Playing With All the Toys

As a writer, I like to play with all the toys. This might make me a jack of all trades and master of none, but I hope not. This is one of the reasons I don’t limit myself to a specific genre, but include anything with something unusual in it.

Using my own stories as an example here’s what I mean:

• Wild Concept = I wanted to write a non human main character.
• Panama = I wanted to write a buddy story.
• Arson = I really wanted to write a reverse character arc. The hero falls and has to rebuild.
• The Cock of the South = I love a good fantasy. Maybe I should write one.
• Will ‘O the Wisp = I wanted to try writing in first person.

They break down like this: two science fiction stories, two paranormal stories, and one fantasy. It’s a pretty even split between male and female main characters. The idea rattling around my skull right now is kind of a paranormal science fantasy – go figure.

I keep looking at other toys in the toy box. I see an epistolary style of writing in there, but don’t quite know how to use it. There’s an omnipotent viewpoint still in its original wrapper.

Are any of the other writers out there like this? Am I insane for wanting to play with all the toys? (Let’s limit the answers to this one reason why I’m insane.)

In other news:

This is the obligatory self promotion spot. If anyone still wants a copy of Wild Concept for free, time is trickling away. I’ve given away a lot of copies, and I’m kind of surprised. It’s too early to assess what upside, if any, this promotion has produced. I’ll blog about it when it’s over.