Trying Different Styles to Keep a Writer Sane
Trying Different Styles to Keep a Writer Sane
I don’t remember having a particular genre in mind when I started to write. As I recall, my first attempts at writing novels (all unpublished) include a straight horror love story, a reincarnation Arthurian (horror?) tale, and a fantasy trilogy with sci-fi overtones.
My first published novels were variations on the medieval-style fantasy: the “Dark Lady” trilogy, and the “Queen’s Pawn trilogy.” Already restless by that stage, at the same time I veered off, creating the “Housetrap Chronicles,” a wild, no-rules series of fantasy detective novellas.
An attempt at a short medieval-style short story turned into four shorts combined as the novella, “Knight’s Bridge.”
I was already showing some signs of not sticking with any particular theme here.
Then, I combined a modern couple with a Dark Age alternate universe to come up with the questing fantasy of “Alex in Wanderland.”
Somewhere around this time I turned one of my favorite opening lines into the near-future, archaeologically themed, sci fi adventure, “We’re Not in Kansas.”
Next, I decided to tackle the what-if themed North American invasion of Europe with the “Toltec Dawn” trilogy. What started out as a lengthy single novel became three, although for a while there was even a threat of turning it into a series.
Never having written a straight science fiction novel, I tackled “Of Destiny’s Daughters.” That, of course, begged the nagging question of, ‘What happens next?’ This became the latest trilogy of “Hammer Across the Stars” and the soon-to-be-released “Expeditions to Earth” and a full-blown space opera.
I don’t know if I’d enjoy writing as much if I stuck to one genre. I also suspect trilogies are as long as one particular tale might hold my attention. Housetrap Chronicles being the exception, as there have been nine published, with two more in the wings, and a couple still percolating. But. with Housetrap I can throw in everything including a kitchen sink so boredom is not a problem.
The bottom line is I write to amuse myself and find out how the story ends. Anything beyond that is a bonus.
I don’t remember having a particular genre in mind when I started to write. As I recall, my first attempts at writing novels (all unpublished) include a straight horror love story, a reincarnation Arthurian (horror?) tale, and a fantasy trilogy with sci-fi overtones.
My first published novels were variations on the medieval-style fantasy: the “Dark Lady” trilogy, and the “Queen’s Pawn trilogy.” Already restless by that stage, at the same time I veered off, creating the “Housetrap Chronicles,” a wild, no-rules series of fantasy detective novellas.
An attempt at a short medieval-style short story turned into four shorts combined as the novella, “Knight’s Bridge.”
I was already showing some signs of not sticking with any particular theme here.
Then, I combined a modern couple with a Dark Age alternate universe to come up with the questing fantasy of “Alex in Wanderland.”
Somewhere around this time I turned one of my favorite opening lines into the near-future, archaeologically themed, sci fi adventure, “We’re Not in Kansas.”
Next, I decided to tackle the what-if themed North American invasion of Europe with the “Toltec Dawn” trilogy. What started out as a lengthy single novel became three, although for a while there was even a threat of turning it into a series.
Never having written a straight science fiction novel, I tackled “Of Destiny’s Daughters.” That, of course, begged the nagging question of, ‘What happens next?’ This became the latest trilogy of “Hammer Across the Stars” and the soon-to-be-released “Expeditions to Earth” and a full-blown space opera.
I don’t know if I’d enjoy writing as much if I stuck to one genre. I also suspect trilogies are as long as one particular tale might hold my attention. Housetrap Chronicles being the exception, as there have been nine published, with two more in the wings, and a couple still percolating. But. with Housetrap I can throw in everything including a kitchen sink so boredom is not a problem.
The bottom line is I write to amuse myself and find out how the story ends. Anything beyond that is a bonus.
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