Should an author stick to writing what he/she knows?
Or is it okay to step out into the wide blue yonder?
My agent is a tiger.
Not a REAL tiger, but similar enough.
I adore her, largely because she believes in me--believes in my talent.
The downside of that is she never lets me rest.
So when she told me to write a historical proposal, I wrote an inspirational about the formation of the Texas Rangers. I'm not THAT old of course (my children think I am), but I live in Texas, and I can IMAGINE what it was like in the 1800s. I can READ history books.
Those proposals are out there.
Publishers are slow to make decisions.
But my agent doesn't let me rest very often or very long.
She next suggested I write an Amish proposal.
I balked, I himm-hahhed, then I said no.
After all, I had other things I was working on.
She said okay, then she said, "You really need to do this."
I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE AMISH.
(Though Best-selling Amish writer, Amy Clipston is a friend of mine.)
Eventually I realized I needed to trust her, and I dove in, read a lot, and finished the proposal in a month. Two weeks later we had a request for the complete manuscript.
Now I'm deep in Amish world, though I haven't stepped foot inside an Amish community.
I'd like to--I'm quite smitten with their lifestyle now.
I may not KNOW any Amish, but I can LEARN.
And perhaps that's what writing, and reading, is all about.
~Rylee
RyleeAndrews@gmail.com
ps - follow my progress by watching the meter to the right. I hope to finish A Journey Home within the next month!

