I have no idea why I’m writing a horror book. It’s one of my favorite genres to read, but I’ve never written anything but paranormal and fantasy romance. And there’s a little bit of romance in this book, but that’s not the main focus. My reading is so eclectic that I know I can’t write in EVERY genre I read. But horror has always been fascinating to me. So I thought I would give it a try. And I’ll have to say that this is the hardest thing I’ve ever written. I can’t tell if the violent scenes are interesting or not. Am I going into too much detail…not enough….? Are the scenes too long…too short….? The only way to know if this book is going to work is to set it down a week or so after it’s finished, then read it again as a reader. And then there are the beta readers. I’m really, really scared about sending this one out. What if my betas say this is trash? But what if it’s good? When I wrote Haunted Lake, I was able to get that spooky feeling that allowed me to write something a little dark. There was a little bit of mild horror in that book. Not anything really scary, although it would have been if it happened in real life. But the book I’m writing now has slasher type violence in it. I know I’m rambling, but I’m really, really worried about this book. I think this will be the last time I try horror. Maybe.
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lauralynnelliott.com 
Ooh, I had to reply to this post. I think this says something really interesting about moving from writer to published author — it’s a transition I’ve made in just the last year, so I feel able to comment on the effect on the writer mind. The last book I wrote was decidedly darker than the paranormal romance I’ve published. It also wasn’t focused on romance, and honestly, it made me feel quite out of my depth. I plan to publish it later this year, but honestly it has me scared. What if it isn’t good enough? What if betas say “what the heck is this?”
It’s important for a writer to be free to experiment. The discomfort is completely natural as we press outside of our comfort zone, which we MUST do. I think the real bravery will come into play when we decide, perhaps with some disappointment, that some things we attempt didn’t work well enough to publish them. That isn’t wasted time, it’s practice and we always learn something from attempting to write a different sort of story. I’ve obviously been thinking a lot about this after my last project. 🙂 There’s nothing gained by sitting back and doing what you’re comfortable with — that’s not how we grow as writers.
What great words of wisdom! I see exactly what you mean. To grow, you have to get out of that comfort zone. I’m not one to stress TOO much over my writing because, after all, I’m not doing brain surgery where someone else’s life is on the line. So I’m okay with experimenting with different things when it comes to writing. But this WIP really has me nervous. I’m sure you’ll be reading it before it’s published. LOL. You might have to be the one that smacks me on the head and says “Stick to romance!” 🙂 But I’m really glad you are having a similar experience with your darker book. I don’t feel alone.
I’m having fun with the next installment of the Children of the Sidhe series. Writing the urban fantasy wasn’t as much fun for me. Nothing about it felt comfortable. And I honestly don’t know what to make of that book right now. I’ll edit it when I’m done writing this novella. Back to the fun, fun, fun!!
I think it’s good to try new things. Stretches those writing muscles and lets you see what you’re capable of.
Yeah, I’m stretching to breaking point right now. LOL. I’m going for it, and we’ll see what happens.
Writing horror is fun! You really have to bring out your mean streak and put your characters through something extraordinary. If it makes you say, “Oh, my…” when you’re writing it, it will most likely have the same effect on your readers. Tell us more…and best wishes for a successful story.
Writing horror has been hard for me. I think it’s because I can’t tell if the scary scenes are scary enough or interesting enough. Will it keep the reader wanting to turn the page? I can write a love scene, but I’m not sure about this one. I guess I’ll find out when it’s in the hands of the beta readers.
It wasn’t as hard to kill off a couple of characters as I thought it would be. LOL