Guest Blogger Pauline Trent - Crazy Enough?

In 1958, Wolfgang Pauli was giving a lecture on his version of the unified field theory. Sitting in the back of the auditorium were several renowned physicists, including Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr. Bohr and his colleagues listened and whispered and listened some more, until at last, Bohr stood up and reportedly announced, “We in the back are convinced that your theory is crazy. But what divides us is whether your theory is crazy enough.” (Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku)

Ain’t it the truth? About anything and everything, honestly, but as a creative type, I think it’s especially true for us. Those of us who push the envelope – as these men were doing – and those of us who create something from nothing – as writers do. We’re all crazy. The question that can haunt us, though, is if we are crazy enough.

For my experience, the crazier ideas have been the ones that worked. My first heroine was a woman of color, which I am not. She had a completely different background, culture and voice from my own. Writing her completely flew in the face of conventional wisdom, which admonishes us to write what we know.

Although that book remains unpublished, it got me in the door to my first publishing house. It gave me two years of mentoring under a world-class editor. And yes, it led to my next books being published.

When the situation with that editor changed, I had to decide if I wanted to submit to other houses, or try self-publishing. Submitting to other houses would’ve been the smart thing to do. I went with crazy. It has been, if not hugely lucrative, definitely worth it.

Now, I find myself at yet another crossroads. Three, actually. My current works in progress are nothing like anything I’ve ever written before. One’s a novel-length erotica. One’s an LGBTQ adventure novel. The third is a television show, for heaven’s sake. Yes, I still have several contemporary romances on the back burner, but these three… These are the ones that are crazy enough, they just might work. If nothing else, it will be a wild ride.

What about you? What are your crazy ideas? And do you think they’re crazy enough to work? Leave a comment here, or drop me a line at pauline@paulinetrent.com by January 22nd for a chance to win the e-version of FALLING IN LOVE, the first in the Lambert Falls trilogy.

Many thanks to the Nine, and to you, for letting me stop by today. Now, let’s all walk away from our computers, and go be a little crazy.

Pauline Trent is primarily a romance novelist; however, often gets sidetracked by writing whatever has grabbed her attention. Besides writing for newspapers, magazines and ezines throughout the Pacific Northwest, Ms. Trent has authored and coauthored several works of nonfiction. She has lived all over the country, but calls Boston and New Orleans home. Wherever life takes her though, she travels with a wonderful man and fabulous luggage, always with an eye open for the next great story. Ms. Trent loves connecting with readers, and can be reached on Facebook, at www.paulinetrent.com or pauline@paulinetrent.com.