On the days when I play in the real world, rather than my paranormal romance world, people often ask me (as they do most authors) “Why do you write?” “How do you do it?” or even “When did you know you were a writer?” My quick answer is always, “I write because I can’t paint”. I know that sounds sarcastic, but it’s a real answer. Sincere even.
Really, it is. I write paranormal romance books because I can’t paint, draw or sculpt. I think those visual artistic achievements are lovely and idyllic, because from my naive, outsider perspective it seems like those artists have it easy.
They paint what they see or sculpt what they feel and they’re done. Ta-da. They have a finished product to show the world. Writers of any genre are artists too, but at the end of the day, whether we pen paranormal romance novels or legal thrillers we’re not very close to the ‘ta-da’ part of the program.
I’m not so naive about artistry these days that I don’t realize how the painting and sculpture take just as much creative energy out of the artist as all the hours I put into the alpha females of my short stories and paranormal romance books.
But at the end of the project, no matter how quirky or beautiful the alpha female, my ‘ta-da’ moment as a paranormal romance writer resembles a doorstop more than art. Hmmm. Maybe I should start putting a bow on my completed manuscripts. I certainly can’t put bows in the hair of most of my alpha female heroines (at least not very often).
So I frequently remind myself about the fun of making stuff up for my paranormal romance novels. It’s a privilege to go adventuring with my alpha female imaginary friends. They become as much a part of me as my family is while we’re in the story together.
Because as much as the grass looks greener on a Monet landscape, I paint the scenes of my short stories and paranormal romance books with words – and it’s been that way for as long as I can remember.
Live the adventure,
