Yes, me too historical fiction always looks so intimidating. And then there's the type of history I like which doesn't seem all that exciting. Canadian history -- not the mounties or the wars -- the maple syrup and the fur trappers. I sometimes wonder if I couldn't embed them into a fantasy novel -- when you actually think of this stuff it's pretty surreal. Goo from a tree boiled to top your pancakes.
I am convinced there is a poetry gene and I don't have it. I don't get it, don't like reading it, and have no desire to try and tell a story using that format. Poetry to me is the old fashion version of a tweet, your only allowed so many characters and in order to have a message that says anything you have to use some sort of goofy shorthand to make it all fit. Kind of like asking me a question and then telling me I can only respond using pig Latin. Why handcuff yourself to the rules of poetry. I am sure one of you has a poem that can explain my fundamental ineptitude. I can't dance either so maybe it is the same gene.
Agreed about the historical fiction…and that could be a good idea. "And here is where we pour the magic on top to make it the substance that will cover millions of pancakes all around the world!" …or something like that. Nice maple syrup description.
For me poetry has mostly always been about rhyming bits of writing together, but I don't think I do it quite right anyways.
I get what you mean, I've tried writing stories as poems and they just aren't working out so well. I feel like I can't get myself across as well as I could using other forms of writing, yet there must be something more to it…poems can go deeper than regular fiction, and you don't have to worry about punctuation. But, unlike you, I do like reading poetry and enjoy writing short ones…though I probably suck at them, as I've never showed anyone one of my personal poems so I can't exactly improve upon feedback. Best of luck with the poem writing!
Canada: the country whose most prominent revolution was fought in a bar, lasted 4 hours and the only one killed was an American spy.
I've never been able to write a sci fi novel, or a short story. The problem with short stories for me is I like to expand concepts in the story to much that just... 20 pages couldn't do justice. Sci Fi is different because while I have sci fi concepts.. I feel I couldn't add anything new to the table. Fantasy maybe... but sci fi not really.
You just articulated my issues with poetry, which I've never been able to do. It's the artificial restrictions I don't like - say what you want to say using this many syllables or with this rhyming scheme etc etc. Pointless (to me).
I know, I hate poems with formulas. The only kinds I can write are the free ones, where there are no restrictions to size or syllables or rhymes.
They/we do say ‘don’t stop.’ He can’t get into ‘it’ while she is trying to get into ‘it.’ Or he is getting into ‘it’ too much.
I’m currently doing an evening course in writing young adult fiction. Each week is a different genre. Crime was last week. I struggled with it as crime really isn’t my thing, but then I turned into a piece about a time travel crime. This week is adventure, and I wasn’t sure what to do with that either, but I made it about an adventure to find a dragon.
On the subject of 'stopping', my mind dug up this : https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/0c004c83-c055-4e7c-b074-1bbe9070ff6f
In terms of the actual question posted...IDK. I haven't gotten very far in any of my stories to date to be able to say what I can't write. That, and I'm a multi genre kinda person. I don't think I would ever try to write a non-fiction or anything historical though, just because those subjects wouldn't interest me in the right way to want to write about them. I also doubt I'd ever try to write children's stories or YA. I don't think I'd have enough experience to write a relatable young character.
Thanks! I haven’t got further than the opening as I couldn’t work out what to do with it. Maybe I’ll start a post for tips.
Back when this thread was started I would have said I don't write genre, and that anything genre was beyond what my skill set would allow me to pull of such works. For years, I studies and worked with literary fiction. But then outside influences come into play. I've met some other writers on here who write science fiction and fantasy. And some amazing things have been shared with me, setting off a bit of my own spark. I'm not going for straight genre so much as borrowing just enough of it to write a different sort of story than I probably usually would. I don't think it always works, but sometimes quite amazing things come as a result. Is this genre blending? That I'm not so sure. I guess it sort of is, but it's important to keep proportions in mind when mixing genres together. It's not a 50-50 split. I'm still playing around with the whole idea. I think it's good for writers to push themselves in new directions. Trying out different genres or introducing other genre elements is a great way to acquire new skills and practice. And I think we have to give ourselves time when working with a new genre. Of course, it's going to feel harder than writing some other things because it's new. Reading will help with this process. There's so much to absorb. I don't think a writer has to try new genres, but I've learned not to rule anything out for myself.
Non sci-fi stories pose more of a challege for me than sci fi stories do. Horror comes much too easy and since I inevitably wind up seriously scaring myself, I decided to stop.
- Horror - Harlequin, queerleguin, other totally market driven pulp. - Science by it's scientific norms. - Technical writing. - Several others.
Non-fiction is always a nip in the butt for me. High fantasy poses a challenge, since I have to build an entire world rather than just do some world edit, and sci-fi/sci-fantasy is something I'm still getting used to
i dont know. i write the stories as they come to mind. I dont pick a genre and write in it.... When I took horror and suspense, i had trouble TRYING to write in that genre because it felt force. I was trying to meet all the criteria of a "horror and suspense" story. In the end, my professor told me it was good, but it didnt fit the genre. However, I've written some pretty horrific things on my own that were successful. In my genre fiction class, our final was to ick a genre and write in it. I picked romance. Again, it was hard to pick a genre and write it. I ran out of ideas and in the end, got bored with it. I still passed with having written 2 chapters, but to this day, it still sits unfinished. Yet, I have a romance that I started writing way before the class. Personally, all genres are hard to write in if I focus more on meeting the criteria of the genre versus just writing the story that I want to write. Whatever genre it falls in to after I'm done with it, is the genre that it is.
