Writing In Multiple Genres You Have To Follow

Writing In Multiple Genres • You Have To Follow Your Muse!

Why Specialize? • Authors have to follow their muse. This might mean either writing in multiple genres or even mixing them • What are the pitfalls? • Does one have to stick with one or the other? • We’ll explore these issues and their caveats and how best to follow that muse, wherever it takes us

A Little Bit About Myself • The Polka-dot Sewer • The Star Trek Satire • The Nazi Method • Reports, Newsletters – This And That • First Novel

Sticking With One Style Simplicity • Some authors are just cut out for one genre • Maybe that’s your only interest • Maybe you don’t know how to write about anything else • Maybe all your expertise lies in that area

What If? • On the other hand, what if you’re brimming with ideas? • What if you have trouble finding the time to write them all down? • What if you find the time but don’t want to mess it up?

Write What You Know • This is almost a cliché but it’s true • While some writers and authors say the only way to write good stuff is to stretch and go for the unknown, I say, start with what you know first • When you get to the point where you need the unknown, THEN stretch! • Will this cover everything you’re interested in writing?

Why Multiple Genres? • The obvious answer is because you want to • You like to read them, right? • You think you can do as well or better, right? You have a fresh approach? • Your muse calls you that way • Maybe you can use certain things from one genre in the next one as well

Okay, What’s A Genre? • Anything that isn’t literary • Subject matter tends to be plot driven • Tends to be “less serious” subjects • Is less likely to make the NYT best seller list or the top magazine reviews • Has to have killer sales or strike a nerve to get noticed by the literary crowd

Genres And Sub-Genres • Things get messy when you consider all the subcategories • Fantasy: • • • High fantasy Dark fantasy Urban fantasy Comic fantasy Gaslamp fantasy Sword and sorcery Heroic fantasy Epic fantasy Contemporary fantasy There are 29 listed in Wikipedia alone

Do Your Research! • This has nothing to do with writing what you know • This is about knowing your genre! • Just because you want to write a thriller doesn’t mean you can start writing • You have to know the basic tenets of thrillers to call it one, or you might be writing something else • If you want to write a fantasy, you’d better make sure you aren’t writing a paranormal romance!

However… • Just because you intend to write one particular genre doesn’t mean you should stop writing • Maybe you should follow your muse, finish the story and see what you get in the end • It might be something unique, a new genre made of a mix of others • The problem will be for a publisher to classify it and find a place on the shelf to place it • That’s another issue you’ll have to deal with! • YOU have to know what you’re writing to convince a publisher you know your subject • Targeting! Marketing!

Shifting Gears • Say you start out writing westerns • Now your muse tells you to write a fantasy • Do you go for it? • Of course! • However… • Do you know enough about fantasy to call it one, or is it something else? • If that’s settled, will you be able to shift gears back to the westerns?

Writers • If you’re a lover of the word, you let the muse grab you • Shifting gears will come natural • Changing genres should be no big deal for you • However…

Branding • Okay, Mr. /Mrs. /MS mystery writer • You want to market your new fantasy novel • When people come to the bookstore and look up your name, they see The Elf Prince and think it’s a pun or something, right? • However, they don’t find it on the right shelf • Whaaa? • You’ve got some branding to do

Pen Names • Some authors, not only in the past but even today use pen names, even multiple pen names • I have plenty of anecdotal stories from authors, some best selling, that this is a bad idea • Why? • What seemed like a good idea at the time turned into a logistical nightmare • Multiple web sites, multiple autographs • Being addressed with confusing names • What if you write in more that two genres?

Stick With Your Own Name • Not to name drop, but James Rollins, for one, told me to stick with my own name…or… • One single name – not necessarily your real name • Brand your books through your web site – a SINGLE site • Brand your books with labels • A “Joe Smith Fantasy” - A “Jane Doe Thriller” - A “Joe Smith Western” - A “Jane Doe Romance” • Have tabs on your web site for each genre • Your web site is the central depository for your various genres

Vary Your Style? • As a writer, you have a recognizable style - more than likely, people are attracted to your work because they like your writing • While there are certain tropes you might need to comply with based on the specific genre, you should stick with what you do best • Keep on keeping on! • However…

Vary Your Style? • Don’t shift gears and change your writing style! • If you’re writing in another genre because you want to change styles, step carefully • Look at how well you’re doing in your present genre if not so well, maybe a shift might be worth it - if you’re doing well, don’t spoil a good thing • By sticking with what you do best, you might very well bring your fans from one genre to the next • From personal experience, I’ve lost interest in favorite authors because when they shifted genres, they also shifted their writing styles

Questions?

Happy Writing!