Watcha Readin'?

[mdhenry]

I just finished Mark Del Franco's Unshapely Things and loved it. I posted a brief review on my blog: http://burlesqueofthedamned.blogspot.com. I haven't totally embraced the dual blog thing so my LJ is neglected and thin

Comments

[buymeaclue]

>A question: Do you think it's necessary to read your own Genre in order to write it well?

I think it's very advisable to be familiar with the genre(s) in which you hope to write. It's a useful thing to have some idea of what's been and being done. If only to save those of us who sift through slushpiles (or bookstore shelves) from having to encounter the same exact story sixteen times a day!

I think it's very advisable to be familiar with other genres, too. It's a useful thing to have some idea of what can be done. If only to save those of us who sift through slushpiles (or bookstore shelves) from having to encounter the same exact story sixteen times a day!

That is, it's good to know where you live, and it's good to know that the rest of the world exists.

(Took a peek at your blog, and will be interested to see what you think of Threshold. Kiernan's work is a bit different.)

[mdhenry]

What was interesting to me about the genre is how one can be writing inside it and not have a clue. I pitched my novel to Liz Scheier at Roc as a horror comedy. Luckily, she liked the idea enough to read some chapters, and later the finished product. It was in that middle time while the book was floating out there, being absorbed, that I read Liz's article on the origins of the genre, and found that Undead Socialite could fit, but just barely.

That's not to say that I jumped into the idea without doing some research. If I had found another book about cocktail swigging zombies with great skin care regimens, I would have backed off and worked another angle. But I'm glad I didn't have to. The work just sprang from a combination of these visual things I enjoy (zombie movies, John Waters), and a love of mysteries (even the-ahem-cozies).

Thanks for checking out Burlesque. I have a great time with it. Oh…and I'm into Threshold, now. Kiernan's run-on sentences have this interesting hum to them. I think I'm going to like it.

[buymeaclue]

>The work just sprang from a combination of these visual things I enjoy (zombie movies, John Waters), and a love of mysteries (even the-ahem-cozies

[mdhenry]

That's a good point. You should absolutely know your genre. But, as a Devil's advocate sitting on my throne of fire: do you have to enjoy reading it?

[tybalt_quin]

I think that it's necessary to read your own Genre, but not in order to write it well. If you want to push the boundaries of a genre, then I think you need to read elsewhere to widen your idea pool - much as I love stories about faeries and werewolves and demons (oh my!), I'd be constantly worried that I was rehashing the old cliches when I came to write my own stuff. Personally, I read as widely as possible - mysteries, thrillers, literature, historical fiction, 'The Greats', biographies, social history books, diaries (all published - I'm not nosey!), fantasy, SF, YA, childrens', horror etc etc.

Even though I'm not published (yet), I think it's particularly important that writers read as much non fiction as they do fiction because you never know what ideas are going to get thrown up. A biography of the Medici gave me an idea about court dwarves, which I twiddle around with off and on - as did a reference in an autobiography to the power blackouts in the UK during the 70s.

[mdhenry]

I love the idea of setting something during those power blackouts, and a retro '70s urban fantasy would be original. You should go for it.

Joe Schreiber, the author of Chasing the Dead, sets his upcoming book, Eat the Dark, in a creepy hospital during a blackout.

Just a tip.

[tybalt_quin]

a retro '70s urban fantasy would be original

:sighs:

It's one of my scribble/daydreams at the moment - I've been reading quite a bit about the 70s and the Three Day Week etc and it's a big thing on Brit tv in terms of documentaries and Life on Mars.

Joe Schreiber, the author of Chasing the Dead, sets his upcoming book, Eat the Dark, in a creepy hospital during a blackout.

Gah! Vile tempter!

:adds book to list of books to consume:

:weeps:

[jordansummers1]

I think it's important to read widely. I also think you need to maintain a bit of 'ignorance' about the genre you're writing in. What I mean by that is sometimes the best stories come from NOT paying attention to what everyone else is doing. I know that's certainly true with writing contests.

[idiosyncreant]

I agree with the "little bit of 'ignorance'" idea.

If you read plenty, you bring yourself (something no one else has) to a subject. I kept myself mostly ignorant for the start of quite a few new sub-genres (shapeshifters, superheroes) and then went on to read related things.

I read lots of YA fantasy; I like to tackle what those stories have led me beyond, but I have a good grasp of what I like in the genre. Just not I finished "The Wall and The Wing" by Laura Ruby, which is a zany urban fantasy for middle-grade, maybe. It's awesome. I'll never write any storyline like it, but I've learned from what she came up with.

[rclementmoore]

>A question: Do you think it's necessary to read your own Genre in order to write it well?

My backwards answer to this question is that I think a lot of authors tend to write the type of stories they enjoy reading, so it's natural to read in their own genre. And if you're not writing something you like to read, that might make it harder to write well.

That said, I actually *avoid* reading in my genre while I'm actively drafting a book, because I don't want anything to accidentally creep in. (I don't even watch Buffy reruns while I'm writing my books.)

Also, I think that the best books come from creating the story first, without the confines of genre. Genre is, in a lot of ways, more about marketing than the creative process.
--Rosemary Clement-Moore