Friday, April 15, 2011

Genres and...stuff.

I write YA. It's all I've ever tried. My first book was a YA fantasy. Like swords and princesses and stuff. I loved my story, but alas, I queried it a few years ago and it didn't go anywhere. It was hard to leave it behind and write something else. But I did. And it was the best thing I ever did. I learned so much from that book. It was when I first started calling myself a writer. I look back at that first book and think "I actually sent that to agents?" **blushes** Someday I really want to re-write it, just not right now.
Anyway, since then I've written an urban fantasy that I never queried and never will. My agent picked up my paranormal fantasy. I'm writing the sequel right now. Not rushing it, since I need to sell the first book first, but I do have a few chapters and I know where I want to go with it. I'm also in the middle of another urban fantasy and I'm stuck at 20000 words... *slaps forehead*
I have another fantasy with swords and dragons that I have a few chapters of, and I just outlined a brand spanking new story idea today. It's a dystopian. I've never ever written a dystopian, but I'm so excited for it! It's so different, so outside of what I write, but it's going to be a fun new adventure! ;)

Anyway, this post does have a point. Sort of.

I thought it would be fun to know what you guys write. Do you stick with just fantasy, or do you write contemporary too? Dystopian? Or historical? Chick Lit? Thrillers? Do you write a whole bunch of genres, or stick with just one?

17 comments:

Kerri Cuev said...

I tried MG but that didn't work out well. After I wrote that story things clicked. I mostly write YA now.

Candice said...

I write SciFi, Dystopian, Superhero, Fantasy, and anything else I feel like. I really like the SciFi and Fantasy stuff the most I think.

Melanie Stanford said...

I started with adult fantasy but got nowhere. My YA now is sort of historical/ time-travel (although it sounds a lot like your swords/princesses thing which makes me wonder if it will ever get anywhere!). Once I've finished the sequel (which is 1781 instead of medieval), I've got a really great idea for something that's probably chick-lit- although I don't think we're supposed to call it that!

Reece said...

The one book I've finished is sci-fi (space opera). I've got several others lined up but can't decide which one to focus on: the two other space operas, the sci-fi/urban fantasy blend, the straight urban fantasy, or the two fantasies. I've never really thought about dystopian or paranormal.

Kayeleen Hamblin said...

I write YA fairy tale retellings, but I have a few ideas for some magical realism or urban fantasy, depending on which direction I go.

Kathryn Rose said...

Love speculative fiction, and have been writing that lately. And magic realism. :)

Michelle Merrill said...

I'm going to go with fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary. I like to hear about your projects :)

Renee Collins said...

I'm even more dangerous. I'm flirting with an adult SF novel. Spooooky.

I actually don't know why dabbling outside of YA scares me. I guess it's insecurity that I won't capture the adult voice well enough. Which is kind of hilarious considering I'm pushing 30. ;)

Chantele Sedgwick said...

@Kerri Cuev I have some ideas for middle grade, but I haven't written any yet. Someday maybe.
@Candice I love fantasy. I'm really excited about my dystopian! :D
@Melanie Stanford My swords and princess one didn't get any bites because I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't write as well, and didn't have anyone critique it or anything. I'm sure yours will do great! :D
@Reece Cool! A space opera! I haven't tried sci-fi. It makes me think too much! LOL :)
@Kayeleen Hamblin I LOVE fairytale retellings!
@Kathryn Me too! Thanks for stopping by! I'm heading over to check out your blog right now! :D
@Michelle Merrill I want to hear more about yours! Hint hint! :D
@Renee Collins Oooohh! Exciting and spooky! :D Adult scares me too! I don't know why either. I guess I'm a teenager at heart still, even though I'll be 30 next year. *shudders* :)

Donna K. Weaver said...

So far I've written SciFi, YA Fantasy, and Adventure/Romance. And I have another YA fantasy in mind as well as a contemporary YA.

Jeigh said...

I'm working on a YA fantasy right now, but have a half-baked idea for a dystopian, too. Something about dystopian just sounds so fun and scary at the same time.

Ruth Josse said...

It took me a while to figure out what I like to write. But it's most definitely YA. For now. I've written fantasy in the past but my current project is sort of paranormalish/dystopianish. But I did get an idea for a contemporary YA a few weeks ago. Maybe it's the story that draws you, not the genre?

Carol Riggs said...

I write YA too, starting out with a few fantasies that will never see the light of a published day. I just wrote my first dystopian! I think it's a semi-natural progression, and related to fantasy and the more "imaginative" types of novels. As opposed to contemporary, for instance. Have fun with it!!!

Elena Solodow said...

I started out with a YA fantasy and stayed in that vein for a few years, but lately I love challenging myself to different genres. Just finished a first draft for a YA dystopia, and started work on a YA contemporary. It's a lot of fun to see how each genre challenges you.

Chantele Sedgwick said...

@Donna Weaver I haven't tried contemporary yet. It sounds challenging though, I may have to try it! Sci-fi tends to fry my brain! :)
@JeighI know! Dystopian scares me! But, I'm loving my new idea. Now I just have to write it! :)
@RuthI really like paranormal and I'm starting to like dystopian. Fantasy is probably still my favorite though. I do love the magic it entails, and making up my own world. :)
@Carol Riggs Congrats on writing your first dystopian! That is awesome! I'm not as scared to write mine anymore. I'm excited!@Elena Solodow I think I'll try some different genres, but stay firmly in YA. I just love the teenage voice for some reason. Maybe I'm just a teenager at heart! ;)

Melanie Jacobson said...

I've done 4 LDS chick lit novels but recently I just switched to YA. I wanted a break for a novel before I go back to the chick lit thing. This will be for the national market, a contemporary novel based on a fairy tale I made up in third grade. It'll be be fun even if it doesn't go anywhere. Sometimes a change of pace is nice.

Mark Sawyer said...

Fantasy and SciFi (near future) for me. The near future stuff is harder by far than the fantasy because of the speculative qualities combined with the low suspension of disbelief most readers will have in a near-future real world setting.
All of my work so far seems to feature strong female main or secondary protagonists. I seem to enjoy writing dynamic, capable female characters. Maybe that's why I like Starbuck so much. :)