For this week’s You Tell Me there is a poll included! Yes, we’re getting fancy. It also means that all of you reading the blog via e-mail or through an RSS reader may need to click through to cast your vote and see the results.
I thought it might be fun to get a snapshot of what people are working on out there. So, for all you writers out there: what’s your genre?
I know genre distinctions are blurry, so just pick one in case there’s overlap. And remember, when in doubt: go with the section of the bookstore your book would be stocked in. I added “paranormal” to the categories even though it’s not typically a bookstore section simply because there seems to be so many people writing about vampires, werewolves, etc.
And, of course, feel free to discuss the results (or your WIP) in the comment section.
My current WIP is technically a Western Mystery, but I just called it a Mystery. Crime Lords and multiple murders could not be denied their due weight in the decision making process.
No vampires or other paranormal creatures/themes are included…sorry.
My WIP is a mystery with a strong literary slant.
I put "women's fiction" because its about two women. Then, as the women were born in the eighteen and early nineteen hundreds perhaps its historical. It is about the underlying emotional turmoil caused by the class discrimination of their times so that might make it Literary fiction. But what about the Romance which never dies? And its set in a big house on the Yorkshire moors. Gothic?
I give up. Let THEM decide!
I'm co-writing a book with the daughter of Cold War intelligence operative and eavesdropping satellite scientist, Thomas Townsend Brown. Although the book is her personal memoir, given the Townsend Brown mythos born of his mention in Bill Moore's Philadelphia Experiment, it could well end up shelved with books about UFOs, time machines, or antigravity.
It will be really interesting to see the final poll results. Will you post something that let's us know how the poll matches up with the marketplace? I don't think writers should write what they think is selling (mainly because by the time the book in written, things may well have changed), but it would be an indicator of where any particular writer's work lies.
WIP #1 – literary fiction
WIP #2 – women's fiction
I'm not really sweating the genre issue just yet, but I think that's pretty close.
Nathan Wrote:
dylan-
It's kind of a cyberpunk PLUS steampunk women's fiction slasher romantic comedy.
N – Will there be recipes? d
The one that is closest to being done is a memoir. It covers the months leading up to my first husband's death and the events that lead me to meet my second husband and my emigration to Canada. I have gotten really positive feedback from unexpected people, including a standing offer from a published author to be a beta reader and from another – an introduction, when it's ready – to her agent.
I would like to have it finished by mid-fall and ready to shop after the first of the year.
I know memoir is not everyone's thing, but it's one of those – I have to write it to get it out of my head – things. If I don't get it done, I'll never have the time to finish the horror novel or start the other two I have outlined.
My WiP is fantasy
Nathan I'm curious – in your estimation where would Urban Fantasy fall? Specifically YA Urban Fantasy? I can't quite lump kick-ass modern day superheroes (or angsty emerging superheroes for that matter) into the paranormal trends…
BTW – thanks for blogging about MAD MEN.
Paranormal is anything paranormal. So ghosts, psychics, demons, angels, fairies all count too, plus anything else you can squeeze in.
Myself, I'm working out a whole alternate universe rules set that lets me play with whatever brand of "others" I feel like. Lovin' it.
And think, just a few years ago I'd have to be deciding between "fantasy" and "horror" because "paranormal" and "dark fantasy" didn't exist yet…
Sci-fi Fantasy.
Cyberpunk magical realism, to be more precise.
Mine is literary, although I feel rather pompous calling it that.
My WIP is light contemporary romance, I anticipate targeting Harlequin Superromance. I have the first 50 pgs. entered in a contest and hope to final and get in front of Wanda Ottwell. 🙂
My memoir, completed and being proofed by a grammar maven, is a real life horror story, written in the flavor of Erma Bombeck, and has a lot of Catholic stuff in it. Some say it starts where Tuesday's with Morrie – ends.
Which is why I write light, contp. romance, but this one takes place, 2 wks prior, and 1 week after, 9/11.
I checked other because I didn't see graphic novel on there. Right now I'm sketching most of the characters, though it is a YA paranormal with a very diverse cast. It's got Gargoyles, minotaurs, goblins, a minority female lead who's a werewolf and yes…a hot Chupacabra 🙂
https://mythicagirl.livejournal.com/
I only voted once. I voted for my Science Fiction. However, for the record I will now refer to it as a sci fi thriller. But it has more science fiction that probably pulls it into that spot in the bookstore (who am I kidding, mine will be in the co-op section, now that I know what that means thanks to NB's glossary).
Anyhoo, I didn't vote in for my others but I have several picture books on file that I have queried but am now placing on hold as I work on my full-length novel. I still love writing picture books and have one that one editor-turned-agent said was "cute" but just needed a stronger hook. So I'm workin' on it. However, since starting my full-length novel I've placed it on hold.
I'm still wondering if its possible to have two agents. One for children's books and one for adult if the adult agent doesn't rep pb's or vice versa.
I do think a direction I want to try is YA Thriller if there is such a thing? Why can't teenagers defy death on a minute-by-minute basis?? 😉
Jenn
I began writing a contemporary paranormal romance for adults long before Stephenie Meyers was heard of; and, frustratingly, it also features a good vampire and many other similiarities. The story was finished also before Ms Meyer's work was published in 2004. I can prove it, because I received two online reviews in 2004 and sent a copy of the ms to my epublisher in 2004 – which she rejected – but still vaguely remembers. The version back then needed a lot of fine-tuning and the ending was weaker than the version I have now. (It recently placed third in a writing comp.)
However the stumbling block to this ms being snapped up is that it also includes inspirational elements. Paranornal usually doesn't mix with mystic Christianity, although the Arthurian legends did a good job combining the search for the Holy Grail with the pairing of Merlin and Nimue. However, these two stories were in different branches of the legendary saga. Merlin and Nimue had left the scene by the time the Knights of the Round Table were questing for the Holy Grail.
I'm an historical fiction girl. And also, just to let you know, my book store has its very own Paranormal section. It even has a little section for just vampire novels. Paranormal is so hot right now…
I called mine historical fiction because literary seemed a stretch and there was no designation for mainstream. I would really call it commercial fiction with a rock and roll 70s theme, but I didn't see that sub-genre either. 😉
A dragon, a boy, magic and choices, in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.
My WIP is a Historical Fiction/Fantasy set in 534 BCE. "The Ivory Pomegranate" is about a young augur and sibyl who attempt to harbor the esoteric truth from King Solomon's daemons and King Tarquin the Proud.
I checked other as mine is simple popular fiction. It's not literary and I don't think there are enough pervasive elements to shoehorn it into genre fiction. You might make the case for fantasy or spec-fic, but both are a long sell.
Hmmm. After reading your responses, I think my WIP would be in the paranormal/"book club fiction" with romance. 🙂
I'm glad to know we can focus on writing a good query and not dwell on the labels!
My current WIP, Lionheart is a young adult fantasy, with steampunk elements.
I'm having a lot of fun with Lionheart, as it is my first time writing a male protagonist and a big step away from my usual location, urban fantasy/paranormal.
My WIP falls under the obscure category of neo-sensation.
I would've divided up SF into subgenres, but at its heart, a futuristic is a SF, so that's cool.
ok, that said, I'm a big believer in making sure YOU know what you're writing.
Isn't literary fiction a little too vague to be a genre? Perhaps selecting 'literary fiction' should enable the poller to click on up to three. That would be much more fun than simply 'literary fiction'. How boring! ; )
I selected science fiction because there's extraterrestrial DNA involved, but it's set in the present on Earth and is more of a thriller.
My WIP is a thriller, although the prtagonist is an earthbound angel. the scenario actually exists and the cases I've adapted to the story are from real interviews of victims.
Laurie –
I was thinking the same thing about the Romance category. If you go by the RWA stats, anyway. So either Nathan's blog doesn't attract a lot of romance writers (which I don't believe) or maybe it relates to the still-present negative stigma of "romance" novels.
My WIP is historical fiction set in ancient Egypt. Who doesn't love Egypt, right?
Am I really the only one writing horror? I guess it's up to me to revitalize the genre then…
I've just finished my romantic thriller.
I love William's zombie murder mystery concept. Although I have to ask the obvious regarding it being a 'mystery': if there's a murder, and one of your characters is a zombie….
Hmm.
Not sure if it's a good thing I find myself in the unpopulated land of non-fiction…
I selected science fiction. Specifically steampunk, set in the 1890's in Brazil. With an adventure vibe.
my WIP is Romance, i know it sounds cliche and i hate to class it as that as it does have more depth to it then a straight romance but the majority of the plot is a love story.
It's vaguely erotic poetry, probably unpublishable, and I'm not ashamed to say so.
Ahem.
Anyway, I ticked 'other'.
I'm curious – you said you added the 'paranormal' option even though that isn't really a section in bookstores. Does that mean that the YA and MG books are honestly split into that many categories in the US?
I had to vote "other" as you don't include GLBT and my WIP is a gay historical.
For the general reader genre is a wonderful shortcut to finding works they will appreciate. For the writer genre is distinctly unhelpful, I feel. We are forced to sell our novels under the auspices of a sometimes inaccurate description – as some have noticed, sci fi does not adequately cover steampunk. Some genre titles are specific – historical fiction, for example, whilst others are horribly wooly – what is literary fiction really? Those who use those terms to me are suggesting that a particular novel has an exclusive quality. I am currently shopping my third novel, a story about Islamaphobia and extremism in a small town that echoes nationally – so literary fiction, I guess. I just read Michael Thomas's Man Gone Down, about a man trying to raise money to save his family and get his son into school – literary fiction they say, but it bears no similiarity to my own work, so how can it be a genre? As a previous poster said: genre sucks. Such a useless appellation. The segregation of literature is a nasty thing that can cause books to live or die.
Great idea Nathan! Always interesting to see what most people are writing. As for me, usually its a mix between romance and urban fantasy.
Hehe. Looks like I have the horror category all to myself.
Nathan, if you could, one day…please could you give us a post with your assessment of the horror market? Like, is there one at the moment….
I'm working on a fantasy novel for adults (adult fantasy is just not how I want to phrase that – am I too British?!) at the moment, but my first two attempts were science fiction for young adults.
Over here in the UK, the bookstore chain Borders is seperating paranormal romance on the shelves. Right up next to the sci-fi is a substantial segment devoted to stuff like Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series and Kat Richardson's 'Greywalker' books.
The only depressing thing about that is that the majority on offer seems to be of the 'soft porn under cover of witchraft' variety – do you know what I mean? Very little paranormal plot and an over abundance of sex (if such a thing is not an oxymoron!).
Anyway, I suspect that this is evidence that 'paranormal' is becoming a distinct genre. I have no plans to write in it, though. There are enough well-written kick-ass witches around, all with vampire lovers, so I'm trying to do something different. Which may be code-speak for 'couldn't do it if I tried but love to read the (good) stuff'!
I'm amazed at those of you who can work on multiple projects at the same time. I have a tough enough time keeping everything together for one manuscript.
Queries are going out for my upper middle grade general/other novel.
Interesting poll! I see that my WIP genre (Western) barely makes a dent on the scale, still at 0%. WHY?
Great news. Scott Turow's, Innocent, a sequel to Presumed Innocent, will be published 5/10/10
It warms me to see so many here mixing genres as I do the same, although if this post is going where I think it's going, I'm guessing Nathan is going to warn us against doing it. It's much harder to sell something that doesn't automatically fall on one shelf or the other.
Wow, my fantasy novel is in one of the top three genres. A lot of competition out there.
Stephanie – I'm not a big historical fiction reader, but one set in Egypt? Now that sounds like a good read. What's the plot about?