pandora/ipod: bizet's symphony no. 1, stokowski conducting
Contemporary
Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
High Fantasy
Paranormal
Magical Realism
Sci-Fi
Historical
Horror
Steampunk
Dystopian
Adventure
Post-Apocalyptic
Mystery
Romance
Chick Lit
Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
High Fantasy
Paranormal
Magical Realism
Sci-Fi
Historical
Horror
Steampunk
Dystopian
Adventure
Post-Apocalyptic
Mystery
Romance
Chick Lit
I could go on and on. Seriously.
The options in fiction - both children's and adult - are endless. Each one of the above examples has a dozen or more sub-genres, plus the inevitable genre mashups...
Seriously, who's writing a steampunk sci-fi chick lit novel right now? That could be HAWT.
Which brings me to my point. I've been talking with a lot of my writer friends (primarily YA writers) about the pressure - if any - they feel to be on the cutting edge of a genre, as opposed to writing for the current market. For example, dystopian novels are hot, but I hear constantly from editors and agents that they're not interested in seeing more submissions in that genre because they're overloaded. That's the market affecting the writing. Alternately, that steampunk sci-fi chick lit novel might be the ONLY one of it's kind making the agent and editor rounds. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Reactions are mixed. Some of my writer friends are definitely choosing genres that aren't as popular right now, avoiding labels such as "paranormal" and "dystopian." Others write what they want, regardless of what's "hot" because, let's face it, but the time the book actually comes out who knows what the trend will be?
From my perspective, when I wrote POSSESS I intentionally chose a subject matter (exorcism) that hadn't really been "done." The horror elements sort of came naturally, a result of both the subject matter and my strengths as a writer.
TEN was kind of the same thing - my publisher loved what I did with the scary elements in POSSESS and wanted more of it, with or without supernatural elements. Ten teens trapped on an island with a serial killer has definitely been "done" in books, film, television, etc. But when I tell people about it, they still get excited.
But there are a lot of books out there - on the shelves, in the pipeline, on editors and agents desks. YA, in general, is exploding with new books every week. SO MANY NEW BOOKS!!!! How do you stand out? How do you get noticed? Do you write the steampunk sci-fi chick lit novel on purpose because it might be the next breakout genre? Or do you write the steampunk sci-fi chick lit novel because it's the one that screams out in your brain, "Write me! Write me!"
I guess for me, I do both - I write what I like, I write what I'm good at, but I keep an eye on the market to whatever extent that's possible.
How about the rest of you?
I guess for me, I do both - I write what I like, I write what I'm good at, but I keep an eye on the market to whatever extent that's possible.
How about the rest of you?
I write the story that I can't ignore. the book I'm revising is a paranormal MG about something that's hasn't really been "done," The next book I plan on writing is a YA ghost story mystery, and I have no idea if I can pull off a mystery, but I'm going to try because I can't NOT write this book. So I totally get the confusion and the 'what should I do' trend-wise, but I think you have to write what you want and hope for the best; there's no telling what's going to be hot or if your book is special enough to make an editor regret saying they didn't want a particular genre. Just write.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI always say look at the best qualities in your own life and then look at the same of the people you know. I always find that if I make say a male character, I look at all the men I know, take the top 3 personality traits that work and make it one mind for my character.
ReplyDeleteBut I also love taking some of my own life situations and maybe growing it out into a fiction world that could of been if such fantasy elements, say of an evil fallen angel was involved or vampires.
And the number one rule I know is: just write till you finish the book. Go back later and edit what you want, not while you write it. The fact it gets finished is the best feeling in the world!
It sounds cheesy, but I write the kinds of books I want to read. That might be a horror-themed romance or a silly and stupid contemporary YA or any number of things really. But I've learned over the years that there's no telling what the market will do or when it will do it, so if you're going to invest a year or three in a book, you'd better make sure it's a book you love. If you do that, it's never time wasted, regardless of whether it sells or not.
ReplyDelete