• Café Life is the Colony's main hangout, watering hole and meeting point.

    This is a place where you'll meet and make writing friends, and indulge in stratospherically-elevated wit or barometrically low humour.

    Some Colonists pop in religiously every day before or after work. Others we see here less regularly, but all are equally welcome. Two important grounds rules…

    • Don't give offence
    • Don't take offence

    We now allow political discussion, but strongly suggest it takes place in the Steam Room, which is a private sub-forum within Café Life. It’s only accessible to Full Members.

    You can dismiss this notice by clicking the "x" box

Blog Post: Writing Different Genres

Latest Articles from Litopia’s Collective Blog

From Our Blog

Full Member
Blogger
Joined
Feb 3, 2024
LitBits
0
Just posted on SuperStack by Claire G – discussions in this thread, please
---

First Things First

I’ve never understood people who have a favourite song, book or film. Surely your choice depends on your mood. It’s the same with genre. Maybe today I fancy reading something light-hearted and fun. Tomorrow I might want to feel a shiver run down my spine. The next day I might be enticed to delve into the past. Who knows?

They say that variety is the spice of life (and perhaps I should have thought about that when I wrote this cliché!). For me, this is true. My tastes in reading, watching and listening are very mood-dependent. I can’t choose a favourite song, book or film because my answer would be different on different days (perhaps even in different hours or minutes). I would contradict myself when conversing with different people about my tastes. I’d feel inconsistent.

I find that what I write likewise varies with my mood. A more positive mood brings out the idealist in me, the part of my personality that craves a ‘Happy Ever After’. That’s when I get the ideas for my contemporary romances. If I’m in a darker mood, that’s when premises for my psychological novels come out to play.

No one is all one thing – we each have different facets to our personalities. Yet some people are able to focus very specifically on one genre. I’m awed by people who do this. To have such passion for an area of interest, to immerse themselves in the world of fantasy, history or science-fiction, to be all-consumed by it. I’ll admit, a part of me is a little jealous.

I learn a lot from listening to authors who absorb themselves in one branch of fiction, whether that’s through conversation, reading their books, listening to their interviews or even by reading their posts on Litopia. They are experts in their genre. They are widely read. They understand the tropes. They’re aware of the expectations of their target audience.

I’m going to use another cliché now (I know, I know): Jack of all trades, master of none. Over the years, I’ve experimented with writing different genres, until I realised that I kept coming back to two – the two which reflect both sides of my personality, drawn-out by my mood-of-the-day. While I love jumping between genres, it means that I am no expert on any one. Maybe one day I will be (if that’s even possible), but it’s going to take me a hell of a lot longer than those who specialise, because my attention is divided. But today I’m sure I’ll get there…because, right now, my mood is optimistic.



Different Approaches

I have different approaches to writing each genre and I’m curious to discover if others do too. To sum it up, I ‘pants’ my contemporary romances and plot my psychological suspense novels. Why do I do this? I’ve been trying to analyse the reasons. One reason could be because I’ve read a lot more romances than psychological suspense so maybe the style, structure and tropes have become more embedded in my psyche. Another could be the nature of the genre: psychological novels tend to be more intricately plot-driven and include the inclusion of features such as red herrings, reveals, twists, reverses, ambiguous endings, possibly an unreliable narrator. The tension needs to be palpable and this is something I’ve had to work on (and still do). I find delving into the darkest depths of the human mind more demanding than exploring the human desire for love.

Of course, this does not make romance ‘simpler’ than psychological suspense, just different. Romances can have reveals and twists too, for example, and it can be tricky to include conflict which keeps the characters apart for a large chunk of the story. There are many tropes in the genre: love triangles, miscommunication, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, fake dating…the list goes on. And for each trope, the author needs to know how to navigate the story successfully. What is the most satisfying way to solve a love-triangle dilemma? How can I bring enemies together? What’s a believable reason for two characters to fake-date? Questions are an author’s best friend when writing any genre.

As well as differences, there are similarities between my two chosen genres. Both genres have relationships at their heart and both keep you guessing (whether that’s the how of a romance – how will this couple finally get together – or the what and why of a psychological suspense – what is going on and why?). I think the contrast between the similarities and differences of the genres is what I most like about writing them.

Readers have expectations. It’s important to know the ‘rules’ of your genre (though deliberately breaking them can lead to interesting and surprising results!). This takes time, lots of reading and some targeted research.

So, I’ve told you that I ‘pants’ my romances, but how do I plot my psychological novels? In several ways:

First, I have an idea for a premise/hook. This often comes with a fully-formed first sentence or opening paragraphs. When I’ve written as much as I can, I stop.

Then, I turn to Save the Cat. I have a master Excel spreadsheet that I adapt for each novel. Each of Blake Snyder’s ‘beats’ are listed in the first column and I fill in what I can of how I see my story progressing in the second column. It’s important to note that I do deviate from this somewhat as I write and I don’t stick to the structure rigidly. It’s just a helpful guide, a tool to make sure I’m hitting key points, for example, the inciting incident/catalyst, the midpoint, the ‘dark night of the soul’ etc. The book also reminds me that I need to think about my characters’ flaws, their wants versus their needs, their agency, the themes in the story, how to make the reader root for an unlikeable character (the metaphorical saving of the cat early in the story!).

Sometimes, I create another spreadsheet which breaks the novel down into chapters, with a summary of each in the second column. I know that some authors do this by scene too.

When I’m around a third to a half of the way through, I write a one-page synopsis. This helps me to see the big picture of the novel, iron out any gaps/plot holes and consider the flow of the narrative. Again, this is not set in stone (another cliché!) and I tend to adapt it as I go along.

This is the process that I’ve found works for me. I’m interested to see how other authors plot their novels and if this differs by genre.



Final Thoughts

Do you have a favourite book/film/song/genre?

Does your writing reflect your reading taste?

Is your focus mood-dependent?

Do you write in one genre or more than one?

What aspects of the genre do you need to know in order to write it?

Are you a plotter or a ‘pantser’?

If you plot, how do you plot?
---

By Claire G
 
I enjoyed this Claire. However, I do think it could benefit by a trim - the thing about mood is a tiny bit repetitive, so is your admiration for those who write in one genre only. I liked your lay-out, broke up the chunks in manageable pieces. Good blog Claire!
 
Heya.

I was a pantser but am now a plotter, because I discovered I'm rubbish as a pantser.

I do have a favourite song, because Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World cannot be bettered.

And although I write in different genres, I've found I need to totally immerse myself in the project I'm working on for my subconscious to do its job properly.

I learnt this the hard way, obviously.
I went to Uni, a few years ago, and studied Fine Art and Creative Writing. I felt completely schizophrenic the whole time as my mind was having to consider too many problems at once.
When I left, I said, right, that's it, I'm only going to write for a year (which turned into five). And it was much easier.

When I went down to Bath the other year, to do an Art Residency, I only thought about the art and let my subconscious bubble away with that.

Now, whichever book I'm working on, I stick with - whatever my mood. Because I know my brain is quietly untangling things in the background, and coming up with creative solutions while I'm not looking. I leave it alone, let it get on with its job, and don't distract it by swerving onto a new topic.

Isn't it interesting how different things work for different people?
 
When I went down to Bath the other year, to do an Art Residency, I only thought about the art and let my subconscious bubble away with that.

Now, whichever book I'm working on, I stick with - whatever my mood. Because I know my brain is quietly untangling things in the background, and coming up with creative solutions while I'm not looking. I leave it alone, let it get on with its job, and don't distract it by swerving onto a new topic.

Isn't it interesting how different things work for different people?
The creative brain has narrow alleys and dark corners where angels dare not tread.
 
I have a number of favourite books. They don't depend on my mood, they are just the books I most want to read on repeat (though don't generally get to because I've so many more to read).

Not all, but most of my favourites are fantasy (with a good dollop of romance). I write YA fantasy or short stories with an element of fantasy or magic realism.

I'm generally upbeat as a person, but I can play with my mood. If I need to read a sad scene, I play sad music until I am sad. I can put myself in my character(s) head(s) quite easily once I get to know them.

To write YA Fantasy, you need to know what the one big problem is for your protagonist. (There maybe minor problems on the way, but there must be one big problem, even if the MC doesn't know it at the start.) You need a believable antagonist who has their own good reason for their own goal.
You need to write like a teenager speaks/thinks, so you need to read loads of YA and listen to teenagers to absorb the teenage voice.

I'm a plotter. I tinker with ideas until my characters come to life in my head. Then I blend character with idea and come up with need/goal/obstacles/outcome. Then I plot the story. Then I check Save the Cat (which I don't adhere to as if it's gospel) to check I haven't left out any major plot point that I should have included. Then I edit my plot and write a synopsis (just for myself) which lets me know if there is a good narrative and character arc to the story. Then I break it down into one or two sentences per chapter: where the chapter starts and where it should end. That's my scaffolding. After that I pants the chapters, talking a lot to the characters along the way. If they have better ideas for a plotline, I'll listen and go back to the plotting stage and re-adjust if I agree with the character(s). I need to stay focussed and immersed in that world. Unless it's just line-editing for another novel or a book 1 edit while I'm writing book 2 in a series, I can't work on two different novels at the same time.
 
I really enjoyed this Claire! So interesting how everyone ticks, and writes. I also enjoyed thinking about your questions.

Do you have a favourite book/film/song/genre?
Books, I usually go with a "top ten" kind of list. Not songs, though. I'm much less choosy about music. And yes for genre. I am a Spec Fic fan all the way from here to the stars.

Does your writing reflect your reading taste? Yup. I write spec fic.

Is your focus mood-dependent? Well, I don't know, as I am always in the mood for spec fic. Always. And very often not in the mood for much else.

Do you write in one genre or more than one? Established, I think. ;-)

What aspects of the genre do you need to know in order to write it? Spec Fic is actually a wide genre, with many sub genres. It's good to know the different sub genres within one's genre. And read a lot. For all SFF or Spec Fic, there's something that can sum up the expectations of the readers of this genre, and that's a Sense of Wonder (sometimes referred to as “sensawunda.”)

Are you a plotter or a ‘pantser’? Both. I plot a little, then pants a little, then plot a little, until I get myself into a complete state of confusion, and then I just stop the madness and plot it all out. But by then, I usually have a pretty good idea of the chars, and the theme and tone and such. So the plotting is more fun.

If you plot, how do you plot? With an excel spreadsheet, like you! I put my main beats on the left, like you, and then I have many columns that spread out to the right, so I can track all the zillions of things that I want to put into the story. But I can't do this until I'm about half way through the first draft, and see where things are going. See above.

Thanks Claire! That was fun! :D
 
I totally agree @Claire G that favourites change with my mood too. Skewing the questions a little, I use music to nudge my mood to the place I want my writing to be, do others do this too?
I struggle with fitting my writing into a genre, life doesn't fit into a genre as it swings between romance and tragedy and the totally mind numbing mundane, but it is all part of a story.
I would love to be a plotter and dedicate time focused on one project but working other jobs means I just scribble the ideas down as they come to me and in my head they are forming a vague plot. One year I'll get the time to really join them up and see where the whole story goes.
 
I enjoyed this Claire. However, I do think it could benefit by a trim - the thing about mood is a tiny bit repetitive, so is your admiration for those who write in one genre only. I liked your lay-out, broke up the chunks in manageable pieces. Good blog Claire!
Please don’t offer unsolicited critiques of others’ blog posts. That really is not the point of blogging here.

Personally, if I felt my post was going to be immediately criticised, according to whatever idiosyncratic criteria you seem to be applying, then I simply wouldn’t want the hassle of writing, posting and then being told it’s too repetitive / too long or whatever else you don't like.

Please don’t do this again.

We have a brilliant critiquing area here for members who want that – but this is not it.
 
My apologies, to all where I offered my thoughts... Now that I Know it is not what was intended, I assure you @AgentPete, it will certainly not happen again and will reply only if specifically requested to. Is that OK?
 
Really enjoyed this Clare. Been a a bit of a mad week at home so I'm catching up on stuff slowly.

One time, almost all I ever read was comedy and bio/auto biogs (mostly by funny types too). But since coming to Litopia my tastes have widened considerably. If you'd said to me three years ago "In three years time you'll have read over 30 crime novels," I had said - no chance... but I have.

I have even dipped a toe in some more cerebral waters, more modern fantasy and sci-fi too.

I feel this has widened my outlook and changed how I look at writing. I think it's been a really beneficial in my own development.

I'm still a comedy nut first and foremost and that's my safety blanket, but horizons are getting wider.

Maybe they ought to buff up a Pulitzer gong in readiness for a few years hence.
 
Back
Top