Nonfiction vs. Fiction...What to Write Next

My computer at my new writing desk.

Over the past few weeks I have been typing out every book idea that pops into my head. There have been some fiction ideas, a premise for a sequel to Sarah Starting Over, some nonfiction pitches and a few log-lines for memoirs. They are currently living on a word document called "book ideas." It's been a struggle choosing just one idea to develop right now.

I've recently finished a romance that I co-wrote with my writing partner Amber Roshay. That will make three romances written in just over a year. It's been a whirlwind of learning to craft love stories. And I have a lot more to learn about writing good fiction.

Joanna Penn is an author of both fiction and nonfiction. Her assertion is that writing nonfiction is a palette cleanser after writing fiction, and that notion really clicked with me.

I've also been inspired because I am reading a memoir, Meghan Daum's "Life Would Be Perfect if I Lived in That House." It's a terrific read. She chronicles her life through her obsession with finding just the right place to live. Her journey takes her from multiple dorm rooms and later to a variety of cities in her search for a perfect home. Her writing is so smart, it inspires me to elevate my own prose further. I look forward to checking out her other books.

I've always read a fair amount of nonfiction and memoir and maybe as a result, have felt pangs of wanting to write something of the nonfiction variety. It's hard to make a decision because the marketing wisdom is that a writer should stick with one genre and keep doing that to build an audience and a profitable business.

Anyhow, it's time to choose a book idea and move forward before my writing fingers get stuck in the mud. Maybe I don't have to choose. Perhaps the solution will be to work on a nonfiction and fiction project at the same time. Well, it looks like writing this blog post has helped me solve my own problem:) Feel free to comment with your ideas on the subject.