I’ve always wanted to write deep, edgy, poignant and thought-provoking novels, but I’ve never figured out just quite how to tap that place way down in my psyche.
I write fluff. Fluff is light, entertaining, and certainly none too cutting edge. Janet Evanovich writes fluff, and she’s rich. So there’s definitely a market for silly and fun. I wrote a humorous personal experience newspaper column for over 10 years, and it was all fluff. Of course, I was terminated when it was determined that the newspaper had more no room for happy stuff. At least that’s how I interpreted the dismissal!
So what’s a fluff writer to do? Well, this fluff writer has decided to keep on keeping on, and not fight what I write. Someone else can write the hardcore suspense mysteries; I shall be writing light little sit-on-the-beach and be happily distracted “bubblegum” stories, and try not to beat myself up about it.
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen pitched a simple little idea to 88 publishers before they sold their first “Chicken Soup” book. So when a publisher tells me, “short stories don’t sell” in nearly every rejection letter I receive, I want to point to the success of those books full of short stories.
And my turn’s coming.