There is a great question for this month but before I get into that I'd better cover my insecurity. Of course I'm dealing with recent difficult news - thanks for all the well wishes on that - but a longstanding nemesis has also reared its ugly head again: technical issues. Yes, my beleaguered laptop has decided it doesn't want to go further than the startup screen and so I've resorted to borrowing my stepdaughter's machine again for work purposes. This may mean I don't get around to visiting as many of you as I would like over the next little while, so I must ask you to bear with me. I do plan to keep writing.
On that note, let's get on to this month's question: What do you love about the genre you write in must often?
This is definitely an excellent question because it allows us to wax lyrical about the genres we're passionate about. That said, I never set out to write any particular genre. You start out with an idea and then it tends to fall into the nearest available bracket - or you could just invent one - but I've been trending towards speculative fiction lately. That's kind of a broad umbrella term too, encompassing science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, horror, you name it - so it's nice to have plenty of scope!
But what I love most about this kind of writing is the potential it offers for your imagination. You can create entirely new worlds, filled with fantastic people and races - you're not bound by the restrictions or rules that exist with an Earth-based setting. Research is very important to a real-world setting, and as a former journalist I should probably embrace that, but maybe it's that painstaking attention to detail that gets drilled in that made me run from it. I wouldn't rule out a work that's "closer to home" - I've written plenty of short stories set on Earth (a present day version), that is - but at the moment I'm loving my explorations of distant realities.
Read further IWSG entries here!
Being able to let your imagination flow where it wants without being bound by the rules of genre must be a freeing experience. I do think the lines around genre are a lot more flexible these days and crossover is more common.
ReplyDeleteI love writing fantasy for these reasons too, and it's the only genre I write in right now. That's awesome that you can write in other genres too.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your laptop. So frustrating and annoying, especially when it's so important to your work, writing, and life in general. One of the things I like about sci-fi/fantasy is that you can make it all up. I've found it a bit more challenging in working on my cozy mysteries, trying to make sure what I write fits reality.
ReplyDeleteBig fan of distant realities.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the laptop issues.
I say let the story tell how it wants to be told. And for me, that's usually in a creepy and dark way. :)
ReplyDeleteHang in there, Nick!
This makes me think we're going to start marking time not by years, but by equipment. "Oh, Nick and I go back a ways--I think it was three desktops ago we met." I hope you get the issues straightened out soon.
ReplyDeleteAs for the question, don't tell my agnet, but I'm still not entirely sure what my genre is! I might be so bold as to call it "Literary realism", which allows me to explore things in the here and now and as they are, with my own little twists on things. It's still evolving.
Agreed! You are free to create whatever you want, not bound by restrictions or limitations of this world. However, I do enjoy fantasy/magic set in this world.
ReplyDeleteI find even with science fiction/fantasy, I still need to research to make sure my details are plausible. At least they don't have to be 100% accurate.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your laptop!
I'm so sorry about your technical issues. I was smack in the middle of those about three months ago while trying to home school 4 kids on one to two machines. So much for writing time when every second is eaten up by children's assignments... Needless to say, Christmas fixed many of those issues. =) Wising you better tech luck!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get your laptop fixed.
ReplyDeleteI jump around in genres, too. So much to explore.
Hope your laptop issues are resolved soon! I never feel quite at home on someone else's computer - the sound of the keys have to be just so!
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that your story comes first - and, as I've said before, I think speculative suits you perfectly.
I hope your laptop is fixed soon. I don't like using anyone else's computer myself. And I love exploring new worlds!
ReplyDeleteUgh. Sorry about the laptop issues. Makes me glad I married someone who can do tech support for me.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your laptop issues. I hate it when my devices stop working as they should. Nothing is more stressful.
ReplyDeleteI love the speculative fiction genre. Hope you get the tech difficulties sorted out. It's such a pain to deal with.
ReplyDeleteSpeculative fiction is a large umbrella, and I can see why it's so popular. It allows so much latitude for a writer.
ReplyDeleteI hope the laptop troubles work themselves out soon! I love speculative fiction for those reasons too.
ReplyDeleteI hear that and enjoy otherworldly holidays as well.
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
That's a huge reason I don't write historicals. I'm too lazy to do the research. It's just easier to create a world that works the way I need it to for the characters to have the obstacles I need them to have. :)
ReplyDeleteACK...technical difficulties is the worst. I was on the phone for my MacPro for over an hour, and the tech person was even stunned with what my computer was doing. And it still isn't right. Good luck with that.
ReplyDeleteI love speculative fiction. After reading so many blogs today, I think you're with the majority.
Sorry to hear you're having laptop issues, I hope you manage to get that sorted out.
ReplyDeleteThat's the wonderful thing about speculative fiction for sure. We can do the things done in other genres, but create an entirely new world around it. Or we can do something completely different.
ReplyDeleteI hope all the bad things work out for the better for you. I love spec fic for the same reasons. Imagination is such a fun place to be.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated that you don't have a particular genre in mind when you begin writing. You must write so freely. I write for kids, so I guess that's where my restrictions begin and then the rest usually leads me toward some otherworldly setting or element.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the tech problems! Those can be so incredibly frustrating!
ReplyDeleteI still find myself researching too much for epic fantasies too. Maybe the research is just my own hobby :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your technical issues. I recently had to get a new charger for my computer, and had to use my 11-year-old computer while waiting. It's such a blessing that machine still works, barring the broken left fan vent.
ReplyDeleteI tip my hat to fantasy and spec fic authors who create those amazing and complex worlds from scratch!
ReplyDeleteHope you get through the tech challenges, Nick!
So sorry to hear about your technical issues! That's gotta be frustrating. I once had my laptop completely die on me just as I'd started working with a new author. I'm happy to say the new laptop is still working after almost five years, and I've never had a problem with it, thank goodness. Even so, I always wonder . . .
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your laptop. For a writer, that's one of the worst things in the world. I agree about speculative fiction of all kinds.
Anne from annehiga.com
Hi Nick - I do hope you can sort the laptop thing out - such a nuisance. Your writing and imaginative ability is fun to read ... you deserve success ... take care and keep drafting - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI write angst filled erotica and enjoy torturing my characters before rewarding them. ~grin~ Happy Writing!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your laptop! Hope everything goes well for you this month.
ReplyDeletewww.ficklemillennial.com
I hate computer problems. Hope you've gotten yours resolved by now.
ReplyDeleteI like speculating imaginatively. Hopefully the reader has as much fun as the writer does.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Oh, darn computer problems! I hate it when this happens.
ReplyDeleteHere from Alex's blog. Yes, I can relate. Fantasy and Sci-Fi allows your imagination to run wild. If you can think it, you can write it. Creating worlds with colorful characters is the fun part of writing. Pulling it off is an altogether different thing. Ah, but I digress. So glad you're enjoying your current WIP. It's nice to get carried away in the prose. Hope you resolve your laptop problem soon.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to push your imagination to the limits. And exploring all categories in fiction is great. Hope the computer straightens up and starts behaving.
ReplyDeleteTechnical issues are so frustrating! I hope yours is resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteI think it's good you're not restricted to one or two genres. After all, it's more of a human construct and the more we push ourselves outside our comfort zones the better:)
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