Do you write in your favourite genres?

[sportourer1]

yes though I like a bit of genre bending

[G J Lau]

I agree with those who say that familiarity with a genre breeds better writing. That said, I am finding that writing in various genres is a wonderful way of stretching myself as a writer. I am currently working on a short story that is best described as science fiction. It is proving to be very hard, which I suspect is a good thing for me as a writer.

G J Lau
Check out The Magpie’s Secret on Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/36482
Visit my blog at http://www.windroot.blogspost.com/

[sportourer1]

My first published novel is set in a period of history I know but I have tried to introduce elements of the mystery and spy genre along with a bit of rogueish behaviour which seems to be alien to historical novels

[jrlewis]

I absolutely read and write in the same genres, the ones I enjoy the most. Right now, that is a blurry blend of science fiction and historical fantasy. I have several novels and short pieces coming out this year.

[JRainey]

My writing almost always has a supernatural element, and I love reading things that have supernatural elements. That said, there's a great deal of the paranormal genre I could do without (vampire novels with Fabio on the cover = pass for me). So, I wouldn't say I'd read anything that came to me in my own writing genre, but I think that's true of most people.

[C.I.Bond]

Originally Posted by John Carroll

I just tried doing exactly that. Paranormal romance is the big thing nowadays and I thought that writing a free short story would be a good way to gain new readers.

The problem is, it just didn't interest me. I thought of various ideas and started to write down a few paragraphs, but there was no passion in it for me as you say. I was forcing myself to write.

I’m thinking that this would be like watching a train wreck. No offense but writing takes passion. It’s possible you are such a fantastic writer that you could pull this off but I would crash and burn… LOL... Actually I wouldn’t but I would just turn the thing into dark erotica and probably shock a few people, my husband included.

Romance has some very specialized requirements – that’s the thing that’s going to get you, the paranormal part is a lot easier (half of them seem to have weak world building at IMHO) but it is really just the spice in the stew – Romance is the meat of the story. And even if you did a fantastic job you would now have a bunch of PNR fans and they would demand another PNR from you. Then what would you do?

[egtalbot]

for sure I write in my favorite genre -thriller. And I dabble writing in my next two favorite, humor and horror. It's hard enough to know if a book is good without trying to do something you don't even have any context for.

[John Carroll]

Originally Posted by C.I.Bond

I’m thinking that this would be like watching a train wreck. No offense but writing takes passion. It’s possible you are such a fantastic writer that you could pull this off but I would crash and burn… LOL... Actually I wouldn’t but I would just turn the thing into dark erotica and probably shock a few people, my husband included.

Romance has some very specialized requirements – that’s the thing that’s going to get you, the paranormal part is a lot easier (half of them seem to have weak world building at IMHO) but it is really just the spice in the stew – Romance is the meat of the story. And even if you did a fantastic job you would now have a bunch of PNR fans and they would demand another PNR from you. Then what would you do?

You are absolutely correct. The experiment didn't work at all. Luckily I only got a paragraph into it and I'm not going to torture anyone with that paragraph.

My primary genre is fantasy and the more I write, the more it becomes certain to me. My secondary genre is . . . weird. Anything that's just weird or off the wall.

[Qbert]

It's funny, I like sci-fi, especially the work of Richard Matheson, John Wydham, but have never tried that area. Strictly armchair sci-fi, lol.

[C.I.Bond]

Originally Posted by John Carroll

Anything that's just weird or off the wall.

You could try a weird paranormal romance if you could stomach the romance part. Like Undead Speed Dating...? Zombie Love? More spoofy than a real romance. I'd read something like that.

[John Carroll]

Originally Posted by C.I.Bond

You could try a weird paranormal romance if you could stomach the romance part. Like Undead Speed Dating...? Zombie Love? More spoofy than a real romance. I'd read something like that.

I've done alien romance before and that worked well and I've sat at the computer and thought about zombies and vampires and that sort of thing, but it just hasn't been there. It's in the back of my mind though. Perhaps my muse will smack me upside the head and knock it to the front one of these days.

For me, the romance is more along the traditional fantasy lines instead of current style romance. I like the part where they fall in love and hold hands for the rest of their lives.

[C.I.Bond]

Originally Posted by John Carroll

I like the part where they fall in love and hold hands for the rest of their lives.

A sweet zombie romance as opposed to zombie errotica which probably wouldn't sell well at all. LOL... I suspect that is the only way to go.

[TJager]

I write YA and that is what I enjoy reading the most. However, I do read other genres. I'm just not sure I'd be good at writing in them.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I write the same type of stories I like to read, science fiction from moderately hard to adventure-soft. I'm still trying to work up to the kind of SF that has fascinated me more than any other type, works like Solaris and Brave New World. And I did a TV-style humor/urban adventure series, Denial of Service, just to see if I could.

[HistoryWes]

I think most writers write what they would want to read. I certainly do. That may make them unsellable to a traditional publisher. Maybe nobody besides me wants to read them! I guess it's good I have a day job, and that I write because I like it.