Do You Write Halloween Stories? Or Read Them?

Vintage Hlloween Postcard

Today is a holiday that the vast majority of people enjoy. Not me! Never have and probably never will. You can read my personal essay published a couple of years ago about my Halloween confessions here

Because I don't have a great love for Halloween, I have never written a story with that theme, other than the one mentioned above. Who writes scary monster stories? The people who count the days until October 31st, that's who. Drive around your community and see how many houses are now decorated for this holiday. I must admit, some of it is very cleverly done. I have a pumpkin on my front porch and will happily open the door to the trick or treaters tonight, but I'll just as happily turn off the porch light at nine and breathe a sigh of relief. 

I do love Christmas and Valentine's Day and any holiday stories I have written involve one or the other. It's a whole lot easier to write about a subject you like than one you don't. I'm sure there are writers who would rather climb a mountain than write a love story for February 14th. 

We read books in the genres that most appeal to us. I'm not a Stephen King fan because his kind of story doesn't appeal to me, but I do admire the way he writes. I prefer historical fiction over science-fiction when I'm searching the library shelves for a book to take home. So guess what? I'm going to write historical fiction, not futuristic tales. 

Writers will write the kind of things that appeal to them personally. If you happen to be a writer who is freelancing and looking for assignments from editors, then you may not have that privilege. Instead, you are going to write about all kinds of things whether they appeal to you or not. But which one do you think you will have the most passion for when you write? Certainly the topics that you like best. I have a feelilng your best writing is going to come with those subjects, too. 

No one genre or subject is better than any other. The only important thing is that you are writing what appeals to you and the markets you seek will be those that publish the kind of story you write. 

Meanwhile, Happy Halloween to those who love this day.