete, I had to gut the whole thing and practically start over. I almost gave up several times. But my husband kept encouraging me. He gave me ideas and acted as my sounding board, not to mention my beta reader, as the story made progress.
When I felt unmotivated (which was a lot), I used that time to work on a book trailer for the book and posted it on my YouTube channel. I used different video clips that looked “post-apocalyptic” in combination with my book’s description and details. The trailer ended up being very dramatic. I really liked how it turned out… so much so, that I used it to motivate me whenever I would get stuck or had an urge to give up. I was finally able to push through the process and conquer all the changes I had to make to the story to make it work. My husband even gave it to a coworker to read who liked reading post-apocalyptic genre books. She liked it, and so I was encouraged by that.
I wanted to share my experience to encourage other writers out there who might run into challenges like this. Don’t give up! Find something that motivates you in regards to your story or the genre, like I did with the book trailer. Find whatever speaks to you. Get a support system or buddy that will encourage you, whether it’s a family member or friend or fellow author. And finally, find someone or a group of folks who would be willing to beta read your story and give you feedback. I hope you found this post helpful. All my best wishes for your writing endeavors in the future! And I’d like to give a special thank you to K.M. Jenkins for the opportunity to post on the blog today. Thank you all for listening!
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ABOUT THE AUTHOR*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Diana Dawn
As a lover of fairy tales and romance, Diana has focused her writing on romantic fiction, with a hint of classic fables. She has been a lifelong writer and first began creating stories in grade school. When she isn't glued to her computer or lost in her next fantasy story, Diana enjoys taking vacations with her husband and three children.
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Visit my author website for free downloads and news of upcoming releases. Also, you can sign up for my newsletter for more news plus GIVEAWAYS!
Download the first two books in my series FREE at my website or at these links:
Fallen Snow: Whispering Willow Book 1—
Beyond the Tunnels —
Diana's Newest Releases:
Starboard Hearts —
Forget Me Not —
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ABOUT THE BOOK*ੈ✩‧₊˚
~ Starcrossed Love ~
Featured: "Beyond Starlight" Box Set
"Starcrossed Love"
by: Diana Dawn
Kira’s planet's sun had suffered collapse, destroying her world and everyone she loved. As part of the Gundrie race, Kira's crystal pendant with its energy source of their planet's sun would allow her to live forever. She was one of only two left of the Gundrie. The other was a man she despised. If you are one of the last of a race that lives forever, how can you find everlasting love?
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