Becoming a novelist

[Elvin]

I actually try not to limit myself to a certain genre or age group. To me things vary so much between each and every thing that I write. For example what I am writing right now looks like it will be more along the lines of a Science Fiction/Horror targeting older teenagers/adults but that doesn't mean that it will still be that way when I am done. And that most certainly doesn't mean that my next story/idea will be horror as well.

I know what you're saying, but authors are generally better at one than another, right?

[Dinky]

Go Pro?? Heck, yeah!! That's my dream! Although... I haven't improved beyond a high-school level, either.
In college, I got two offers for full four year scholarships in English (writing) by my two different English professors, and turned them both down. What was I thinking?????
I (obviously) prefer the genre of fluffy romance (yep, can't get any more pathetic than that) but I also tend to lean toward the fantasy. I'd have to say, though, instead of writing full-length novels for adults, I'd much prefer to write something for children/young adults. There's so much more scope there! So much more room for the imagination! Ever read young adult books? Two of the best I've ever read were "Through the open door" by someone I can't remember at the moment about a boy who cuts a door into a big cardboard box that ends up leading into another world. There's a war going on between the dragons (which are really ugly, nasty, but very smart creatures) and the humans- and it turns out his mother had been killed fighting with them. It was actually a very dark story, with death and etc.
The other one was "Cold Tom", once again by an author I can't remember right now that was about a boy of the Faerie being kicked out and turning human. Very, very strange and very, very good.
But see what I mean? Young adult/children's books have way more scope for the imagination!
I've also co-authored a book for young children- "The elf stole my smile!"- that was illustrated by my older sister. We're hoping to get it published someday.
But- connections in the publishing industry?? Man, don't pass that up!! Connections are a HUGE deal!

[Elvin]

I know what you mean, I found a lot of the books aiming for adults to be pretty dry imo, although I'm not skillful enough to think up some awsome murder mystery or intense drama.

[Zeratul2k]

Go pro? The thought does cross my mind from time to time. My writing skills are high-school level at best, though.

[xXemobunnyXx]

I'm going for YA, mostly. But within that i'll write every kind of genre, horror, sci-fi, etc.

[xXemobunnyXx]

Anyway, about 90% of my fifty novels are series, so that adds up to I dunno, 100+ books I'm expected to write before I die. I keep a little box with notecards so I can keep track of everything.

[Zeratul2k]

I have tried several methods for keeping records of my brainstorming sessions, but only the old, proven and trusted "plain text file" stands the test of time. For now, anyways.

[agito_0291]

I actually try not to limit myself to a certain genre or age group. To me things vary so much between each and every thing that I write. For example what I am writing right now looks like it will be more along the lines of a Science Fiction/Horror targeting older teenagers/adults but that doesn't mean that it will still be that way when I am done. And that most certainly doesn't mean that my next story/idea will be horror as well.

I know what you're saying, but authors are generally better at one than another, right?

Yes most authors seem better at one genre but I think that is a mental trap. The author will write something good for one specific genre and decide that it is what they have to stick with. In other cases they decide to only pursue one genre when they could be even better in another. We as readers readily fall for this trap. We get used to seeing our favorite authors writing only one genre so we assume that is all they write, but what if that isn't the case? In some instances, these I find are rather rare, the author will have other books out in other genres, wherein the author may even use a Pen name (look up Richard Bachman), but we find them to be inferior even if they are amazing simply because we are used to something different. Finally there are the times when an author will have many things that he/she has written outside what is normally expected from him/her but it isn't published. I'm not trying to say you are wrong, for many authors are much better at writing one genre and for one audience, but the very best authors will write anything that comes to mind, regardless of what it is.

[Elvin]

I often find myself thinking of good material for the third or fourth book I have planned but I can't start them because I'm not even done the first

That's true, authors write what they know, there's no reason to limit themselves beyond that. Once they find a devoted fanbase however, it'd just get harder and harder to switch when they find something that they know works, as opposed to risking going into new horizons. A novelist isn't exactly the most financially secure job, after all.

[agito_0291]

Yeah, it's so bad that most authors can't make a living solely on writing...