It's a Matter of Heart

Jumping back into writing after about a 5 year hiatus, I'm relearning how to live with all those voices in my head. It seems once you open the door, they rush right in. They're loud, obnoxious, needy, and impatient! But I can handle it. I do have 4 teens after all. I'm used to loud, obnoxious, needy and impatient. It will take some doing, but I'll get them whipped into some manner of respectful organization. Once that task is done, however, there is another pressing problem. What do I write?

There's the half-competed women's fiction story of two best friends who Road Trip themselves out of their simultaneous meeting at the crossroads of life. There's the plotted out fireman story because, well, who doesn't love to fantasize about firemen? Another choice is the  love triangle with a twist--one of them is not really human. Or I could chuck all of that and start on the new Young Adult story that's been keeping me up at night.

Decisions, decisions! I think back on my pre-hiatus RWA conventions and try to recall the advice garnered from rubbing shoulders with all those editors, agents,and authors. Research the market. Find out what publishers are buying. Read in the genre you want to sell in. Discover the hot topics! It sounds like an awful lot of non-writing work when all I want to do is write, already!

Then, a voice from outside my own consciousness, whispers to my soul. Write the book of your heart. That's it! Every workshop I attended, every panel I listened to, every agent I pitched all ended their advice sessions with the same message--write the book of your heart.

Although I burn with envy at my published author friends, I know enough to understand that writing the book of their hearts is not a luxury they get to indulge in very often anymore. I long for, plan for, reach for the day I lose that luxury. For now, however, I'm still in that selective literary lap of luxury called writer's choice. Think I'll try enjoying it for a while.

So, in this month of hearts and flowers, I'm going to fall in love all over again! I'm ready for passion, romance, flirtatious rendezvous! The characters I'm currently in love with and the story that holds my heart is the one I will write. I hope, when the agents or editors see it, it will be the book of their heart, too.