It's About Time ( #IWSG )

 

        My current Battle of the Bands has a Halloween theme.  Please visit this post so you can vote for your favorite songs and costume themes between ghosts, witches, and vampires.  Get in the spirit for Halloween!

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 
     The co-hosts for the October 5 posting of the IWSG are Tonja Drecker, Victoria Marie Lees, Mary Aalgaard, and Sandra Cox!

October 5 question - What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

   All the Time in the World (or Wherever)

         As I've mentioned in past posts, I've grown more drawn to non-fiction than fiction.  Most of my reading these days is non-fiction because I prefer reading about reality rather than fantasy.   This also goes for my writing goals.  If I were going to write something these days I might be more inclined to stick with non-fiction--most likely memoir.   However this is not to say I'd never write fiction.  There are still a lot of ideas for fictional stories in my head.

          When it comes to fiction, my favorite go-to genre is time travel.  There is so much that can be done with time travel and stories in this sub-genre can fit into many other categories such as sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and so on.  The possibilities with time travel are endless which is the first big plus in writing, reading, or watching such stories. 

          What I especially like about the time travel genre is being able to tap into and speculate about real events and people in history.   I enjoy research and when writing about reality from a fictional perspective it is imperative to get the history right if the writer hopes to gain credibility with an audience.  Time travel can contain the elements of non-fiction while allowing the writer or reader to take a story into realms of imagination.

         Personally, I'd love to be able to travel through time, and imagining and speculating about the experience can be almost as good as doing it without any risk or having to leave ones safe place.  Fiction is all about the what-if factor and since it's unlikely we'll ever be able to actually travel through time then imagining the experience is as good as we can ever probably do.

          Maybe someday I'll be able to time travel, but more than likely it's going to be through my writing about it and stretching my imagination to far-off places and times.   Probably the best part of the time travel genre is it's versatility.   Like space, time is limitless and the story potential never ends.  Time travel is truly a genre that can encompass all of the other genres.

 

             Do you enjoy time travel stories?   What are some of your favorites?   If you avoid the time travel genre, why? 

Me Do That? I Doubt It ( #IWSG )

 

       Sometimes if I don't want to do things I'll go out of my way not to do them.  Other times I just won't do them...

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 
     The co-hosts for the September 7 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre, Olga Godim, Michelle Wallace, and Louise - Fundy Blue!

September 7 question - What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?

      

Pass the Liver and Onions Please

         I've mentioned in previous posts that to a great degree I've lost interest in writing fiction.  That's not to say I'll never write any again, but non-fiction currently holds a greater lure for me.  Still, I keep coming up with new ideas for fiction that I might consider writing one day.  Plenty of ideas reside in my mind but the inspiration to write them just ain't fueling my imagination these days. 

          So much in fiction that I could write and have written in the past--and maybe some of those things are in my future.  However the one genre that I think unlikely that I'd would ever tackle is romance.  Not my thing so much when it comes to writing.  Now watching romance movies is another thing and I have been known to read a romantic story now and then.  As a romance writer I don't do so well.  But who knows--maybe the love bug will inspire my writing in the future.  I kind of doubt it, but it could happen.

        I'd rather eat a plate of liver and onions than try to write a romance story.  And I will confess that I love liver and onions.  So the worst genre for me to write might come to pass.  Now I'm craving some really well prepared liver and onions.  Mmmm!

          What genre do you avoid?   Do you read genres that you avoid writing?   Is there a food that a lot of people dislike but you enjoy a great deal?  

A Question of Genre ( #IWSG )

       My tendency is to write what I like reading, otherwise self-editing becomes a bit of a chore for me.  But pay me enough and I'll write anything....



The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 


The co-hosts for the June 5th posting of the IWSG are Diane Burton, Kim Lajevardi, Sylvia Ney, Sarah Foster, Jennifer Hawes, and Madeline Mora-Summonte.

June 5 question: Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?

         If blogging were considered a genre then I'd say blogging is my favorite, however blogging can consist of writing in various genres.  Over the years I've blogged in multiple writing genres, mostly non-fiction narratives related to memoir or opinions.  What I like most about writing blog posts is keeping what I have to say to a minimum.  I guess I'm the typical lazy writer.

        Before blogging though, a frequent genre that I liked to write in is what I guess would be called surrealism.  This partly stems from years of writing detailed accounts of my dreams.  I would write stories in my creative writing classes that would come back from the professors with comments like:  What does this mean?

         They had a point I guess.  Most of my submissions to publications back in the seventies was in the surrealistic mode and all of them came back to me rejected.  Reading some of these now I can see why the stories weren't published.  Not that they were poorly written, but what they had to say was so ambiguous and weird that most people would probably not appreciate them.

         If I were to start writing fiction again I might have an inclination toward a certain amount of surrealism, but I would also try to give more coherence to whatever I was writing.  That is, if I were to start writing more fiction, which I might some day or I might not.  For now my writing will be short blog posts and songwriting.   

         I don't want to put off or lose readers with bizarro writing that doesn't connect with them.  I will say though that I do like writing that way because it can stretch my creative flow.  Usually when writing in this style I will go with a stream of consciousness approach.  I will twist and turn words and phrases, come up with outlandish metaphors, or interject asides that amuse me.

          There's the problem--what I find fun to write is probably highly unreadable to most readers.  Like my professors they are likely left scratching their heads and leaving my story behind.  It was fun for me.  Kind of like some of the nutty films made back in the seventies.  I used to think certain films were so cool.  But now I watch some of them shrugging my shoulders wondering why I thought they were so great.  

           Maybe it's a matter of times and tastes.  Maybe now if I started writing in some mind chattery free-form style about peculiar topics I'd still have a grand time doing it.  I just don't think most people would want to read it.

           Guess I'll just write a blog post.  At least it will probably be short.

            Have you ever dabbled in writing experimental or non-traditional forms of writing?  Do you enjoy genre mashing and crossing?   If you're getting paid to do it, do you enjoy writing about things in which you have no interest?  

If you haven't done so yet, please stop by to vote on my current Battle of the Bands.  

#IWSG: Liking Out of the Mainstream

          Wouldn't you know that my first Tossing Out Post of 2013 would be about insecurity!   Will thirteen be an unlucky year?  It's not something I'm counting on so let's hope not.  But since it's first Wednesday of the month, insecurity is the topic du jour.

Me--the Different Drummer Marcher

           A somewhat tepid response to my recent review of Veronika Carnaby's Bohemia was still another reminder that my tastes in literature are a bit out of the mainstream.  My stats for that post indicate that several hundred hits were recorded, but less than twenty visitors took the time to comment and the response from over half of those who commented was something to the effect of "this is not a genre that interests me".

          The scary part of this is that not only Carnaby's book is in a genre that I prefer to read, but this genre is closer to what I tend to write.  Perhaps her style is not necessarily the style I write, but the tenor of my style is similar.  This is probably why I feel such an affinity for Carnaby's book.

          Likewise for Flannery O'Connor--I sometimes tend to approach what she tried to do, not by imitating her style, but taking a similar thematic bent.  Who else is reading O'Connor just for personal entertainment or whatever you might call it?   When I mention Flannery O'Connor most people haven't even heard of her let alone read her work.   She's mostly for the scrutiny of college literature classes.

Don't Get Me Wrong

          I don't want anyone to come to the conclusion that I'm trying to rank myself with the likes of O'Connor.   And I'm expressing my admiration for Carnaby's new novel, not saying I want to write something like it.  I want to tell my stories in my own voice.  If I publish something that I like because of what I'm saying in the story and the way that I'm saying it, will I find the readers?

           Insecurity, yes, the demon of self-doubt is apparently diverting my attention.  I've got all of these projects started in one way or another, but I keep finding excuses not to finish any of them.  Is it due to my genre of choice?   If I am trying to write with more of a literary leaning, but not adept enough to pull it off, will I have lost audiences on all sides?

           "Just do it already", some of you are saying.   I know, I know.  Perhaps I need to reassess my genre interest.  But no, I'm not sure that's a good idea.   I know what I like, what I want to read, what I want to write.   I just don't want to waste my time.

             Perhaps I should go with the philosophy that anything finished with an honest effort and a belief in what one has done is never a waste of time.

            Yeah, I like that.  But it still doesn't totally eliminate my insecurity.

             In my next post I'll be talking about reading outside of ones genre or comfort zone.  Then on the post after that I'm going to examine the concept of taste or why we like what we like.  In this post I'll also be giving my thoughts on the 2012 film Marvel's The Avengers (yes, I finally saw it on DVD).

              Do you write in a genre that you feel is not overly popular?   Would you compromise your personal  preferences to write in a style or with a theme that would be more popular to more people?   When you've written something that you've felt was exceptional but was met with a lackluster response what have you done about it?  

 First Wednesday of the month means another edition of Alex J Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group.   You can discover more participants here.

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