What am I working on?
Currently, I'm trying to figure out my writing genre. I've been revisiting some old notes I scribbled out in my notebooks of both fiction and fantasy stories to see which I feel more like writing. My project for the next few days is going to be to experiment with both and see if I come to a conclusion.
How do I feel about the process?
The process of trying to choose one of two very different genres feels somewhat daunting. I suppose I could keep writing in both genres but that seems kind of bizarre...
I can go for months with fantasy front and foremost on my mind. These are times that are very exciting and magical to me, where ideas just keep coming about new plants and creatures for the different planets I've created. Occasionally, a scene will play itself out, but this doesn't happen as often for me in the fantasy genre as it does in the fiction genre.
To me, it's easier to focus on developing relatable characters in the fiction genre because they are faced with everyday situations that can be related directly to the reader. With fantasy, I get so caught up in the creation of the world that the people live in that I don't go into much depth with developing the characters.
One of my unfinished stories deals with two kids from Earth that are able to visit another world through means of some sort of telepathy. Since these two kids are residents of Earth but have the ability to travel to a world of fantasy, the story has elements of the average, dull, everyday life, but it also contains parts that are just pure fantasy. This idea may have been inspired from my indecisiveness about which world my writing is going to go towards...
What am I reading?
When I find the time, I read from the same two books as last week:
Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery
The Two Towers by J R. R. Tolkien
By the way, those two books are perfect examples of the two genres I go back and forth with in my own writing. L. M. Montgomery is my favorite author because her characters feel very real to me and I relate to the things that happen in their lives. The Lord of the Rings is my favorite of all fantasy stories! I think it's amazing how thoroughly it was all thought out, and having all those background stories makes it feel just as real as stories like Pat of Silver Bush.
Total word count: 1,000+
I don't think it should feel weird at all for writing in two genres! Stephen King branched off into fantasy at one point, and J.K. Rowling writes crime mysteries (though under a pseudonym). I'm probably not the best person to give any kind of writing advice, but in my experience, trying to limit yourself into one genre will just frustrate you.
ReplyDeleteHey, for all we know, you might be the one that creates a whole new different genre/subgenre.
Unless what you're talking about is finding out which genre you write best, then we'll only know once we have enough samples of each from you. *totally-not-creepy-but-friendly wink*
Sorry. Long comment is long.
Thanks, Jodee! That's actually excellent advice! One thing I still need to figure out is wether or not I can actually finish a story in either of these genres. There might be only one of the two that I'm able to develop enough, and in that case there might just be one genre that I'll stay with. Plus, I do need to figure out which one I'll use for my short story/two chapters. Otherwise, I think you're right about letting myself switch back and forth. And I agree - I do need to just write!
ReplyDeleteSounds like good ideas are percolating!
ReplyDelete