On this day I was helping my dad push these cows and calves through the gate to fresh pasture. All of them went but one onery old cow. A maverick. She didn't want to go to that side of the fence and ran back to where she'd left her calf. Trouble was, he had the good sense to follow the herd through the gate, and was waiting for his mother to come to her senses and join the rest of the bunch on their new, fresh grass.
I feel like that cow sometimes.
I don't always want to do what the bunch does.
For instance, I write geared toward Intrigue a lot. But I break some of their rules. I don't always have the hero/heroine meet in the first chapter. I like to use the words ass, cock and sometimes fuck. My stories are often violent. All supposed no-nos.
In my single titles I really like to color outside the lines. In one story I have a married heroine, and a racially charged storyline in another manuscript.
Do these things keep me from selling, or getting on the new, fresh pasture?
Maybe.
But I'm like that stubborn cow. I know what I want to do. I don't want to be like the rest of the herd, placidly following along through the gate. If it makes me run in cirlcles, so be it.
I know what I want to do, I know that it may not be like a lot of other people. But that's okay.
Some day I'll find that gate.
Your gate is so waiting for you, D'Ann! You stick to your guns and it will pay off—I know it. I've read your stuff and it's awesome! Trust me, it'll be on the shelf one day :)
ReplyDeleteD'Ann...umm what did I miss? I didn't know ass, cock etc was a bad thing. LOL
ReplyDeleteGreat post. And yes, you will find that gate...though I think you already have...just push yourself through.
D'Ann, you are a fantastic writer--I've read your work. And I'm proud of you that you don't follow the herd--I don't either--I break all kinds of rules with my stories--not necessarily writing rules, but how a story is put together and how the characters are supposed to behave.
ReplyDeleteI've been a reader for many, many years, and frankly, I'm sick of the same old, same old. I WANT to read a story from an author that doesn't follow the herd!
Sometimes being different from the herd will get you noticed. It is okay to challenge the laws of publishing. Following the herd might get you slaughtered. Being that maverick with the right backing can get you published. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though I am a friendly yet ornery cow right next to you! If your own rules work for you - break convention.
ReplyDeleteIf you're a rule breaker, you may have to get someone's attention the hard way. Maybe put one of your books on Kindle and see if the readership likes the way you break the rules. *Then* maybe the publishers will come to you and beg you to break some more rules :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm right there on the wrong side of the fence with you, D'Ann. I've got stuff that I know will fly in the face of convention. Don't care. There are people who will read it. If enough of us stay on our side of the gate, we can form our own herd!
ReplyDeleteLove your post!
"I like to use the words ass, cock and sometimes fuck." What?!? I seriously need to read more of your work D'Ann. LOL Great post. I know the feeling. I just finished a MS that has two couples in a very non-traditional story structure. I keep hearing "I love the story but can you split it into two stories?" Uhh - that'd be a'no' for me, sir. **shakes head** Why does my muse have to be so hard-headded?
ReplyDeleteI love it that you don't follow the herd. What an awesome analogy!
ReplyDeleteAt least you're not off your rocker like me. I can't even stick to a traditional genre. I had to get all weird and throw in the with steampunk crowd. Which I recently found out is on the decline.
ReplyDeleteBut I think you'll be all right with Branded. Jo Davis pulled off Julian, a Spanish character in her Station Five series.
You work is just too fantastic not to get noticed someday. And you've got that Golden Acorn award shining brightly for you. You're on the right track.
Who'd want to read the same ol' sh*t, time after time? Agents say they want something different and fresh one moment, but within the double yellow lines the next. Sometimes taking it outside the forbidden zone gets us to the green grass and on to newer pastures. Kudos to blazing your own trail.
ReplyDeleteYou have to break the rules sometimes. It's what will make you stand out. I love your stories!
ReplyDeleteYou'll get to that open gate soon, I just know it. Just keep doing what you're doing!
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with being different? Nothing! I like your work. Your writing's different, unique, it's you. Sure as hell ain't vanilla, lol. Don't a change a damn thing, D.
ReplyDeleteGood post. I know you'll find your gate.
ReplyDeleteIf you wrote like everyone else then what would distinguish your work? Look for a literary agent, one of the good ones who can give you input and represent you to the bigger houses who accept writing that's out of the box--or try for the erotica publishers who prefer stronger sexual language.
ReplyDeleteI like those naughty words and also use them. LOL Every writer has her or his own sytle and voice. I like being unique in my personal life and as a writer. As a reader, I'm always looking for some fresh and different. Great post!
ReplyDeleteFollow your heart and that gate will open. It may not be the gate you expect to go through, but maybe this other gate is beyond your expectations! You have everything going for you!
ReplyDeleteSome of us do love coloring outside the lines...but all that means is that we get a larger coloring book. You're a great writer, and some day the world will know it!
ReplyDeleteI'm a firm believer in that you've got to write for yourself. If you don't want to write it, why would anybody want to read it, lol?
ReplyDeleteKeep being true to your vision! The gate is there, and the gate holders have to expand their horizon sometime. Just sneak through when they're not looking;)
Great post, D’Ann! You will find the gate or better yet-make your own. If we all followed the 'rules' wouldn’t we all have the same story? All of us published? There are no rules to follow, but the ones you make for your own writing. Follow your instincts.
ReplyDeleteYou will succeed!
Thnak you, everyone, so much for coming by! I really apprciate you and your thoughtful comments.
ReplyDeleteD'Ann, Don't you change a thing... that gate will open for you, probably when you least expect it.
ReplyDeleteKeep writing and don't ever, ever give up!
You have a lot of supporters here; I haven't read you, but they are gaga with praise; John Grisham's 1st book A Time To Kill only sold 1500 the first printing and it had a child molestation scene and he used the N word a hundred times. That is breakin some rules! I think it's ALL about the audience we are trying to entertain. If you use profanity I would think your settings should be basically contempory. And frankly, what are you pursueing, a good career or a great one? Nobody in the top 10 US fiction writers uses profanity, I think. Maybe I am wrong. The tone of your post is captivating.
ReplyDeletegreat analogy, keep swinging on your own gate, it'll open one of these days for you.
ReplyDelete