Genre awareness is big in publishing. You ‘re told you need to know exactly where your work will sit in a bookstore, categorized into what shelf.
When I first started writing You Beneath Your Skin, many many years ago, I was NOT aware what genre it would be. Genre awareness was not on my radar at all.
Now that I’m older, hopefully wiser, and definitely more experienced, I’ve begun to look at my writing and my voice with a beady, critical eye.
I’m naturally a writer at ease with descriptive settings, and I enjoy world-building. Readers have praised all three of my crime novels published so far: the standalone You Beneath Your Skin and the Blue Mumbai series (on a kindle monthly deal now), as vivid, immersive and absorbing. My novels also tend to have a huge cast of characters.
The book I’m working on right now is not a crime novel, but I’m not going to talk about its genre till it sees the light of day.
If I look at my skill sets as a writer though, I think one genre jumps out: one that demands world-building, has vivid settings, and practically demands a sprawling cast of characters: fantasy.
My (sterling) agent has been patient with me thus far, and she does rep some very good fantasy authors. But right now may not be the best time to tell her I want to try out another genre. I read a fair bit of fantasy (currently reading The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence and enjoying it so far), and will keep reading more.
Maybe one day I’ll outline the idea that’s been kicking around in my brain for the last fifteen years. It was too big for me to try then, but maybe, just maybe, I’ve earned some plotting chops over the years, and I could get it to work.
What about you, dear writer? What genre do you generally write in? What’s a genre you’d love to try writing but haven’t attempted so far?
This post is part of an event held each first Wednesday of the month: Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Founded by the Ninja Cap’n Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share their fears and insecurities without being judged.
The awesome co-hosts for the May 7 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, Natalie Aguirre, Cathrina Constantine, and Louise Barbour! Please go and visit them if you like.
———————————————————————————————————
My Amazon-bestselling literary crime novels, The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon are on Kindle Unlimited. Add to Goodreads or snag a copy to make my day ! They’re on a KINDLE MONTHLY DEAL in the UK and Australia this month.
And if you’d like to read a book outside the series, you can check out You Beneath Your Skin. Find all info about my books on my Amazon page or Linktree.
————————————————————————–
If you liked this post, you can receive posts in your inbox, or keep updated on my writing by clicking on any or all of the following buttons:
GET CURATED PUBLISHING RESOURCES SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG JOIN DAILY(W)RITE ON FB FOLLOW ON BOOKBUB
Discover more from Damyanti Biswas
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I hate the categories and do not fit them which also hinders finding a wider readership.
I am interested to see what genre you will identify for your current novel. My current genre is psychological suspense…and photo-poetry. Whatever the genre, writing is good for one’s mental and emotional health … and self-esteem. Keep on keeping on!
Absolutely! Of course, the bleary eyes and back aches aren’t the most fun, but the joy of writing makes up for it.
Why did I think you’d go for lit fic but now maybe not. You’re going to keep us guessing. Currently my wip is YA and the soon-to-be-out one is for the emerging reader, but I have a historical coming-of-age stashed away on my desktop, which I am not very confident of taking up right now. Maybe someday.
That sounds like an interesting new venture, if you one day choose to take it up. I enjoy your writing, no matter what form it takes, and it’s always a pleasure to see how an author’s style evolves between different genres. I didn’t realize how much of a shift there could be, in terms of both tone and mindset, until I started testing it out myself. Good luck with all of your novels!
Go for it – you’ll regret it if you don’t!
That worry has definitely crossed my mind!
I’ll be interested in seeing what you come up with! Good luck.
https://cleemckenziebooks.substack.com/
Thank you!
I’ve always enjoyed reading Regency romances, but I’ve never written one. Maybe if the right characters come knocking on my door…
Ronel visiting for IWSG day Seven Things for the Seventh Month
And if the right characters come knocking, they’re impossible to ignore! They set up camp and refuse to leave.
I’m happy writing literary and historical fiction, as well as multiple forms of poetry. I’m still trying to get the hang of flash and microfiction, but I still have a long way to go.
The journey towards growth and improvement never ends! Not that I’m complaining.
Fiction with a positive outcome to end the story
I meant to add historical context to the above.
Fiction in a historical context with a positive outcome to end the story
That sounds great, Ian!
I would encourage anyone who wants to write fantasy or speculative fiction in general. It is such a wonderful genre. You can let your imagination fly free. As long as you’re consistent inside your book, anything goes. Really. Of course, that’s the genre I write in.
It really is wonderful! Fantasy has always been one of my favorite genres to read, and I’ve found freedom, escape, and entrancement in so many of the books I had growing up. But with all of the incredible fantasy authors and works out there, I definitely put too much pressure on myself to achieve “perfection” (as if there’s even such a thing). I’m slowly building up courage to start.
I hope you can find a fitting time to write your fantasy novel if you really want towrite in that genre. Even if as an indie author find it difficult to fit in a time to write outside of my usual fiction genres of sci fi and horror because both take so much time to write in like with almost any book process. I’d like to eventually try my hand at adventure fiction. I’ve read a lot of it, I just haven’t seriously written any yet.
Thank you, Steven! Fingers crossed that someday I’ll make the leap into the realm of fantasy. I know what you mean, switching genres can be such an intimidating process — and much more complicated than it should be. When you feel ready to start writing adventure fiction, I’ll be cheering you on!
Thanks, Damyanti!
I don’t know, I feel like that’s a conversation you should be able to have with your agent. If you’re toying with an idea for a fantasy novel, you could mention that to your agent and see what she says. What’s the worst that could happen?
Absolutely, I understand where you’re coming from. In this case, I’m unwilling to bring it up simply because I don’t feel ready for it. I still have no clear vision for how I might bring my idea to life. For now, I’m content with thinking about it and keeping it as a hopeful maybe.
Ah, makes sense. Some ideas need time to cook.
My first and last published were detective mysteries. I liked my detective so much I brought him back for another case. In between his first and second cases, I wrote a women’s fiction. I always said I would never write romance. Yet this year I finished my first romance and I now am writing a second one. I have outlined a future work that will be a love story and will rewrite my women’s fiction to be a love story. The one genre I have not tried and want to is historical fiction. I encourage you to write in every genre that you feel a desire for. I think when an author gets comfortable with a writing genre; they lose some of their creativity and their stories become dull. I say Go for it! What do you really have to lose?
Very well-said. I want to challenge myself, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, to constantly grow and evolve as an author. And you’re living proof that freedom in writing is so important; why should we hold ourselves back, simply because we feel obligated to uphold past patterns and stick to what we’ve always done? Thank you for the advice!
Historical fiction.
Of course, especially with your level of knowledge and expertise!
Thank you!
Fantasy is the other genre I would consider.
I can see you succeeding at it, Alex!
Yeah, definitely don’t rile your agent while things are working, eh? It’s okay to sneak something in on the side though. I mean, you can always published a different way, right? If it came to that.
Thankfully my agent is wonderful and has been so supportive with all the projects we’ve worked on together. At the moment, I’m just not ready to make the jump to fantasy yet. Maybe one day!
My first and only full length novel The Himadripuram Adventure involves a lot of world building. The entire story is set in a fictitious kingdom by the name of Himadripuram. The kingdom is neither a completely modern kingdom nor a medieval kingdom. It is a mixture of both. It is based on fantasy and is inclusive of both medieval and modern attributes. I have written other novellas in the crime suspense as well as psychological horror genre. I am afraid my books have never reached a book store though. They are all available on Amazon. The one genre I would like to write in is humour. I have attempted that a few times but have not been very successful.
The novel sounds incredible, and I so admire the ability to invent new worlds and characters which feel real to readers, especially at such a large scale. Fantasy has always been one of my favorite genres to read — the magic of it is a lovely contrast to the nitty gritty of everyday life. I love the combination of medieval and modern! And of course, crime suspense is something I’m quite familiar with. Venturing into a new genre can be so intimidating, especially if we feel obligated to maintain our “brand” and author personas. I hope your next attempt at writing humor goes well!
I love genres, Damyanti, and am fascinated by the interplay of the conventions and key scenes. Many, if not most, of the top selling novels mix genres, with one dominating the combination. For example, my WIP has a 60% thriller, 30% mystery, and 10% mix, but as I write, I’m seeing a shift toward more romance. Interesting how the characters, not the author, encourage that change.
Thank you for sharing, Grant! Genre is such a complex and nuanced aspect of writing, and there’s so much more to it than I once thought. Even as we sort literature into categories, confining works with labels and boxes, we miss out on the fascinating genre combinations, experimentations, and adaptations that naturally come about. And, as you mentioned, characters play such a big role in propelling the dynamics of the book.
That’s so true, Damyanti. As John Truby stated, “Once we understand that all of human life is a form of story, the next step becomes clear: genres are the portals to this world.” The Trellis Method begins with Step 1: Choose Genres, helping authors adopt and adapt genres to not just satisfy expectations, but identify how to exceed them with twists that surprise and delight.
You have me officially intrigued. A fantasy novel? I love the gritty truth in your current stories. Only you could wrap those into fantasy!
Thank you, Jacqui, that’s so kind of you to say!
It’s hard to find the balance between writing in a genre that you’re published in and trying something new. I hope you tell your agent that you’d like to try a fantasy one of these days.
Absolutely, even the thought of making a switch seems convoluted at the moment. I’ve definitely allowed myself to overthink it and become weighed down by the potential consequences, but I know some of those worries are justified. Fingers crossed that the bridge doesn’t crumble when I finally get there.