Wednesday, September 29, 2010

HI, My Name Is Sharon & I'm A... (and some thank yous)

Can you define who you are as a writer?

 Are you a picture book writer? A magazine writer? A chapter book writer? A middle grade novel writer? (Tween as HarperColllins calls them.) A young adult writer? An adult writer?

Let's break it down more...

Do you write strictly in one genre?  Do you have one target audience?

I'm just curious...

I'm still trying to define myself...I have written and submitted magazine stories, picture book manuscripts, chapter book manuscripts, and am working on a mid grade and a ya...

I'm not defined...yet...Are you?
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Random.org has been my friend as of late...the postlady has been delivering me lots of goodies and I had some wonderful people to thank...hopefully, I'll entice you into hopping over and checking them out...


It all started with Candace at Candyland sending me a copy of LIAR.  If you don't know Candace...she is the sweetest, funniest person in blogland, but today she needs a hug...so hop over and give her some REAL TLC...

Then a package came from the brilliant Tricia Goyer.  She sent me two of her Generation X Books!  Tricia has authored twenty books and lives in Arkansas.  Her blog is full of great advice.

Then the newly agented and soon to be released author Terry Lynn Johnson sent me a handful of her bookmarks (which I will share in the future), Lemur Troops & Critter Groups, Tilly's Tale, The Giving Meadow and The Emerald Tablet.  If you like the outdoors, adventure and animals you'll adore Terry!

To top it all off Sheri Larsen hosted the I Got U Blogfest...it was all about talking up a blogger you respected. (I did Buffy.)  It was such a great idea that I joined in  and...Sheri sent me a lovely book...A Great and Terrible Beauty.    If you are looking for an awesome interview or book review...hop over, you'll find one at the Writer's Alley!

My TBR pile is HUGE, but I'm not complaining....I'm really grateful for all these wonderful books.  I LOVE BOOKS!

BTW...Please introduce yourself...Hi, my name is...and I ....(if you are published in one genre please tell us and if you are a writer in another genre please tell us that too... If you are unpublished (like me) tell us what you write.) 

Thanks for stopping in today!!!  Happy writing everyone!

48 comments:

  1. Hi, my name is Amy and I'm a middle-grade writer.

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  2. Maybe you should use random.org to figure out which writer you are? ;-) I am also undefined. I write for preschoolers all day at work. I've tried my hand at middle grade. Have an idea for a YA (but have never written for this audience) And am now concentrating on writing for adults. While I dabble in short stories. Uh...yeah. :-)

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  3. No I'm still trying to find my way. But fantasy is what drives me; I have a thriller/suspense story in my head that I’ll have to write some day.

    To break it down to what type of writer I am, I’ll say this:
    I write from the heart and the hip. I don’t outline, plan or try to drive the story in anyway. I hope I convey the story the way it comes to me, bright, vibrant and oddly familiar… on a freakish scale. I hope my dialog come off as real and independent to each character’s attitudes.

    I write because I believe this is what I was born to do, and because I can’t fight the stories roaming around in my head. It kind of funny I found what my destiny was at age 35, and actually hated reading or writing of any kind before I discovered it. Now I can get enough of either.

    Thx

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  4. Oh oh oh, I want to play. :D

    Hi, I'm Stina, and I write YA romantic suspenses (at least for now) for girls fourteen and older.

    Now I'm off to visit Candace.

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  5. Hi, I'm Shannon and I'm a PB and MG writer. Congrats on all your fun new goodies. :-)

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  6. Hi, Sharon.
    My name is Claudian Del Balso (you already know me);) and I'm a published short story writer. I absolutely love writing short stories. I'm currently working on my own anthology. I have the beginning of a novel but that project has taken the backseat. Oh, BTW, Sharon, you are a writer no matter what genre you write. I think it's amazing that you have the capability of writing different genres ;)
    Keep on writing!

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  7. Hi, I'm Sandy, and I write sci-fi/fantasy and contemporary YA. :)

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  8. hello!! LOL!! And what fabulous books and bookmars you've accumulated too! Yay!!!

    I'd like to think I write for the adult market. Yep, definitely the grown up past YA type of market - not too literary but not too lighthearted either !! I doubt they exist but I live in perpetual hope! Take care
    x

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  9. I'm Carolyn and I write YA (dystopian, some contemporary). Congrats on all the cool stuff!

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  10. Hi, I'm Nevets, and I write psychological suspense and short, character-driven literary fiction. I had two short stories published in last year's Genre Wars anthology, available on lulu.com, and I will have another story published in the upcoming anthology, Notes from Underground.

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  11. Hi, my name is Carol and I have absolutely no desire to be a writer but I will cheer you on from the sidelines :-)

    C x

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  12. Hi Sharon. I bounce around genres too. I have written a completed romance novel, I have two scifi novels in various states of completion, and have a YA contemporary in the works for my Nano project this year. These are the genres I read and enjoy, so I guess it's no wonder I write in these areas as well. There's a lot of pressure to pick one and build your platform around that particular genre, but I find that limiting as a writer. I like going back and forth between these different types of project -- and I'm always learning too!

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  13. Great post! It took me a long time to define myself as a writer too. But now I'm an unpublished YA science fiction writer! Woot! :) Thanks for sharing this.

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  14. Hi my name is Candyland and I *heart* you...

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  15. Hi, I'm Misha and I write senior YA to adult novels in three genres. I'm still unpublished and am still just enjoying the writing process...

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  16. Hi, my name is Gary and I have no particular writing style. I like to do variety, but if there is one 'style' I do like is what I call 'grammar anarchy' which entails such things as doing run-on sentences that rely upon the over usage of 'and' and I have a great amount of enjoyment doing the occasional run-on sentence which usually comes to an abrupt halt.
    Seriously, I write from the 'heart' and realise the power and the magic of the written word. Happy writing to you and all those wonderful writers who interact on your wonderful site.
    With respect and kindness, your way, Gary :-)

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  17. THIS IS SO MUCH FUN! I HOPE EVERYONE ELSE IS ENJOYING IT AS MUCH AS I AM!

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  18. It is fun! I'm Jemi and I'm an aspiring YA steampunk, adult romantic suspense and possibly MG adventure & YA sci fiction writer :) And, no I don't think I'm schizophrenic ... why do you ask? :)

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  19. hi! im ummm. you know who i am! ha ha mostly i just write for me cause im just a beginner writer. so far what i wrote i think could be for more young kids but my shark story i think could be for any one from real old to real young cause of a really important message in it. i already been to see miss candace and gave her lot of love and a gigantical hug.
    ...heres one for you too HUG!!!
    from you know who. me!! :)

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  20. Hi, I'm Nathalie and I'm a...WRITER! Hard to define myself too, so I'll just stick with the obvious. ;)

    Written several horror short stories, had two published, poetry, one published, adult suspense, YA paranormal (hoping to get published!)and YA dystopian - WIP. Phew!

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  21. Hi, I'm PK and I started out writing YA, then dabbled in contemporary romance and adult suspense. They were great learning experiences but now I'm back to YA and it feels right.

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  22. Hi, I'm Amy and I wish I were a middle grade writer, but I write YA because that's what the books always turn out to be by the end. Does anyone else have this problem? I have also dabbled in picture books. Obviously I am not well-defined.

    Sharon, I see you already found your award(s) on my blog. You caught me before I could tell you!! And that's so cool we have so much in common. :) We people with parents who live overseas need to stick together.

    Amy

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  23. Hi, I'm MaDonna and I'm also undefined. This is funny because I was just struggling with this issue yesterday...what do I write? I should have a clear driving force of what genre I want to write, right? Those questions were popping up every time I sat to write! I was feeling like I was all over the place in my writing...glad I'm not alone!

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  24. Such a sweet post! I don't think you are defined until you (or someties your publisher) say you are. I'm published in wildlife biology journals, but still not in younger audiences. I love the younger audiences more too! :o)

    Have a great day, my good friend.

    Cheers,
    Jackee

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  25. Literary Women's Fiction! :o) That's the best I can do, because I can't choose only one or the other ... anyhoo, at least I know it's adult!

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  26. Lucky you getting all those books!

    I've dabbled in picture books. But I've written middle grade and young adult. I'd call myself a YA writer. And it has to have a paranormal element to it or I lose interest.

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  27. Hi Sharon .. I definitely cannot define myself .. I'm me! I'm starting to experiment more - writing short stories .. presenting a story ... and joining a speaker's club .. perhaps that will mull out some thoughts .. we'll see.

    Great thoughts though .. enjoy today - Hilary

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  28. Hi, my name is Bethany and I am a YA writer. :) However, I'm open to writing in other genres, YA has just given me more ideas than any other.

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  29. LOL Sharon! Okay, here I go ...

    Hi, my name is ali and I am a MG sci fi/fantasy writer. I got an literary agent offer this summer that would make me a YA writer, but as of yet, I'm not sure if that's going to pan out. So, I'm feeling rather UNdefined at the moment, even though just a few months ago I thought I was totally and completely defined, lol.

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  30. My name is Jenny...and I am a 'stream of consciousness word-aholic". Yea. That sounds about right.

    I generally go where my mind takes me although of late I've been actually trying to write a novel with commercial properties. I had an agent look at it who said she "loved my voice" and wants to see it when I'm at about 100,000 words. So it's gonna be a little bit.

    But that was encouraging.

    This was a good post.

    Thank you.

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  31. Hi! I'm a YA writer. :D

    Great post with great links. I think we all struggle to figure out who we are as writers. It's a continuous journey. I didn't start out writing YA, and I'm sure it won't be all I write. But it's where I am now!

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  32. Hi! I'm a children's poet. But I also write non-fiction for adults and fiction for children and teens. I just haven't had any fiction published yet. :o)

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  33. Wow, I'm not sure what I am either. I think basically I'm a mystery writer but I do write other genres. If I had to be labeled, I would pick mystery writer.

    CD

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  34. what a great post. I think it's really important to evaluate who you are and then think of who you want to be as a writer/agent/whatever. So here goes: HI! MY NAME IS JUDITH. AND I'M A LITERARY ASSISTANT. BUT EVEN WITHOUT THE PAYCHECK, I'M FIRST AND FOREMOST A READER.

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  35. Hi...my name is DL and I write mysteries/suspense novels. I am not published yet, so the definition of who I am right now lies exclusively in the hearts and minds of all my fellow bloggers. :)

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  36. Hi, my name is Susanne and I'm an unpublished author. I enjoy writing MG and YA, but I do have a few stories written for younger children.

    Enjoy reading all your new books!

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  37. Hi, I write YA and MG fiction. And I dabble in nonfiction too. I'm really excited for Terry Lynn and her soon to be released novel!!

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  38. Hi, my name is Joy. Interesting post. For now, I'm still discovering who I am as a writer. I've been published in the romantic suspense genre, but I also write YA (as yet unpublished) and I've had short stories published. No doubt, I'll be trying my hand at the next genre that catches my fancy. ;)

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  39. Hi, my name is Jill and I write contemporary inspirational romance novels. I loved this post! The bookmarks you got sound adorable!

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  40. Until recently I would have said I was a suspense thriller writer. Then lo and behold a child's book started taking shape in my head. Nobody was shocked more than me. It's exciting though. I don't think I'll ever pigeon-toe myself again.

    Great post, Sharon. And thanks for stopping by my blog. Say hi to Gary.

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  41. Hi Joylene:-)
    Nice to see you over here.....

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  42. Hi Sharon,
    my name is Anne-Marie and I want to invent a new genre of fiction called nostalgic fiction- you know, the 70s, rock and roll, the good old days.

    Actually, I just want to tell a great story or two.

    I hope life is treating you well, Sharon!

    xx
    AM

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  43. Hi Sharon!
    I'm Terry and I wrote a MG novel, but when I wrote a YA, I realized that is what I like best. I think it's good to grow, experiment and find out what suits you.
    I also write non fiction for magazines. I'll say my genre is outdoor adventure.
    (thanks for the shout out! You too, Paul!)

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  44. Good question! I'm Angie and I mostly write cat-humor. I enjoy writing humor of all sorts; however, it seems that I've fallen whiskers-first into the cat-humor niche.

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  45. You are a very talented lady, Sharon, and I'd have to say a great blogger! It's fun to see so many other writers' comments. Thanks for this post!

    I'm Connie, a writer of inspirational poetry and children's picture book. Your readers can learn more about my writing on the 12th!

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  46. Hi my name is Jan. My first two novels: Dead Frog on the Porch and the soon to be released second in the MegaByte Mystery series Dead Bird through the Cat Door are both middle grade. I have a y/a w-i-p with a title that changes as often as I change socks (when was the last time ...).

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  47. Hi my name is Terri and I write contemporary women's fiction. I dabbled in romance and decided it is too confining for me so am happy to know what I write!

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  48. Hi everyone, My name is Stephen Tremp and I write near future sci-fi thrillers.

    Stephen Tremp

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