One of the best things about being an author is that you get
to create worlds, people, places, and scenarios that wouldn’t otherwise exist.
It doesn’t matter if you write literary fiction, horror, romance, fantasy, YA
or any sub genre of these; the fact remains that you are the creator of
stories.
But what happens when you decide to try a new genre, to tell
a new style of story? What if you love to write in the YA world, but then want
to take a stab at writing horror?
Breaking out of a genre that you have placed yourself in can
be exciting, terrifying, liberating and more important than all of those, a
HUGE learning curve.
For me, I’ve always written somewhere in the fantasy genre.
Urban, epic, dabbled in horror. But lately, my muse has been feeding me other
stories, ones that I’m excited to try. *Gulp* Contemporary romance is not
something I EVER thought I’d be interested in writing, and yet, I have three
plots penned, and am pumped to get started in this new genre. Already, I am
learning what to do, and what not to do. So if your muse is doing like mine,
and spinning new tales in new genres for you, then read on!
1.
First and foremost, only switch genres if your
muse/creativity is taking you that way. The ONLY reason I’m looking at writing
a contemporary romance is because my muse is almost SCREAMING at me. The
stories won’t leave my head, so I know that I have to write them. Don’t force
yourself to switch genres. If it isn’t for you, then it isn’t for you and that’s
okay. ***
2.
Now, you’ve written something no one saw coming.
Brace yourself, not ALL of your fans will go for the new book. Some will follow
for sure, but many readers will only read an author’s work if it stays within
the readers expectations. A perfect example of this is my two series. My
zombie-ish series has a great following and good rankings on Amazon. However,
my second series, The Celtic Legacy which is more urban fantasy and less
horror, has not seen the numbers that my horror series has. My horror fans just
don’t go for the fantasy. I have to promote these two books separately. Once
caveat to this is that if your write romance (of any style) you have the best
chance of bringing your readers with you to a new genre. Studies have shown
that romance readers are amongst the most loyal and will follow a favorite
author just about anywhere.
3.
If you don’t currently read much in the new
genre you want to dabble in, take some time, read a few bestsellers before
diving into the deep end. The best way to irritate new readers is for them to
see that you don’t understand the genre, and you aren’t meeting their
expectations. This of course does not mean you can’t put your own twist on
things, but you need to remember that most genres have a formula. Learn it, THEN
twist it to your own uses.
4.
Be prepared to start marketing from scratch.
Even if you have a MASSIVE fan base, you need to treat the new genre as if you
are a debut author. You will be reaching a new group of readers who have
otherwise never heard of you. So start your marketing early, and promote that
new book to the masses!
Of course, there are some very lovely perks that come with
crossing into a new genre. You WILL find new fans that will scope out your
other works. You will learn a ton about your writing style, and you will
ultimately become a better writer for stretching yourself. For those reasons
alone, I’m looking forward to breaking into a new genre.
***I would encourage you to try a genre that isn’t your
usual fare. Not necessarily to publish, but to train those writing muscles. It’s a good exercise and one that I think all
authors should use from time to time. You might just surprise yourself. ;p
5 comments:
Very interesting blog, Shannon. And you make some valid points. I think that the idea that stories are screaming to be written means that you write them.
After that it doesn’t matter if they are “successful” in the marketplace. They very well may be, but the writing is the thing.
I agree that forcing a switch in genres is a bad idea.
As to point number 4, you may get a lot of your readers taking a look at the new stories out of curiosity, but yes, I think you do have to re-brand yourself in the new genre. And that may not be too big a job, depending on the genre-jump.
In my opinion, the shift from romance to anything else may not be that huge. Going from big-city-present-day romance to old time westerns can be handled easily if there is a love interest in the story. Romantic love is a cross-genre concept and can give you a head start.
As a reader I always read widely in different genres. When I started writing it seemed natural to follow my muse wherever it led me. Looking back, I wouldn't recommend this method but it has kept me from getting bored. I like a challenge and writing different genres provides this for me.
I write high fantasy mostly. I've got a bunch of stories to tell about the world I've created. But I've also got two sci fi series I want to write, a series that I'm not sure if it counts as UF or Para Rom, and some vague ideas about Regency romances. I'm focused on the fantasy right now, but I intend to write all my stories. Whether there will be people to read them or not is another thing altogether.
Great advice!
My first attempt at writing ended with a story that was between YA and Romance. I didn't want to conform to the rules of YA to tell it...so romance is currently my home. Though I do have a short story with the potential for a novel, a YA interracial story that is a murder/mystery/suspense sitting in my file. I want to work on it some more, but like you said, you gotta follow your muse. Right now my muse has me working on The Butterfly Memoirs series which so far is 6 books with the potential to be more. Every now and then, my YA character comes to mind, but never long enough for me to pick up pen and paper. I gotta get my my first book out first, ride the wave and then, and only then, if my young muse resurfaces and offers me another challenge...I'll go for it!
Thanks Jim, Shelley, Annikka and MJ. :-) I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. It doesn't hurt that you all agree with me ;p
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