Your Chosen Genre

Your Chosen Genre

Unless, or until, you are an established name in the world of writing like J.K Rowling, or Lynda La Plant with book sales in the millions, is it wise to stick to just one genre?

Many new writers and I include myself in this, want to write the next bestseller in the genre they fell in love with as avid readers and therefore feel comfortable with. In my own case, it is science fiction. While I wait for my next sci-fi novel to form in my mind, I’m happily exploring other genres.

I believe this is not only healthy but is also an excellent tool to improve or hone my own writing skills. Forcing myself to think a story through outside my own comfort zone, challenges me to explore not only different genres, but also to write in different styles.

My publisher set up an in-house site for all of its authors and a few outsides who had caught our chief editor’s eye, where we can post short stories, flash fiction, vignettes, excerpts from a forthcoming novel, etc. for discussion and constructive criticism.

Each month, one of us will place a challenge to write a story in whatever genre the challenger decrees.

Within this friendly group of writers, many genres are represented. We have writers whose favourites include Sci-Fi, YA, Horror, Children’s stories, Fantasy – Light and Dark, Steam Punk, Dystopian, Historical – you name it, we have it covered.

Writing in other genres is a necessary exercise. How else will you improve unless you experiment? Try it. You never know, you may find you have a talent for writing in a totally different style and genre beyond your favourite.

Above all, until the product of all your hard work ‘makes it’, keep on challenging yourself, keep on exploring and experimenting. That’s the only way you will one day write that bestseller.

If as a writer you’re completely honest with yourself no one merely writes for personal enjoyment.

In the end we all want to be read by others.