>The choice is an important one.

On one of the private loops I frequent, there was a recent discussion about what an author has to write to sell a romance, what sub-genres are selling, that kind of thing. The fear seemed to be that you had to write extreme erotica these days in order to sell a book. What developed out of that conversation is a 3-part series.

That conversation got me to thinking that some writers could make knee-jerk decisions, based on some perceived market trend that could set them back years in the quest for publication. Thank God, I’m a much more methodical decision maker, (although my husband doesn’t always think that’s a positive thing).

For instance, on a recent trip to the office supply store, I was trying to decide on a wireless mouse. Who knew they came in such shapes, sizes, colors, and such a variety of prices, not to mention laser vs. optical and USB driven vs. a larger, more unwieldy receiver? Hubby would’ve have bought the one recommended by the salesperson and left. Me? There were too many choices to believe that salesperson had picked out the perfect one for me. Turns out he hadn’t. I liked another brand with a USB pen receiver that fits inside the mouse when not in use, saving the battery. It’s more portable, compact, and the fit was comfortable in my hand. Would the recommended mouse have worked? I’m sure it would. I probably could have used it for years. But this one was much more suited to ME and my needs.

If we’re willing to take such care choosing items we use on a regular basis, why then would we take any less care in considering what kind of book we want to spend hours, days, weeks, even months of our time writing?

I began reading at the age of three and can’t ever remember a world without it. I’ve read too many books in my lifetime to even begin to remember them all. As an adult, I’ve enjoyed the occasional thriller, cozy mystery or family saga, but they had to have an element of romance in them to truly hold my attention. When I first decided to learn the craft of writing, I needed to make a decision as to which area to target in order to concentrate on and try to excel in that area. So, for me, that decision of what to write was never about genre. It never occurred to me to write anything but romance because it was so ingrained in my reading, TV and movie choices. The question was: What kind of romance?

And that brings me to Part 2: Factoring in market and trend.

To be continued…