…going on around here.
I had to gut the beginning of my WIP and start over. This was hard and I’ve spent precious days at the same word count because I’m deleting as much as I’m writing. This sucks, frankly. It’s frustrating and makes me anxious because I have A LOT to get done NOW, and making progress that doesn’t increase my page count isn’t really making progress.
I’ve found myself stuck wanting to write a story with romantic elements, rather than writing a romance. Since this is the second story I’ve worked on (the other is a partial from last year) where this has happened, I’m thinking it’s a sign. Not that I want to quit writing romance, because I won’t ever do that, but that I need to have an outlet for stories that have romantic elements rather than being labeled romances.
Anyway, I’ll have more on this later. It’s late and I have to get up with my kids soon. 
Oh, you so have my sympathy, Sylvia!! It seems like at least once a manuscript I end up spending days writing, gutting, rewriting…and it always results in getting to deadline and having no time left to sleep as I need to stay up most the night writing. Definitely not a fun place to be. I hope things work out for you reall soon! Got my digits crossed.
on February 1st, 2007 at 11:43 am
Hi There Sylvia,
I just finished THE STRANGER I MARRIED and couldn’t resist dropping you a line to say how absolutely delicious it was. I’ve never read you before but the advance promo for the book in RT and, okay, the super sultry hunk on the cover, lured me in. How glad I am that it.
It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed an historcal half so much. I loved the older woman - younger man angle though I can’t help wishing Isabel “Pel” might have been a wee bit older than 26/30. But alas, no full-blown “Mrs. Robinsons,” at least not in an historical, I know, more’s the pity.
I also found the secondary romance to be refreshing and delightful. I hope to see Isabel, Grayson, Abby and Rhys as cameos in future books. In the interim…
Happy writing (no worries, you’ll get it done–we always do).
Hope Tarr
on February 1st, 2007 at 2:27 pm
I sympathize with your frustration. You’ll write through it, I’m sure. If you do write with romantic elements instead of romance, would you write under another name?
Dawn
on February 3rd, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Hi Dawn,
I’m hoping to continue using my name as is. I would prefer to just write the books for a non-romance imprint and have them shelved in a different section of the bookstore.
But that’s really putting the cart before the horse at this point. I’m just thinking out loud. It startled me a bit when I saw that the books were more heavily focused on things other than the romance. I remember saying not too long ago that I would never write anything but romance, and now suddenly I find myself doing exactly that. Not in place of romance, but in addition to. It’s fun actually…when they’re not taking over my other books. *g*
hugs,
Sylvia
on February 4th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I think it’s a testament to what a good writer you are that you can cross genres. If your muse is telling you to write a mainstream novel, go for it.
on February 4th, 2007 at 7:27 pm