What's Something You Wrote About That You Never Thought You Would?

When I decided to pursue writing as more than just a hobby, I was set on writing fiction for kids. Short stories, poetry, novels, picture books--whatever a kid who loved fiction would read, I wanted to write. I was naive and didn't understand how the writing world worked--that nonfiction sells better, that if you want a paycheck as a writer, you might have to write something else.

One thing I did right was find a critique group of writers who did not just write for children, who wrote essays, articles, adult novels, romance, horror, and more. I began to dabble in nonfiction and short stories for adults, and guess what? I was having fun! I didn't give up my dream of writing fiction for kids, and I did publish 3 fiction books for kids and teens; but I also expanded my portfolio and wrote about some subjects and for some publishers that I never thought I would.

So as I was coming up with a blog post tonight, I thought: I wonder what some of the Muffin readers and writers have written about that they NEVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD. I'm curious what your story is, how you got there, what you thought at the beginning of your career, and how it turned out in the end--and how you feel about that.

For example, I worked as a stringer for The News-Gazette in Champaign, IL, and I had a Sunday book review column for over five years. I never dreamed in a million years that I would do either one. I wrote about a 90+ year old garage sale volunteer, a reindeer ranch and a baby reindeer who survived only because she was bottle fed by the owners, and a beaver dam that was backing up a creek in a little bitty town--but there was nothing the people could do because the beavers were protected. I wrote a villanelle about the Trail of Tears and got it published, as well as a funny romance short story for adults that won first place and $250 in a magazine contest.

And my point? I am a much better writer because of these experiences.

Now, don't get me wrong--I'm not saying that you shouldn't have a brand or stick to a genre or build a career as a certain type of writer. All the advice you read about that is true. But I think it's also okay to have a wide variety of writing in your portfolio and grow from these pieces.

So...what have you written that you never thought you would? 

Margo L. Dill is an author, editor, writer and teacher, living in St. Louis, MO. Read her blog at margoldill.com or sign up for her novel writing course in the WOW! classroom.