Running Down a Dream
By Liz Talley
Once there was a thirty-something writer who dreamed of contracts, edits, and book launches.
And she made her dream come true.
Oh, it took time. And effort. A little luck. Dogged pursuit. All the things required to keep one’s eyes fixed on the finish line and prepared to cross into victory.
Except, the writer began to realize she never truly crossed a finish line.
Because that elusive chalk mark scratched across the path isn’t the end of the race. It’s merely a mile marker in the long journey of a writing career. Every line crossed means another waits ahead. Some fellow writers drop out—tired, disillusioned, in need of a bench somewhere. Others press on, greeted by cheers and gold medals. And still others remain on the course alongside, picking up one foot, then the other, never knowing when—or if—that finish line will come.
Then there are the ones who get turned around, take a wrong turn, or stumble and scrape their knees. There are more writers with bleeding knees and black toenails than we like to admit.
Yes, a writing career means untied laces, blisters, worn soles, and iffy knees just as often as it means the awards podium. Some finish. Some don’t. And some start over.
Which is where I currently stand, sipping a sports drink and wondering if I’ve lost my mind.
Because after years of writing romance, I wrote a suspense.
It happens.
Sometimes we get a wild hair—an idea that refuses to let go—and suddenly the risk doesn’t seem so unreasonable.
For nearly twenty years, I pursued being a published author. It began with two manuscripts that never saw the light of day, followed by pitches, rejections, resubmissions, and finally, a contract. For many years, I wrote for various Harlequin imprints before making the jump to other publishers. With my agent’s guidance, I gained traction—hitting a bestseller list, earning a RITA Award nod, and landing three Amazon First Reads selections. Running on the right path, I felt confident, even at times, accomplished.
Then the market—already tight—grew infinitesimally narrower.
My agent couldn’t sell my next book. Proposals stalled. Crickets chirped from the publishing world. My work hadn’t changed, but the market had. Traditional publishers were no longer the sole gatekeepers. Indie publishing soared. Readers skewed younger, wanted books hotter, more dragon-y. Publishers chased low-hanging fruit—authors with massive platforms already in place. I was left dabbing my bleeding knees, trying to figure out how to reach the next checkpoint. Did I even want to keep running? That bench off to the side began looking awfully comfortable. What if I just sat down and …stopped?
Then I got an idea that wouldn’t leave me alone.
The problem? It fell completely outside the brand I’d spent a decade building—southern, sassy heroines bumbling their way into success. Marketing experts tell authors to pick a lane and stay in it for projected success. Reader expectations and all that. To leave my lane felt scary. Stupid even.
Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about this story, about how the heroine would grow, change, kill someone.
So I did something terrifying.
I stopped chasing romance publishing. I parted ways with my agent. And I wrote an entire quirky suspense novel with a darker, decidedly not-sassy protagonist.
A risk.
A pivot.
A Hail Mary to the end zone…wait. I’m mixing metaphors.
No matter. All that to say that now I’m on a different course.
What will this new race bring me?
I honestly don’t know. But being in my fifties and limping along in my career, a pivot felt necessary—I need a fresh course instead of another painful lap around the same one. I know the risks, know the logic against it, but the creative in me needed to be excited, to roll the dice on myself.
So for now, I’m putting one foot in front of the other. Meeting new runners. Working on my breathing. Trusting that I can reach the next mile marker—wherever that may be. It feels good to believe I can take another shot at a dream, even if hazards lie ahead. Because I choose to try. To reinvent. To change my socks and keep going with the hope that the white line lies ahead of me. They say it’s never too late to start over. I believe that.
So on I run, bandaged, determined, and a bit older than before.
But perhaps wiser? And at the very least hopeful that ahead is a new marker, a milestone reached.
Have you ever considered a genre change? Have you done something daring in your writing career? I’d love for you to share a risk that paid off or a lesson that you learned because you took a chance.
* * * * * *
About Liz Talley
Liz Talley is the USA Today best-selling author of over thirty heartwarming stories. A finalist in both Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart and Rita Awards, Liz has published with Harlequin, Hallmark, and Montlake where she reached number one in Kindle romance and was named to Publisher’s Weekly mass market bestseller list. Her stories are set in the South where the tea is sweet, the summers are hot, and the porches are wide. In 2023, she also added screenwriter to her accomplishments, co-writing an adaptation of her novel The Wedding War, which landed in the Top 20 of the Louisiana Film Prize.
Featured image by Unsplash
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Liz, I have thought for a long time that this business can suck the soul out of a person, if we’re not careful. I think it comes down to answering the question of why we’re actually writing, for others or ourselves. I’ve followed your career for a long time and know that your writing is extraordinary. Don’t let “them” keep you from following your passion.
Sally
Thank you, Sally! You were always so instrumental in helping me launch.
After 50 years of writing, I just published my first thriller novel. I chased the romance and enjoyed writing nonfiction but thrillers excite me. Basically, I’ve always written across the genres and will continue to do so, realizing it really isn’t about the money as much as it is in HAVING to tell the stories via fiction and screenplays, plus share what I’ve learned through my Finding Your Fire series. I’m in my happy place.
That’s a great attitude and I think that sustains a writer. Being excited about what you’re writing is important.
I've been bouncing between mystery, which are police procedurals with a cozy feel, and romantic suspense. I call them all "Mysteries With Relationships" and write mostly for me.
That’s a great slogan for your work. Branding is important and that one works well! Best of luck 🙂
Liz, I have learned over the past 10+ years in this business (indie-pubbed by Crystal Lake Publishing) that a small readership is a worthy place. I have a handful of readers who are reading each of my 5 novels and short stories, right now, as we speak. Every reader is a treasure. I have a new book launching in June (a genre-blending hybrid of supernatural mystery and fantasy). Expanding into a new genre, or a blended genre, is following your heart and your creativity. If it pleases you, do it! The readers will come.
You are right! I have such a loyal readership and that’s a blessing! But I’m always willing to add more. Ha!
Until you stop, you're always going to write 'the next novel.'
And have a chance to start completely fresh, if that's the idea that appeals and grabs.
I was an early member of Sisters in Crime Central Jersey, and had a story published in their first anthology - and couldn't get a mystery series to attract attention.
Then along came an idea which refused to let go - and it was the first volume in my mainstream literary trilogy. Twenty-five years later (I'm slow due to chronic illness), two volumes are finished and published, and I'm working on the final one - and still entranced with both the idea and its execution.
We don't make widgets - we write lives - and that's the way it goes sometimes, with a path of its own.
I'm slow, but I'm not the least bit unhappy about the story.
That’s awesome! You have the right spirit and writing slow always you to get it right. So many rush to publish these days. Congrats on getting those volumes done! ✅
With two contemporary literary novels (self-published) under my belt, I currently am writing in another genre - a historical novel set in biblical Jerusalem, in the days of Jesus. In all three cases, I did not come up with the story idea: the idea came to me and insisted on being written. I don't know that I would call it a "gift," but my Muse will not be ignored, and I must write the story it demands. Although it can be annoying, it has never steered me wrong. Will I ever write a best-seller? Who knows? That's not why I write: I write for me, and if readers want to come along for the ride, so much the better.
In the end, it doesn't matter why or how we write, as long as we write. It is our own personal race, and it doesn't need to be dictated by the gatekeepers or the powers-that-be, whoever they may be.
So true! And that’s how I felt. I needed to be excited by my story. It kept me in my chair and focused on making the story the best it could be.
The Muse wants what the Muse wants. I find it's best to write what needs to be written, the ideas that won't leave you alone.
Some of those characters can be pushy.
Indeed! I adore the character in this new book! I was so interested in her! I hope to share her with the world 🙂
Go for it!
I go back and forth between romance and JAFF.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
I have written picture books, a middle grade, a couple of horrible chapter books (fun but not marketable), some short stories and poems. I am working on a YA. I have sold one short story, a couple of personal essays (oops, forgot those above), and some poems. I freelance in the educational markets. More than 20 books have my name on them, but they didn't start as my idea--my name, my work, but not my heart and soul.
They say to stay in your brand, but you can only do that once you have a brand, once you have a couple of sales. Otherwise, you might be chasing something you haven't realized doesn't suit you yet. Congrats on so many years with one brand. I've heard it's okay to stretch after a time. When I find my space, I'll stay in it for a while too.
I took the dive into teaching writing courses on cruise ships. I'd taught at conferences, but there's more "stuff" involved with getting the gig etc... but each one offered a cruise for two for free... chance to see Russia, and the rest of the Baltic countries, the Polynesian islands, Australia, Columbia,Costa Rica, Panama... and much more. My husband sure likes it!
I encourage you to chase that dream! I change genres too often, but I love the journey. When I decided to go indie, it was terrifying... But I'm so happy I did.