genre
The Necessary Genre: Chicklit
Also known as “chick literature,” chicklit was created in the ‘90s. It reached its peak in the late ‘90s/early ‘00s, mainly following middle-class white women. The plot normally follows these female character’s lives with a humorous and light-hearted story about ordinary troubles in womanhood – sometimes focusing on the romantic relationships, female friendships, and issues in the work place. As a genre that seemed to be “for women, by women”, men took their turn in writing their own versions of what chicklit seemed to be as well.
Unfortunately, chicklit is not as popular as it once was. In a day and age where the gender divide is slowly being demolished, titles published with a label like chicklit aren’t taken as seriously as say… a romcom with a shapeshifter billionaire lover who falls for the mail-order bride, who just so happens to be pregnant with his baby from a forgotten encounter. The romance market has become so oversaturated that readers are more drawn to unique characters with unique story lines. It’s also hard for chicklit to hold up against a classic horror from someone like Stephen King.
Don’t get me wrong, we all love a classic or creative story – but what about a story about everyday life? To me, that is what chicklit is all about. It’s also the very reason that chicklit will always be necessary. Chicklit not only brings normalcy to an anything-goes literary market, but it also serves as a safe place for women who need a place to escape and not feel alone in the issues of their everyday lives. Most chicklit plots are more relatable than any other novel (since, you know…shapeshifter lovers are pretty hard to find nowadays). Chicklit reminds its readers that they aren’t the only one with romantic strife, back stabbing girlfriends, or work place drama. Writers in the chicklit genre often write based on experience. So, if the story was penned then there is at least one other person out there experiencing something similar to you and that goes a long in way in making a scary world seem more friendly. And trust me, there are many more women experiencing the same thing, not just one. Women’s fiction, feminist authors, chicklit titles … they’re all needed now more than ever.
So, I encourage you to pick up a chicklit at your local bookstore or download a quick read through your Kindle. If you are feeling really empowered, maybe even take your fingers to the keyboard of your computer and create your own work for women because we can certainly use it. The literary market needs more strong female leads who don’t fight misogyny that has been internally brewing since her birth. We need more female CEOs of multi-billion-dollar companies, we need more average 20-somethings who are climbing the social ladder by NOT sleeping with anyone but perhaps by just being a decent human being with a sparkling personality.
Who knows, maybe it’ll get picked up for a movie deal and Beyonce is cast as your main lady squeeze. We can all dream, right?
50 Shades of Romance
Romance novels have been in existence from as far back as Ancient Greece. More recently, romance has mingled with other genres to create a long list of subgenres, including: Fantasy romance, Historical romance, Paranormal romance, Science fiction romance, etc. If you’re an avid consumer of romance novels, you’ve probably come across some interesting titles and arousing book covers that have made their way to the top of the Kindle best-seller lists. Sometimes the cover includes a half- man with an impeccable abdominal section and sculpted pectorals. On other covers, you might find a man covered in scales (to embody a dragon romance) or artfully decorated in tattoos and a motorcycle (to appeal towards the motorcycle club vibe). These carefully crafted covers are merely used to help the potential reader understand the plot device within the novel.
Tropes in romance are used as plot devices that bring two or more characters together. Over time, these tropes have become far more creative than ever before. The tropes often intermingle with other tropes to create the hot and steamy novels readers love to purchase. Here are just a few of our favorites:
- The Billionaire:
We all remember the infamous Christian Grey and his lover Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey. Grey falls under “the billionaire” trope, which overlaps with the alpha hero (the powerful individual who is in control of everything around him but their lover). The billionaire can buy whatever he/she pleases, except for true love. - Involved with Law Enforcement:
This trope seems to involve the police, FBI, or bounty hunters. At least one of the lovers must be working with the law. Author Kristen Ashley explores the law-abiding men in her Dream Man series, where her characters range from DEA agents to police detectives. - A Military (Wo)Man:
Whether it is a man or woman, being enlisted and serving the country seems to appeal to many. In this trope, one of the lovers is affiliated with the military (and we are talking all branches here). Trish McCallan has some fun with Lieutenant Commander Zane Winters, the sexy SEAL in her first novel for the Red-Hot SEALS - An Office Romance:
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren is the ideal example of this hot-and-heavy trope. With being the more relatable trope for readers, the lovers in the novel must work in the same office, whether as coworkers or as employer/employee. - Coming from Royalty:
At least one of the lovers in this trope must derive from a royal family. Princes, sheikhs – you name it, this trope has it. Geneva Lee’s Command Me (start of the Royals Saga) takes a prince and puts his demanding, dangerous, and controlling being in the hands of a woman.
Hand in hand with these tropes come some of our own titles that can make your heart jump out your chest, especially when you listen to them read out loud:
- “Dance with Deception” by Tracy Goodwin
As she struggles with a desperate choice – honor her dying father’s final request or alienate him by choosing her true love – Sebastian is forced to make his own desperate decision: trick Gwen into marriage or lose her forever. Sebastian and Gwen must confront the consequences of their actions and secrets so scandalous that they threaten to destroy all they hold dear. In this dangerous dance with deception, who will die for love? - “Fighting Envy: A Deadly Sins Novel” by Jennifer Miller
When I desperately needed someone, MMA fighter Jackson Stone crashed into my life. He wasn’t the one who should have been there, but he was exactly the person I needed. He believed that only fools live in the past. He showed me that a real relationship is full of dreams, faith, trust, and passion. He taught me that love is worth fighting for – even when it’s unexpected and more of a collision of hearts and souls. He proved that the wrong man at the right moment can heal everything. - “Shooter” By Dahlia West
Chris “Shooter” Sullivan has returned to his home town of Rapid City, South Dakota to pick up the pieces of his life shattered by a roadside bomb in Iraq. He only wants to focus on holding what’s left of his old unit together, running his garage where he builds custom bikes and cars, and pretending that his murdered father’s motorcycle gang doesn’t exist. Hayley Turner is a young woman with her own traumatic past. Fresh off the bus from Nowhere, USA, all she wants is a job and a place to live, until it’s time for her to leave again. She doesn’t want to make friends, or enemies, least of all the ex-Army Ranger who obviously doesn’t like her. She bristles under his watchful eye. He’s even got her convinced she’s bad news. But circumstances force two people who don’t need anyone to need each other more and more. The more Chris gets to know Hayley, the harder it is to stay detached. And the more Hayley gets to know Chris, the more she realizes she’s been alone for so long she might never recover from it. - “Ace” by Frankie Love
I don’t take women to bed. I take them against the wall, hard and fast, and when I come I make sure they remember. They always do. I’m cocky as hell, but sh-t, I’ve got reason to be. I own Spades Royalle, the sexiest casino in Vegas. F-ck, the sexiest casino in the country. I’m gonna keep building my empire all on my own – my ties with the mafia are in my past, buried with the bones of my family. I like my money clean and my women dirty. That is until I met Emmy Rose. She says she doesn’t want a bad boy. I guess I’ll have to change her pretty little mind. - “Finn” by Ahren Sanders
Finn Black infiltrated my safe world the minute he breathed my name. He broke down my barriers and convinced me to take a chance. For the first time ever, I was living my life with a man who promised me a future only dreams are made of. Sometimes the line between love and longing are tested. He’s asked me t trust him, to trust us, but the fear of losing him became too much. Now I must decide if I’m willing to take a leap of faith, and hope he’ll be there to catch me. - “Unsteady” by Shey Stahl
After fleeing from an abusive ex, Lennon hopes the garage bays of Walker Automotive will keep her dark secrets hidden from her past. What she doesn’t expect is a sexy, brooding, tattooed boss with an attitude. Neither of them can ignore their attraction as they struggle to make sense of their connection. And what happens next will no doubt be unsteady.
Want To Break The Rules?
In any genre, writing gurus have created “golden rules” that should never, ever be broken. They convince authors that if they dare to break these rules some rare meteor is going to hit Earth and life as we know it will end, along with their writing career. Some genres have more freedom in rule-breaking than others, but when it comes to the science fiction or fantasy realm, that freedom is vast. In science fiction and fantasy writing, there are some very specific rules these genre writers should try and break. The risk will most certainly be worth the reward.
Authors should always be encouraged to break the rules of writing. Whether it revolves around the point of view, character development, or novel structure- any writer can raise their hand and say, “I’m sure I’ve done that before.” Today, we looked at some of the “rules” of writing a science fiction or fantasy novel and decided to feature the ones we found most interesting and bold to break:
- Prologues are unnecessary.
Creating a whole new world for a reader can come with a price if there isn’t a prologue. Not all successful sci-fi or fantasy novels have them but if your fantastical world is layered and complex, you might want to consider having one. The absence of a prologue can lead to there being info dumps in the middle of scenes or conversations. These digressions can sometimes make readers feel like they rather just get straight to the point or like the author is just throwing in random information. Getting large chunks of background information out to your readers right from the start will make for smoother writing later. - Fantasy novels must be a series, not standalones.
There are many standalone fantasy novels that proved to be a success (i.e. Golden Key by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, and Kate Elliott; Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay; Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells…the list can go on!). Don’t feel as though you have to produce a trilogy because other writers have done so. - Portal fantasies are overrated.
On the contrary, portal fantasies can help the reader discover a new world with the protagonist. It can be appealing to be the ordinary person traveling to a strange world. - Women & hard sci-fi.
Hard science fiction emphasizes scientific accuracy. It is a male-dominated genre, but some women have made their way into the category. There are a list of female writers who have published works in the ‘hard sci-fi’ category. Some of those authors being Linda Nagata/Trey Shiels, Catherine Asaro, Nancy Kress, Sarah Zettel, and Ann Leckie. So don’t be afraid to go somewhere you feel you don’t belong. - Magic is always needed.
Sometimes fantasy novels stress the use of the magic. George R. R. Martin created Westeros and Essos with magic being only a rumor. Magic wasn’t needed to create the turmoil amongst the people, making it a “rule” you can break. There are many ways to make a science-fiction novel feel magical without well… the magic.
At HRM, our office has managed to enter a few different worlds during audiobook month with these titles from our authors:
- “The First” by Kipjo EwersSophia Dennison wanted a normal life. She wanted to raise a family with the love of her life, and further her medical career as an up and coming surgeon in neurology…But everything changed when she was convicted and sentenced to death for the brutal murder of her husband. Several hours after her execution, FBI Agent Mark Armitage is called to investigate a serious disturbance at the prison. Upon arriving he finds the place a war zone. After being debriefed by his friend and partner Dustin Mercer, he views the video tapes and learns that the source of the destruction is Sophia. Footage reveals that seven minutes after her execution she miraculously resurrected, breaking free of her bonds and overpowering several guards before being viciously gunned down and dying for a second time. Sophia Dennison has escaped, and is now on the run…The hunt is on for the first actual superhuman.
- “Faerie Blood” by Emma L. Adams
“I’m Ivy Lane, and if I never see another faerie again, it’ll be too soon. Twenty years after the faeries came and destroyed the world as we knew it, I use my specialist skills to keep rogue faeries in line and ensure humans and their magically gifted neighbours can coexist (relatively) peacefully. Nobody knows those skills came from the darkest corner of Faerie itself. When a human child disappears, replaced with a faerie changeling, I have to choose between taking the safe road or exposing my own history with the faeries to the seductively dangerous head of the Mage Lords. He’s the exact kind of distraction I don’t need, but it’s work with him or lose my chance to save the victims. It’ll take all my skills to catch the kidnappers and stop Faerie’s dark denizens overrunning the city – but if the faerie lords find out about the magic I stole last time I went into their realm, running won’t save me this time…” - “Magic Hunter” by C.N. CrawfordRosalind’s mission is simple: hunt demons and mages. As a member of the Brotherhood, she’s dedicated to protecting the world from dark magic. Someone’s got to stop the supernatural bloodlust – even if it means getting up close and personal with vamps. Everything’s going to plan until she meets Caine, a powerful dark mage. He’s scary as hell and just as sexy. Worse, he’s brought her a warning: rumors are spreading that Rosalind is a mage, too. Now the Hunters have chosen their next target – and it’s her. To save her own life, Rosalind must form an uneasy alliance with Caine, traveling with him to the vampire world. But what if the rumors about her are true? If she can’t figure out who to trust, and fast, she’ll be exiled to the realm of the very monsters she once hunted.
- “Dark Siren” by Lee Dignam and Katerina MartinezSupernatural bounty hunter Alice Werner loves her job. She gets paid the big bucks to take down her targets and doesn’t ask her clients too many questions as long as the money’s good. But when a girl goes missing and the case feels all too familiar, Alice can’t help but act. Concern for the girl’s safety draws her into a risky case. Compassion keeps her involved when the stakes begin to rise. Desperation forces her too call on an old flame to help. Despite their unfinished past, Alice and Isaac Moreau, a prominent Mage, must work together to save the girl. When clues reveal more than meets the eye, Alice must face her deepest fears and confront demons from her past to protect the victim, and herself, from a fate worse than death.
History of Mystery
The genre of mystery has grown since its birth in the nineteenth century.
In 1841, Edgar Allen Poe used his gothic literature to create the mystery genre with the making of his detective, Auguste C. Dupin. Poe was and still is acknowledged as the “father of the mystery story.” The famous Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice, Dr. Watson, appeared on the fictional crime scene in 1887, with the help of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Years later in the 1920s, the Golden Age of Mystery, when murder mystery novels had similar patterns and styles, eventually traveled from Britain to the States. With the evolution of the mystery genre, authors such as Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Erle Stanley Gardner, and many more have produced works like no other. Even today, with audiobooks rising in popularity, mystery remains one of the top audiobook genres.
At HRM, we have the pleasure to represent many talented mystery, thriller, and crime authors and their audiobooks have certainly been keeping us on our toes. Here are just a few of our office’s favorites:
- “Bad Deeds” by Robert Bidinotto
(Book 2: Dylan Hunter Thrillers) At a cabin the Allegheny National Forest, Dylan Hunter and Annie Woods seek to heal the wounds from their ordeal at the hands of a twisted psychopath. And to build a life together, Dylan promises Annie that he’ll abandon his violent ways. But ideological zealots and Washington’s political elites have conspired to terrorize and plunder the hard-working locals. These victims have no protector against the bad deeds of the powerful and privileged. Except for one man. A man as ruthless and violent as they. A man committed to absolute justice. Because Dylan Hunter cannot walk away – not even if it costs him the woman he loves.
- “Glenmore Park Series” by Mike Omer
Twenty year old Kendele Byers is savagely killed and buried in a shallow grave. She had a violent past, a bizarre kinky line of work, and the suspect list grows longer every day. But when another woman is murdered, Detective Mitchell Lonnie realizes that there’s something much more sinister afoot, a connection between the two murders. Both victims had received a clue hinting their oncoming demise several minutes before they were attacked. There’s a serial killer in Glenmore Park. Even worse, he seems to be accelerating his murder pace. Not Mitchell and his partner need to locate the killer before more innocent women die. But when his sister gets involved, Mitchell’s focus begins to unravel. Soon his pursuit becomes personal, and the stakes rise very high…
- “Michael Gresham Series” by John Ellsworth
Michael Gresham is a criminal attorney with a client accused of murdering a judge’s wife. As the story progresses, the judge whose wife was murdered suddenly tries to hire Michael Gresham for himself. New revelations have the judge backed into a corner in this legal and financial thriller. Can an attorney battle the system and win the notorious case other lawyers turned down? Can Michael Gresham turn the tables on those who would see him dead? And who is going to pay for the injury and disfigurement they left him with?
- “DC Smith investigation Series” by Peter Grainger
The story opens with the apparently accidental drowning of a British sixth form student in the Norfolk countryside. As a matter of routine, or so it seems, the case passes across the desk of Detective Sergeant Smith, recently returned to work after an internal investigation into another case that has led to tensions between officers at Kings Lake police headquarters. As an ex-Detective Chief Inspector, Smith could have retired by now, and it is clear that some of his superiors wish that he would do so. The latest trainee detective to work with him is the son of a member of his former team, and together they begin to unravel the truth about what happened to Wayne Fletcher. As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that others are involved – some seem determined to prevent it, some seem to be taking too much interest. In the end Smith operated alone, having stepped too far outside standard procedures to ask for support. He knows that his own life might be at risk but he has not calculated on the life of his young assistant also being put in danger.
Why Writers Read
One concept that I have mentioned frequently throughout this blog is that in order to improve your writing you need to be reading. Your best learning tool is other authors. The key to successful learning through reading is to venture outside your writing genre. There is so much to be learned from writing that is different from what you normally indulge in and most importantly, what you typically write. I have offered up this advice many times before, but I never really explained why it’s so important. In order to reap all the potential benefits, you need to know why you are doing what you are doing, what the benefits are, how it’s going to help you improve, and what you should be looking out for. It’s easy for me to spit out ‘meaningless’ advice to you, but understanding the advice and how to take full advantage of it is going to make all the difference. Since 2016 is the year of change, we need to start understanding our own writing and why we do what we do on a whole different level.
I have to be honest, I love Bustle. They always seem to have the right advice for me right when I need it the most. The advice they offer up is very accessible and it’s actually fun to read. Once again, Bustle came to my rescue with a recent article about… wait for it… why we should read outside our genre and its benefits. It sums up, for me, the three major reasons we should all diversify our reading list a bit more.
- Reading outside your genre is a form of priceless research.
Successful research takes a mediocre book/story line and turns it into a masterpiece. We all want to believe what we are reading. We all want the story to seem possible- either in our world or in some extraterrestrial universe. Research brings reality to your writing. Just because you write romances, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read some medical non-fiction books or medical thrillers to bring that heart wrenching hospital scene to life. If you write science fiction, try your hand at some romances to learn how to take that budding relationship between your two main characters from platonic to sexual. Learning how other authors describe and present certain areas that you are struggling with is a priceless tool. You can read countless articles on how to make a steamy hot sex scene, but immersing yourself in the literature yourself is the best thing you can do. Not only will you learn things that you should do in your own writing, but you will also discover things that you shouldn’t do along the way as well.
2. Reading outside your genre will reveal your strengths, as well as your weaknesses.
All authors have their signature writing tone that many of their fans identify with. Having a distinct style that readers can rely on is part of successful writing career. Readers are drawn to your writing for a certain reason and you need to make sure you give it to them every time. Reading outside your genre can put you more in tune with your signature tone, you will quickly realize which authors are similar to you and which must be writing on a completely different planet. You learn what’s working for them and perhaps try to incorporate it into your own writing. Most importantly, you also learn what your own writing is lacking. You likely aren’t going to change your tone completely and I don’t think you should, but incorporating different styles and tones into your stories leads to more layered and entertaining writing and reading. Varying tones can take a one dimensional piece and convert it into a three-dimensional piece of glory. Spice your writing up a bit and throw your readers for a loop every once in a while.
3. Reading outside your genre will teach you different ways to captivate your audience.
As important as a signature writing style is, we never want to become predictable or boring. We don’t want to start every chapter the same way or end each book with the same resolution. Reading different genres teaches you how different authors create exciting scenes, introduce new characters, create tension, and demonstrate emotion. You know, all that important stuff that makes for a great story. There are a million ways to do exactly the same thing, which is what makes writing so awesome. You can essentially read the same scene by a thousand different authors and feel like it’s fresh new content every time. Reading outside your genres teaches you to diversify your writing in a way that will never be coined as predictable.
Write on. Or perhaps this time, read on.
The POV Debate
One of my favorite parts of being a literary agent is getting to work closely with so many talented writers. The best part is being able to collaborate on their latest project together. It’s a privilege, really. I love seeing each individual’s writing process and watching each layer of their work unfold until the final product somehow miraculously declares itself finished. During this process a lot of interesting questions come up. Some questions have straight forward answers. But, it’s not all that easy. One of my authors recently asked me about point of view (POV) for her new series she is working on. This was one of those not so easy questions. Do particular genres have rules about POV? Is dual POV a ‘no-no’? Do POV rules change depending on gender? How about age, does that affect POV too? Are publisher’s looking for a certain POV? See? Not so easy.
At one point, the answer to these questions would probably have been ‘yes.’ Writing used to be more formulated and possessed rules that writer’s dare not break unless they wanted to send their career to an early grave. But now, authors are breaking every possible boundary and are doing so successfully. We aren’t so focused on the rules, but rather our story.
My initial response was ‘no,’ it doesn’t matter. But, out of curiosity I wanted to see what others had to say about it. I came across some general rules. Romance is often written in the third person because love involves more than one person and we want to be able to understand all characters equally. Young adult is written in the first person. You can only switch POV or ‘head hop’ after a scene is complete or a new chapter has arrived. Despite all these said to be ‘rules’ most people came to the same conclusion- it doesn’t matter. Every genre doesn’t have a correct POV, but every story does.
My favorite article I came across was by Alan Rinzler, an experienced book editor. He only has one rule when it comes to POV- does your manuscript work? At the end of the day our goal is to create something that is readable, that keeps readers wanting to come back for more. As long as you can make that happen- anything goes. Crazy and adventurous sells.
I wish I could give you a list of rules here that would solve all your problems and save you hours of brain-numbing torture flip flopping back and forth on your decision, hoping you are making the right one. But after all that’s what writing is all about, right? To help ease the pain, Rinzler provided three basic tips on POV. Maybe it will shed some light on one of your toughest decisions:
- Get to know your characters first. Know who your protagonist is and their particular strengths and weaknesses. Does it make sense to tell their story from the inside or the outside?
- Don’t give your story away. Whatever POV you choose, craft your story carefully. Don’t tell your readers anything, let them do the discovering for themselves.
- Go ahead, break the rules. Of course we all like a reliable narrator, but don’t feel like you need to give your readers one. The best stories end in the most unexpected ways.
Rinzler also gave some examples of how he has helped authors find the correct POV for their story so if you’re on the POV struggle bus, check it out.
Write on.