For writers there is the constant consideration of -- write for the market or write from their own heart. Unless it's a hobby, making money at writing has to be a consideration. Sometimes a writer gets lucky and what the market already wants is what they enjoy writing-- definitely fortuitous. A writer might write to their own heart and hit a zeitgeist-- a time when the winds change, and they ride the first wave.
This is on my mind today because I finished the rough draft for the last book for a series that hasn't found a market. These books are twice as long as some of the best selling books, where novellas are so popular. I could have written two or maybe three books in the same time. So why write longer books? Why not look at what is selling and try to create my own version of it? Why when I see that my historicals sell better, set a series in contemporary times?
There are reasons for all of that. Of course, one is the hope that this story from my heart will find readers who will love it as much as I have loved writing it. It's kind of a weird thing how I put off writing more than a couple of chapters for over a year from when I had brought out the fourth in that series. I believe this was the right time for writing it. It's a better story than it would have been if I'd jumped right in after the fourth. I learned things about the characters that I might've missed back then.
However, a delay like this is another of those no-no's if someone wants to sell books-- regular production is important to keep a market waiting for the next one. A year off and who but me cares that I am writing it now. That wasn't a question lol.
