Monday, June 22, 2015

Revisiting Old Ideas...

You know, when I was MUCH younger. I mean, we're talking a little over 20 years ago, I had a story idea that was paranormal. But I didn't know exactly what paranormal was at the time.

Paranormal has been popular over the last ten years, at least I think it has. I don't know exactly when paranormal became a genre in writing, but when I had that story idea, I don't think it was even a thought.

When you thought about writing about ghosts, vampires, werewolves, it was considered horror, not paranormal. Young Adult wasn't even really specified. It was teen novels. Things like that.

So when I had this story idea, I was trying to find a way to make it work. It's a good story, a good message and I was going to throw a lot of history into it. But I certainly didn't know how to classify it at the time when my friends asked what it was about.

"Uhhh, hard to explain..."

I bring this up, because I ran across the notebooks of this handwritten story. It needs work, it's almost complete, but I didn't finish it because I didn't know what to do with it at the time.

Now, well, psh! I can totally pull it off as a YA/Paranormal if I wanted to.

But isn't it funny how, when you're younger, you have all these ideas that seem so crazy and far-fetched at the time and you tuck it away because of that, instead of pursuing it and naming a new genre? Then you find it years later (or in my case, decades) and go, "Oh! I can totally make that work now!" and it will be acceptable.

So what do you have in your closet, drawer or in a box under your bed that you've hid from the light of day because no one, not even you, understood it yet? Share in the comments!

2 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I had one hidden in a drawer for thirty years.
Not sure where paranormal came from. It's not the horror that I used to read.

Mel Chesley said...

30 years?! You win. lol! And I agree, Alex. I just don't get "horror" lately. I loved books by Stephen King, like "Pet Semetary", "Cujo". And then there was "Ghost Story" by Peter Straub. There were a few others I read, but can't recall because King was, well, king. Now my vamps and werewolfies are cute and cuddly and I can't stand it.