Do What is You For the New Year

So I was trying to figure out what has been holding me back with a novel I am writing.  I really like my characters, it flows well, and I think it is a story that people will like.  Why have I been picking at it for five years and never really been excited by it?  Why am I so unenthused with it?  Why do I look at it and say, "What the heck is missing?" 

Guess what is missing?  Me.

It is a good story....but not one that I would pick up off the shelf and read.  WHAT?!!  I finally figured it out.  I've been writing a story in a genre that doesn't thrill me.  It is a contemporary fiction piece, some would call it chick-lit, and it isn't really a romance novel....though there is romance in it. It's got a strong leading woman character, suspense, drama, twists and turns and unexpected surprises, hot men, money and so on. So why don't I like it?

I decided to take a look at my own bookshelf and see what the general themes were of things I like to read.

I like dark, supernatural stories that are rich in history, or I guess you could say historical fiction with a supernatural twist.  Long before the Twilight series I was crazy about Dracula.  As long as I can remember I've been fascinated by vampires and ghosts. I love to read anything and everything that involves old Europe, especially England, and I love to think about how similar themes have evolved from ancient history to current day. 

That being said, I decided I needed to write more about what I love to read.  I know these types of books are trendy right now, so I don't want to write anything cliche. I also think, for a long time I was worried about what people would think of my darker sided interests.  Since making this self-discovery, I've thought of nothing else other than how to shift the focus of my characters in my novel to bring in my passion for history and a bit of the super-natural.  Guess what?  I am now super excited and am writing much more enthusiastically, because I decided to do what was "me".

That is what I'm wishing for you in every aspect of your life for 2012.  Don't afraid to "do what is you".  By making decisions in your life that reflect your true self, you are exercising serious self-acceptance, which is at the root of all success.  Whether it is in the relationship you choose to be in, the way you perform your job, how you parent your kids, or the way you plan out the steps to your "next great thing", do it in away that is true to who you are.

Wishing you the absolute best in 2012! Happy New Year everyone!