IWSG: Best Characteristics of My Favorite Genre

October is here! I love the change of seasons, and I especially love going into autumn with the vibrant colors, knowing that nature is prepping for a period of rest and restoration.

It's also the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for another installment of Insecure Writer's Support Group. If you haven't yet, be sure to check out their website: www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

This Month's Question: What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

My Answer: The thriller genre is my favorite to read and write. I love the embedded tension and the need to read faster in order to find out what is going to happen next. I love feeling like I can't set the book down, being compelled to keep turning the pages. Plus, the thriller genre has so many sub-genres and companion genres, which add variety and a change of pace while still being fast-paced page-turners.

How about you? What are the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

IWSG: Choosing a Form

I always find the IWSG's Question of the Month intriguing and thought provoking. This month's question holds true to that!

This Month's Question: Quote . . . "Although I have written a short story collection, the form found me and not the other way around. Don't write short stories, novels or poems. Just write your truth and your stories will mold into the shapes they need to be." Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn't planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?

My Answer: When I first started writing, I just wrote my truth. But then I had the rude awakening that "my truth" didn't fit into the genre norms and was quickly rejected along traditional publishing avenues. At first, that was very disheartening. Then I studied the qualities and expectations of different genres and worked to master the craft of writing. That led to having two books published within the traditional marketplace. Now, I find myself being drawn with my whole being back to writing what I WANT to write, regardless of genre expectations. It's hard finding a balance between writing for myself and writing to satisfy the dynamics of a certain genre.

What about you? Do you choose a form/genre in advance?

IWSG: What's Your Favorite Genre?

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

This month's question: Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?

My answer: I love writing edge-of-your-seat mysteries and thrillers. My goal as a writer is to have readers say, "I finished the book in one sitting." I want readers to feel so compelled to turn the page that they are unable to put the book down. And ... if they must put it down, because of work or school or other obligations, then I want the story to linger in their minds, pushing them to get back to the pages.

How about you? What's your favorite genre (to write and/or to read)?

#IWSG: What I Love About Writing Thrillers

It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for another installment of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. (YAY!)

Visit for more info: http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

This month's question: "What do you love about the genre you write in most often?"

My answer: Writing is an adventure every day in the thriller & mystery genres, because from the moment I start plotting to the moment I deem a manuscript finished, I am surprised at the twists and turns my characters and plot demand. The biggest reward is when readers say they read a book of mine in one sitting. That's my ultimate goal - to make the writing, plotting, and characterizations so compelling a reader cannot set down the book. They must find out what's going to happen next!

Here are a few inspiring quotes to help:

What's your favorite genre to write and/or read?

Is YA a Genre?

 

Funny picture, eh? My daughter is an awesome example of the YA audience.

So you're writing fiction ... young-adult-paranormal-romance fiction (for a specific example) ... and ... then there's a question:

Do you think young adult is a genre?

It's not.

It is an audience.

Genre is a category like: romance, paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and so on.

So if you are pitching your paranormal romance to an agent or editor, and they ask, "In which genre do you write?"  If you answer, "I write in the young adult genre." ... eyebrows could be raised, and they could doubt your knowledge of the craft.

Likewise, if you're writing a query letter, make sure you get the terminology correct. You're writing a paranormal romance targeted at the young adult audience. ... NOT: You're writing in the young adult genre with paranormal romance.

Young adult fiction has gained so much popularity, it's easy to think of it as its own category; its own genre; but yet, it is still an audience not a category.

So ... you're writing fiction. 
In what genre are you writing?
;)