Pick a Genre, Any Genre

with guest  Sherry Kyle

Happy 7th Birthday, Seekerville!

How exciting to share birthday month with you! It’s been awhile since I’ve had the honor to guest post, and I’m thrilled to join you today, release day for my historical romance, Watercolor Dreams.

Wait! I thought you wrote contemporary novels! Aren’t you confusing your readers?

Historical romance is a new genre for me, but I stayed true to my brand, which is key. All my novels, contemporary and historical, are set in California and have a reconnecting theme.




Genre is a specific kind or style of writing. 

As a reminder, here are the basics of SEVEN common mainstream genres:

• Action is similar to adventure. The protagonist gets himself in desperate situations (explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.) and risks his life to get what he wants. Many stories fall under both action and adventure genres, including: military fiction, spy fiction, and Western fiction, among others.

• Fantasy stories are set in another world or reality. Magic or other supernatural phenomena is part of the primary plot element, theme, or setting, and symbolism is used to convey universal truths. Many times a “portal” is used to move between worlds.

• Historical novels take place at least fifty years ago. Characters take part in actual historical events and may interact with real people in the past. Attention is paid to period detail, manners, and social conditions of the times presented in the story.

• Mystery focuses on a crime, usually murder. The main character can be a civilian, but generally is an amateur detective, private eye, or police officer in search of “whodunit.” Real clues are mixed in with false ones. A good mystery is like a puzzle and must be solved by the end of the book. Reader expectation is to be able to solve the mystery along with the main character.

• Romance centers on a relationship between the main female character and her male love interest. The pair usually meets in the first chapter. No other part of the plot can overshadow the romance and there must be seemingly impossible odds that the couple will get together. The book should end with an engagement or wedding, providing the reader with an optimistic and/or happy ending.

• Suspense keeps the reader waiting for something, giving them an adrenaline rush. The protagonist’s job is usually to keep a catastrophe from happening. The goal of the writer is to make the reader a participant in the chase by identifying with the main character and the danger he or she faces.

• Women’s Fiction borrows some elements of romance, but the woman’s life is the central focus. The relationships of the story are front and center. The story is often humorous, but can be deeply emotional. The main character can be single or married, and any age. There’s not always the standard ‘happy ending,’ but there’s a life-affirming resolution even if the story is somewhat tragic.

Are you an author that has considered changing or adding a new genre?

Maybe you started out writing suspense and discovered romance is the genre for you. Or you write action/adventure, but want to switch to fantasy. Or maybe you write contemporary women’s fiction and are interested in historical romance too. (I’m waving my hand here!)

People in the writing industry have strong opinions about authors who write multiple genres, such as:

• One prominent and successful author said, “It’s better to pick one genre and stick to it. Otherwise you need a pen name and two websites, which is difficult to keep up.”

• A male author and marketing professional said, “It’s better to land and stay put than flit here and there. Your readers will thank you.”

• On the other hand, an agent suggested writers try their hand at many genres to discover who they are as writers.

• A well-known author shared how she liked to write in multiple genres, but her audience chose her genre for her despite her desire to branch out.

Of course, whether you write one or more genres, all fiction includes these elements:

1. Characters—people facing hardship. The main character is the protagonist, and the person who opposes him or her is the antagonist. Characters can be flat (minor), or round characters (major). A flat or “two dimensional” character does not undergo substantial change or growth during the story, and plays a supportive role. A round or major character encounters conflict and is changed by it. Character is revealed by dialogue, through description, and how he or she responds to conflict.

2. Setting—the location and time period of a story. Setting can be a real place or from the author’s imagination. Many times the setting becomes a character of the story.

3. GMC—our characters need to want something (goal), have a reason (motivation), and struggle to get it (conflict). A goal should be measurable, urgent, and lead the character to action. Motivation comes from the character’s backstory. Both external and internal conflict tests the hero and keeps readers turning pages.

4. Dialogue—meaningful, natural conversation that moves the story forward. Remember, less is more. Real people use contractions, and leave out words. Use dialect sparingly and never use dialogue as info dump.

5. Plot—sequence of events that move the characters toward their goals. Plot is the foundation of the story in which the characters and setting is built around. There are 5 main elements: exposition (characters and setting established and conflict introduced), rising action (crisis is encountered and story conflict revealed), climax (highest point of interest and turning point of the story), falling action (events and complications begin to resolve), and resolution (outcome of the conflict revealed).

6. Theme—a main idea or universal message that relates to life and can be summed up in a single word (love, death, forgiveness, etc.). Often, novels can have more than one theme. A major theme is an idea that is repeated, while a minor theme is mentioned briefly. Three ways characters reveal theme are through thoughts, dialogue, and action.

7. Audience—the people reading our books and the reason we write. Authors need to create a world so real that reader can’t put the book down.

Before writing in a new genre, consider these ideas to keep your writing fresh:

• Spice up your story by “seasoning” your preferred genre with other genres, for example putting in a dash of suspense to contemporary women’s fiction or adding a touch of mystery to a historical.

• Write a few chapters outside your genre. The idea of writing a new genre may sound more appealing than it actually is.

• For fun, send a poem to a friend or write a short story for your children or grandchildren.

• Get a new hobby. Take a dance class, decorate your home, learn to knit, etc.

• Pamper yourself. Have lunch with a friend, go to a movie, or get a pedicure.

• Take a break. Go for a long walk, have a cup of coffee, write in a journal.

• Pray! Be still and listen. God will guide. And if He’s giving you the go ahead, write that new story!


Each published book, no matter the genre, is a reason to celebrate!

* * *

Sherry Kyle is an award-winning author, and writes books for tween girls, contemporary novels for women, including Delivered with Love, and The Heart Stone (Abingdon Press), and her newest historical romance, Watercolor Dreams (HopeSprings Books, October 2014). Sherry lives in California with her husband and four children, loves to decorate her beach home, and enjoys taking walks by the ocean. www.sherrykyle.com

Links:
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCL_DfuKldc
Blog: http://www.sherrykyle.com/category/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSherryKyle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherrykyle
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sherrykylebooks/

Leave a comment today for a chance to win a copy of Watercolor Dreams. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition. US and Canada residents only.

For writers who write in multiple genres, any secrets to success you’d care to share?

Watercolor Dreams

He strolled into her painting . . . and into her heart.

It's 1910 and Anna Lewis is praying that God will help her become a premier watercolor artist of the lush beaches of Carmel, California. When a man strides down the beach and stops to face the ocean, Anna sketches him into her painting. Was it a mistake? Anna thinks so when he tells her he doesn't have spare change to purchase her work. Spare change indeed! But while she seeks God's leading for her art career, she'd better keep her day job as nursemaid to two rambunctious boys.

The minute Charles Jordan walks away, he regrets criticizing the woman's painting but as he told the artist, he's just been jilted at the altar.

How will a secret from Charles' past affect his chances of loving again? And how will Anna have the hope she needs when tragedy strikes and she must rely on the one man who crushed her spirit?

Crossing Over

Camy here, talking about crossover.

I started off writing chick lit, or humorous contemporary romance novels, for Zondervan (owned by Harper Collins). However, my latest novel, my fourth published book, is a genre jump for me—it's a romantic suspense published by Steeple Hill in their Love Inspired Suspense line. My fifth novel will again be a humorous contemporary romance by Zondervan in May 2010. I hope to publish with both houses—funny romances for Zondervan, romantic suspenses for Love Inspired Suspense.

A few people have asked me about when I first switched genres. I learned a few things along the way, and there's also something very important I realized—whether you're a Christian fiction writer who wants to cross over to mainstream or a contemporary romance writer wanting to cross over into romantic suspense, there are a few things a writer should do to give you a better chance of success.

Research

Before submitting to Steeple Hill, I read every Love Inspired Suspense novel that had been published in the last six months. I also read some older Love Inspired Suspense novels. I literally spent weeks doing mostly reading, and very little writing.

I wanted to understand the feel of the line, the characters that had already been done, the character careers that had already been used, the types of villains and crimes that had been published recently. I wanted to see the types of red herrings used, the kinds of twists involved in the endings, and the balance of romance and suspense in the stories.

I couldn't do that unless I'd read all those books, and I'm really glad I did. With the help of a few critique partners, I finally put together a proposal that was contracted.

So if you're going to genre jump yourself, or if you're trying to break into a different market (such as ABA or CBA), do your homework. Research the publishing house(s) and line(s) you're targeting so your proposal can be more focused and specialized.

Get feedback

I had some fantastic critique partners who were extremely familiar with the Love Inspired line who helped me revise my proposal. If not for them, I don't think I would have been contracted, because they had an excellent eye for where I deviated from the requirements of the line, for where I could tweak words and phrasing to better fit with the kind of atmosphere that Steeple Hill editors were looking for in the Love Inspired Suspense line.

Writing is such a solitary thing that it's easy to forget about needing feedback, but if you're going to cross over into a different genre or market, make sure you send your proposal to critique partners who will:

(1) tell you the truth
(2) really know the line/market you're targeting

Both of those requirements are absolutely necessary for useful feedback. You'll be glad you did, because they'll be able to help you refine your manuscript specifically for that editor who will buy it.

Come up with several ideas

Sometimes, editors will love your writing but not like the particular story premise or characters in your proposal. And if that's the case, they'll send a nice rejection with the coveted phrase, "I encourage you to submit any other manuscripts you might have."

Especially when you're trying to cross over, you want a full arsenal to entice the editor. Don't just work on one series idea or one story. Come up with at least two, three if possible.

If you've done your research and have good critique partners to brainstorm with, it shouldn't be too hard. You don't want to find yourself in a place where the editor asks, "What else do you have?" and you don't have anything else. Gaaah!

All my Seeker sisters will tell you—they wrote several story ideas. Actually, I don't think any of them sold their first and only manuscript—most of them sold their second or third or tenth completed manuscript.

Anyway, are you hoping to cross over to a different genre or market? Or do you feel called to just one place to write? I'd like to hear your thoughts and any questions you might have. I don't promise to have all the answers, but between the fifteen of us, I'm sure we can misdirect you with a smile.

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Her novels Single Sashimi and Deadly Intent are out now. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, is a staff worker for her church youth group, and leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every week and ponders frivolous things. Sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly giveaways!

Plan for Disaster? Plan for Success!

Morning, all! Ruthy here.

So, hey, who among us DIDN’T set up some kind of disaster plan after the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina, or the ice storms that imperil half of these United States from December through March each year? If record-breaking hurricane and tornado seasons, blizzards, floods and ice storms haven’t spurred you to having a disaster plan, let me just ask this:

WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THINKING?

There. Got that out of my system. Phew. Feel better already.

I bet most of us have back-up batteries, first-aid kits, bottled water, generators, coolers, etc. After a massive ice storm hit Western New York in ’91, we put a plan into effect that included adding a wood-burning stove for heat, a gas stove (burners still work without electricity), extra propane for the outdoor grill, batteries for the radio and kerosene lamps. Over a week without heat or electricity in the dead of winter with a houseful of kids taught us to be better prepared. Now we’re a ‘go-to’ house if electricity fails.

Which is GREAT, depending on who drops in, LOL!

A wise person plans for disaster.

Why on earth don’t we plan for success with the same muster?

Missy wrote a great blog yesterday on self-affirmation. Let’s take that one step further. Expect your success and plan for it.

We Seekers had an online discussion about inventorying work as an unpub. Varying opinions weighed in, but the consensus was: Have a backup plan and be ready to utilize it the minute an editor waves her hand, shakes her head and says, “I’m not interested in that, we just contracted a story similar to that with Camy Tang, what else have you got?”

And that’s it in a nutshell, Cupcake. What else have you got?

Former New York Giants running back
Tiki Barber did a car commercial highlighting his big break, that an unexpected door opened when another player suffered an injury, allowing Tiki the chance to show his stuff. His story would have sported (pun intended) a different ending if he hadn’t been ready to man-up and hit the turf.

Do you have an inventory of work? Are you a one-book peddler? Not for nothing, it’s amazing to have finished one book, and kudos to all who’ve done that. Now get back on the horse and start writing some more.

Every business requires back-up inventory and if you listen to the stories abounding in publishing, you’ll find that many writers had several books done and polished, possibly in different genres, before landing that first contract.

“Different genres?” you say, horror-struck at the thought. “But Ruthy,” you protest, “I’m a mystery/romance/women’s fiction/inspirational/historical writer. Why on earth would I have books in varying genres? The very thought frightens the bejeebies out of me.”

Acclaimed author Karen White offered this advice, “Write what you like. When they buy it, focus on that genre while you get established.” Sage words from a woman who started off with paranormal historicals that melded into Southern contemporaries which morphed into beautifully crafted contemporary women’s fiction.

Let’s name drop:

Nora Roberts has enjoyed a stellar career writing romance, romantic suspense, paranormals, single titles and numerous blends of all the above. Conversely, as J. D. Robb she has produced the successful ‘In Death’ futuristic cop series.

Meg Cabot writes children’s books, wrote the Princess Diaries and others as young adult offerings, but also writes adult romance under both Meggin and Patricia Cabot.

Sherrilyn Kenyon writes paranormals for St. Martin’s press and produces historicals for Avon under the name Kinley MacGregor.

“Well, Ruthy,” say you, brows cast up, finger wagging in my direction, (stop that, by the way. It’s annoying. What are you, a first-grade teacher? Sheesh.) “Nora, Sherrilyn and Meg can do whatever they want to do. They’re icons.”

Listen up, young Grasshopper, and you too may be able to walk the ricepaper one day.

Golden Heart winner Donna MacMeans ran the unpubbed contest circuit a few years ago with her funny historical The Education of Mrs. Brimley. Due out soon is her paranormal, set in historical times, The Trouble With Moonlight.

Was she a big name author?

No.

An icon?

Not yet.

Is this a series?

No.

Is she good?

Obviously!

Plan your success. Work to reach daily, weekly and/or monthly goals. Yearly goals. Do not give up, do not pass ‘Go’. This ain’t no board game, sweetkins, and planning for success is just as important as planning for disaster because what on earth are you going to do at that upcoming conference when Suzy Editor says, “No, thanks, been there, done that, what else have you got?” if you’ve got no ‘Plan B’.

Like Kit said in Pretty Woman, “Work it, baby. Own it.”

Hey. What works for fictional hookers can work for us. In a slightly different way, of course.

Putting YOU in Your Story

Missy here. I love the Food Network. And late Saturday night I watched Episode 27 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Original air date: 3-10-08). On the show, a woman said an amazing thing: "The food has a lot of love in it, and you can always taste it when people cook with love."

I love that quote! It was like a light bulb came on and I wanted to shout, “So true!”

And of course, it got my writer brain thinking. About whether or not we write (cook ) with love.

Do you love your genre? Your theme? Your characters? Do you love your setting? Your plot? Your own writer’s voice?

Do you love your word choices? (If you’re like me, you sometimes agonize over choosing the absolutely perfect word.)

Do you love your story?

If you do, I can just about guarantee the reader will know it.

Okay, so let’s assume we all love our stories. (No, we won’t count how badly you hate it by the time you’ve revised it 14 times, right before you finally send it out.) So if we’re good on that front, then how can we add that little extra “oomph” that makes a judge or an editor stand up and take notice?

What do you bring to your story that no one else can bring to a story?

If you don’t know, then it’s time to think about it. (This might help you look at branding yourself, too.) Look at your stories/ideas/premises/settings/characters/themes and see if you can find a pattern. For me, it’s writing a small town setting somewhere in the South (with all the conflicts that go with small-town life). And it’s writing stories about families and family dynamics. All but a couple of my manuscripts also have a faith element. And I always write romance. Even when I tried writing women’s fiction, I ended up with the husband and wife reuniting. I found I couldn’t do otherwise!

I realized I’d found my niche. (And my tag line: Faith, Family and Finding Mr. Right.) Why? Well, probably because for the last 18 years I’ve lived mostly in smaller towns in the South and have been a stay-at-home mom focused on my family. I suspect if I tried to write a story about a high-powered executive in New York or L.A., I would have a really hard time.

I’m able to write, not necessarily what I know, but what I live and understand and love. And there’s that word love again. I’m writing what I love.

Okay, so what about you? What do you write about? What do you love about your life? How do you put, well…YOU into your stories?

Missy

Genre Bending with HarperCollins Debut Author Jordan Dane

Romance is the New Black

Now that I will be a debut author for Avon HarperCollins in April 2008, I’ve looked back on my first novel, NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM, to reflect upon my first published novel and what it took to sell it. Of course, using hindsight makes it appear as if I knew exactly what I was doing, but that wasn’t the case. Aspiring authors at mystery, romance, and crime fiction conferences ask me—if I want to be an author, how do I decide what to write? To answer that question, it helped me to consider where I began in 2003.

Being an avid reader, I decided the best course of action to pick the genre I wanted to write was to look at my bookshelves and see what I loved to read. Espionage thrillers and various crime fiction books held the biggest sway, so after that revelation I had a basis to start. Then I did my research on what was selling and romance with all its sub-genres held a significant share of the marketplace. Now at the time, I had romances in my collection, but not nearly as many as I do now. I made the decision to learn more about the genre and joined the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and my local chapter. They taught me the basics of writing and I found that RWA offered many useful resources to the beginning author. And I have to say that although romance added depth to my stories, writing it wasn’t easy. It was a challenge, but something was still missing for me personally. Where had my passion for thrillers and crime fiction gone?

I wasn’t sure there was a place in the pure romance genre (as I understood it) for my idea of a thriller or a crime fiction novel. But in the end I made my way, ignoring the perceived rules and what others told me I had to do to sell. I listened to my own voice, electing to write the type of story I wanted to read and incorporate what I’d learned thus far. Any new story would have mystery and action and there’d be a blend of pace and a complex plot to challenge me. I also added forensics and police procedure to taste. And since I’m a fan of subtle humor, I drizzled that into my crime scenes and the sardonic wit of my characters too. Fold in the romantic elements I’d picked up and I finally felt as if I had a concoction worth peddling. And in June 2006, when my first series sold in auction, I’d taken my first step toward discovering who I was as a working author.

But I soon realized I had only scratched the surface of defining where I wanted to be. Thinking out of the box required me to know what the box looked like and I had to understand what boundaries should stay and what I could change. And with each new manuscript, I pushed the boundaries to see where it took me. The exploration has thrilled and challenged me as a writer. Every new project excites me from start to end.

And regarding cross genre stories, I’d like to make another point. The publishing industry works hard at categorizing types of books to make it easier for booksellers to classify the book and shelve it for the reading public. And as authors keeping up with trends, we learn the lingo, but some books defy a strict definition. And it’s been my experience that most readers don’t make a distinction when it comes to the various sub-genres. On MySpace, for example, when I search for reader friends, I do it by looking for words like ‘avid reader’ or ‘mystery suspense’, even though I’m being marketed as romantic suspense or I consider my work to be romantic thrillers. It helps to think like a reader in this instance. If I queried on ‘romantic suspense’, I’d get other romance authors. For those of you making your way on the cyberspace super highway, try it and see what I’m saying.

Given what I’ve experienced, the vast majority of the reading public is eclectic in its reading preferences and that’s good. They also don’t seem to be picky on sub-genres, but I believe they know a good story when they read one—the bottom line. And there are enough readers to go around, enabling an author to cut a healthy slice of readership pie when his or her books are in print. So I like the idea that my books may fit into a number of slots. It makes me feel less guilty when I ask for a second helping of pie. I believe my cross genre stories give my publishing house greater flexibility to market my work. In today’s competitive marketplace, versatility has value.

And if an established mystery or crime fiction author has been thinking of revitalizing their story ideas to better fit today’s market and improve their sales, it may not be necessary to overhaul their entire way of thinking. Perhaps they should consider broadening their appeal to suit a larger segment of the book buying public—women. Compelling romantic elements add emotional depth. And a cross genre story infused with romance may just be the new black.

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http://www.jordandane.com./

After Jordan Dane sold her first 3-books to Avon/HarperCollins in auction, her debut title – No One Heard Her Scream – held more significance. Everyone heard her scream! And that went double for the next 3-book thrillers she sold before having any books released. Prior to selling, Jordan received 33 national writing competition awards. Formerly an energy sales manager, she now is following her passion to write full time. Take a front row seat to suspense with Dane’s back to back releases in April through June 2008—No One Heard Her Scream, No One Left to Tell, & No One Lives Forever.

“ … a dynamite debut … Dane’s smooth style, believable characters and intense pacing will remind readers of Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner and Tami Hoag. While Dane’s debut is being marketed as romantic suspense, it crosses over into plain thriller country: the tight plotting and the male characters are exceptional, bad guys and good.” –Publisher’s Weekly 12/10/07