It's Not About Formulas
I've been stressing a lot about my genre. Not about which genre my novel fits - it's romantic suspense. Has to be. The romance is high, and sweet, and strong, but there are some pretty harsh elements that are not so romantic.What I mean is: I don't follow the formula for either category (romance/romantic suspense).
I'm not writing a story about two "wrong for each other" people who lust/hate/misunderstand/love&all is perfect.
I'm writing Kasia & Jake's love story. Sure, Kasia is overly reluctant to get into the relationship, but she's not an idiot. She and Jake are meant for each other and they both know it early on. That doesn't mean there's not tension between them, sexual and otherwise. It just means they don't assume things, not ask, and go off in a huff before falling into bed, then fighting about a silly misunderstanding, then...love. In fact, they don't fall into bed for quite a while, and not until the relationship is solid and sure, and there's love. It works, simply because that's who they are.
And I'm writing Kasia's story. She's emotionally/socially immature maybe, but that's all. She's been taking care of herself for a long while, and she has the brains and bravado to back it up. When things go awry, she doesn't wait for a knight in shining armor. Instead, she takes a deep breath, gains strength from her love for that knight and figures her own way out a terrifying situation.
Not the formula. At. all. Publishers claim to want fresh and new, but that's not what I'm seeing so much - especially in my genre. I'm happy with the story I wrote. Otherwise I wouldn't have taken 2 years perfecting this one before sending it out into the scary world.
My story is true to my characters, not my genre.
I prefer to read outside the box. How 'bout you?
Does anybody else out there stray from the formula of their genre/s?
I'm not writing a story about two "wrong for each other" people who lust/hate/misunderstand/love&all is perfect.
I'm writing Kasia & Jake's love story. Sure, Kasia is overly reluctant to get into the relationship, but she's not an idiot. She and Jake are meant for each other and they both know it early on. That doesn't mean there's not tension between them, sexual and otherwise. It just means they don't assume things, not ask, and go off in a huff before falling into bed, then fighting about a silly misunderstanding, then...love. In fact, they don't fall into bed for quite a while, and not until the relationship is solid and sure, and there's love. It works, simply because that's who they are.
And I'm writing Kasia's story. She's emotionally/socially immature maybe, but that's all. She's been taking care of herself for a long while, and she has the brains and bravado to back it up. When things go awry, she doesn't wait for a knight in shining armor. Instead, she takes a deep breath, gains strength from her love for that knight and figures her own way out a terrifying situation.
Not the formula. At. all. Publishers claim to want fresh and new, but that's not what I'm seeing so much - especially in my genre. I'm happy with the story I wrote. Otherwise I wouldn't have taken 2 years perfecting this one before sending it out into the scary world.
My story is true to my characters, not my genre.
I prefer to read outside the box. How 'bout you?
Does anybody else out there stray from the formula of their genre/s?
Comments
good luck on submissions, I'm rooting for you!
I don't like genre boxes. Really. I think genre soup is a great way to keep things fresh and new. [g]
I think your point about staying true to the characters instead of a genre is right on. Amen! I feel that a story that does otherwise comes off kind of contrived.
Formula? I'm not meeting it either. My characters fall in love. They don't succumb to silly misunderstandings that drag on and on. But it's romance right? It's sweet and exciting and - well, I hope it's all those things. They solve problems together. Is this a bad thing?
x
Yvonne.
A friend who has a romantic suspense novel was recently at a workshop with me. She had talked to a published author about genres and what to call it - she was calling hers romantic suspense, but the author said that was a "dead" market right now (which always changes). The author said Small Town Romance might work for my friend, and that it's a hot trend right now.
Best of luck to you!
Jai
You're absolutely right - the number one thing is that the story stays true to the characters.
I like the idea of romantic suspense - to me, one without the other sounds kinda boring...
My WIP is a genre-breaker as well. I suppose it's general class is urban fantasy, but that's too tame. Dark fantasy fits better, but what it really seems to be is romantic horror. And no, not gothic horror. That usually has a wimpy female MC, and my MC is anything but wimpy - in fact she's a little scary, but not as scary as the guy she falls in love with!
But regardless of what genre the publishers say your story falls into, I LUV Kasia & Jake's story (and for those of you who haven't met Jake yet, he is HAWT!). I think romantic suspense fits, or better yet, call it post-YA - for the YAers who've finally grown up!
Thanks for stopping by everyone :)
Sounds like you are doing a great job..... Since I write like a hick... I love reading stories from people who know how to write...
Tweeted and new gfc follower.
http://twitter.com/CandidaJourney/status/84066493834338304
Lots of luck....
Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck
One day will be our day. Let's hope it's soon :)
Maybe yours is commercial fiction.
I don't really follow any genre rules, or maybe I do but don't know it. I think there's more flexibility in YA because of the different subgenres. :D
Happy writing my friend!
I'm starting to get jealous of you YA writers and your freedom. ;-)
Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. I appreciate it.
Good luck with the submissions!
I hear ya on the 'not quite fitting the expected pattern' thing. I bet you'll find the right agent to love your story though!!
Hope you have a great weekend,
Ninja Girl