October 16, 2012

What's in a genre? What won't I write?

So far, I've only published fairy tale-related stories, so obviously I love fantasy. I always have. My parents read The Chronicles of Narnia to me when I was really little. My Mom read fairy tales and other folklore to me before I even started kindergarten. I'm pretty sure it's part of my DNA.

But what about the other genres? I had a healthy helping of sci-fi as a kid, too. Star Trek: The Next Generation was a favorite of my dad's, and was a favorite of mine. (Any episode with the holodeck or Q is a win!) I remember my aunt introducing me to Star Wars and just watching them non-stop for a week. I have vague memories of some of the classics--Planet of the Apes (the original series), 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Logan's Run come to mind. And I like to read in the genre, too. Some of my more recent favorites: Uglies and of course The Hunger Games.

I went through a stage in high school where I read classic mystery novels, mostly Agatha Christie. I even tried writing a whodunnit in 9th grade. I spent a lot of time planning the murder, but never really got past that. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever be able to write mysteries. They intimidate me. I mean, it's an entire genre devoted to being smarter than your reader. Writers that excel under that kind of pressure: you have my utmost respect.

I like paranormal, but I don't think I could ever write a romance. I'm just not a romantic kind of person. If a love interest blossoms in the midst of a plot, I'll go with it. It's more organic to me. But if I set out to write a romance, it comes off as awkward and bland.

Of course, I dabbled in thrillers for Cinderella and Zombies (which I never thought I'd do). Anything could happen.

What genres are your favorite? Are there any you'd like to try? Where should I go next in my writing endeavors?


3 comments:

Jim said...

I'm a sucker for a good post apocalyptic story. I love the ruins and the lost technology and the survival stories and the adaptation of old technology with new. . .

Katharina Gerlach said...

Hi,

I tagged you as The Next Big Thing. You can pick up the questions you're supposed to answer on my homepage: www.katharinagerlach.com
I hope you don't mind the extra work. ;-)

Cat

Unknown said...

Jim - yes! You might actually like Logan's Run. An oldie but a goodie.

Cat - Thank you! I'm honored. I've written a few posts that answer these questions. Maybe I can do a post for each one. (I'm always up for blog post ideas.) Now... to come up with who I want to pass this on to...

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