Stuck in the genre with you

I know this blog’s called Murderous Musings and I’m also aware that sometimes my own musings here aren’t very murderous. But that’s because (like many of my colleagues, I suspect), the genre thing sometimes feels restrictive. At the same time, I know full well that publishers (and probably readers) prefer us to stay within the genre they associate with us.

When my historical novel, The Figurehead, was published, it was well received but, as well as being crime-based, it flirted with the romance genre, and some readers and reviewers commented on the fact. In a different way, The Sparrow Conundrum was also a departure, being a satirical novel on the spy genre which was all black humour and near-farcical situations. It’s crime-related but my main aim in writing it was to make readers laugh.

I’ve been told I should think of using a pseudonym but if that’s the case there’d be three of me already – the police procedural guy, the historical guy, and the funny man.

On the other hand, if a reader spends $X or £X on a book of mine because he/she enjoyed a previous one, I’ll be disappointing them if it’s totally different. But on the other other hand, should writers be condemned to keep on producing the same book over and over?

My plan is to write just one more in my procedural series, featuring Jack Carston. So far there are five books and he’s been changing through them. I anticipate that the final one will actually end with him leaving the police force. I had no overall plan when I wrote the first, but as the books appeared, I began to sense the bleakness accumulating underneath the killings and suspected that an empathetic person (such as Carston) might be seriously affected by having to deal with constant examples of man’s inhumanity to man (and especially woman). Carston’s at the stage where the satisfactions of solving mysteries are being outweighed by the cruelties he’s witnessed.

I’m not suggesting that I’ll stop writing crime altogether. The sequel to The Figurehead is well advanced, and the romance element is even stronger, but it’s still about a crime. And I’ve already sketched out some scenes for the sequel to The Sparrow Conundrum because that’ll be great fun to write.

And this posting sums up two opposing functions of blogging. Here, I’ve expressed my misgivings about being stuck in a genre but I’ve also warned readers what to expect by spelling out what each new title will deliver. At the same time I’ve, perhaps foolishly, articulated in public my plans for future books. Whenever that happens, the written word becomes a fixed, irretrievable truth. Which means I seem to have committed myself to writing the damn things.

On the other hand (again), I could have a Damascene moment and leap to an entirely different genre – something like ‘The Wordless Novel’. I could manage that.

Writing a Series

by June Shaw

If you're writing a series, how do you know when to continue with it or conclude it?

Much of the answer lies with sales. If you write books that readers keep buying and wanting to read, the response is normally to write more of them. You'll probably also write more books in a series if your publisher wants more and will pay you a decent advance.

Another decision in writing more books in a series is the genre in which you write. Some mystery authors continue to pour out stories through numbers or all the way through the alphabet. Their readers love them, and series authors find knowing their main characters well gives them a boost. The only need to plot (okay, none of writing fiction is really easy) and create additional new characters.

Romance readers LOVE series. They snag one book, and if they enjoy it, will grab all of the rest, anxiously waiting for the next one to be written. These readers often want stories that bind the characters. Notice all those that share the name of a place. The (whatever) Brothers is also a popular hook.

Do you like to read a series of books? If so, in what genres? If you write series, have you known when it's time to step back and change directions? I'd love to hear from readers, including authors.

http://www.juneshaw.com

When We Aren't Writing Mysteries....

by June Shaw

Lately I've been fairly happy and annoyed, actually about the same things. There's too much to do -- even though I've left my teaching job and am now a full-time writer. Or so I'd like to think.

There are lots of times, though, when I really enjoy just doing my thing, whatever that happens to be at the moment.

I've joined various clubs in town. Many groups keep asking me to speak to their groups and do book signings. Both are great fun. But keep me away from my writing.

I spend lots of time with my loved ones, children and grandchildren and other friends. I thoroughly enjoy doing this. Should I complain? Absolutly not.

This week I'm reading HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PET GHOST, the picture book my young grnaddaughter wanted me to write with her, at area libraries, along with book signings.

Today I'll be speaking on a panel in Baton Rouge at the Louisiana Book Day Festival, followed by a signing.

I have this post due now so sorry, I often get behind), and was just reminded that I need to create my newest quarterly article for our Chamber of Commerce newspaper. Good grief, it's due Tuesday.

So am I complaining about all these things I'm doing or trying to do. Absolutely not! How fortunate I am. I can write when I want to, which is normally every day. But boy, when those other deadlines come around. Okay, I'll put on a big smile and get to the next fun thing in my life now.

WRITING IN VARIOUS GENRES

WRITING IN VARIOUS GENRES By June Shaw Do you like for an author to stick to the same genre? Do you want that person’s books to all sound similar? Would you want that person’s voice to be unique? What about if you’re an author? Do you always stick to the same genres: mystery, romance, romantic suspense, historical romance, thriller—and maybe a children’s book thrown in for good measure? If you do change genres in which you write, how has that worked for you? I’d like to be an author who writes in the same genre and keeps a series going for many years like so many mystery authors do. But that’s not what’s happening. I’ve sold three books in a series of humorous mysteries and might like to pen others in that series, but have ideas for another cozy series and began writing for that one. And my mom died, and everyone insisted I tell her inspirational story, so I did. It’s called NORA 102 ½: A Lesson on Aging Well. Before I finished that one, my youngest granddaughter said she wanted to write a book with me, so together we created HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PET GHOST. Her adolescent sisters who’re avid readers, saw their little sister’s checks rolling in for her ipad; they asked to write a book with me, too. They really enjoyed HUNGER GAMES; so did I. We’re creating a story in that genre. Okay, so even if I say I want to write in only one area, I may be wrong. I’m enjoying every genre I enter. Creating a story and individuals who live through it appeals to me, it seems, no matter the genre. How about you?