I find myself looking outside the world of picture books more and more. Rhyming is what comes naturally to me, much more so than prose. But I get a feeling there is more out there that I need to dive into, making me nervous and excited at the same time – I shall call it excitous.
So, what is a writer to do? Do I plug gleefully away at the fluffy, romantic stories that start with pirates, princesses amid some mild PERIL but all end WITH A BIG BOW just so your little rugrats get back to sleep after story-time without suffering nightmares?
Or..
Do I step into the world of the 5-7 years – swash buckling tales of adventure and treasure hunters or perhaps the 8+ as they moodily pick their way through their own hormones and try not to burst into tears having no idea why they are crying in the first place? Or do I just go hell for leather and encounter the world of Young Adults head on? Grunting at my characters as they text their friends in a language all of their own, waiting to see if the gorgeous girl across the room is in fact a zombie, knife-carrying Super-heroine and is also blood related to my cat?
Well, the answer is yes. Yes, I have stepped out onto the high-wire, knees shaking, lips trembling as I gradually make my way across to ‘the other side’.
Goodbye unicorns, fluffy bunnies and lost teddy-bears, hello thunder, angst and everything else you can possibly throw at me.
I’m ready.
Here’s hoping you don’t find yourself crying at inappropriate moments with all those hormones flying about. Best of luck with the change though.
Thanks David, I’m just going with what I know. My 9 year old blubs at the least thing and then turns into the hulk. What’s not to write about lol.