Writing a New Genre
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
After a really nice vacation to Alaska (where it wasn’t even close to the 100 degrees F we’ve had here in NC), I had a few things to deal with. A lot of unpacking, a suitcase that decided to hang out in Dallas, TX, instead of following us home, and a book to finish.
I’d hoped to finish the book during my vacation. I did get a lot written, but it wasn’t quite finished. I finally knocked out the last bit yesterday and then quickly cleaned it up to send it along to my freelance editor.
This book was an interesting project for me. It was an attack book…one that forced me to write it. It’s been bugging me for three years. I’ve got several other things to work on right now, but I scheduled time to work on this one.
I’d no idea how difficult it would be to write. I ran a couple of weeks over my self-imposed deadline. I’m happy with the finished product, but…it was a bear to write.
Why the book put me behind:
The zombies. I’ve never written zombies. I’ve had to read a lot of zombie stuff recently.
The fact that this was a gore-free zombie book with mild thrills. Not a lot of those out there.
The multiple POVs. I’ve never written multiple POVs. As I was writing them, I remembered scores of articles I’d shared on social media about challenges writers encounter with them. Now I know what those authors meant.
The first person POVs. I’ve never written in first person. It was awkward at first.
The epilogue. This book felt as if it needed one. I’ve never written/wanted one before.
What I learned while struggling through the project:
Although the book was difficult for me to write, I felt a lot of creative energy while writing it. This manuscript was good for me and helped me grow in areas I needed to work on.
Zombies are like many other conflict generators….it’s not about them. It’s about what happens to and within the characters, as with any other story.
For some reason, when writing multiple POVs, there is this tremendous urge that overwhelms one to recount the story we’ve just narrated from a different viewpoint. Resist! Rarely is this a good move. I knew this from a hundred articles I’ve read in the past…but somehow, when you’re writing, it seems like an amazing idea at the time.
When writing multiple POVs, timelines become an issue. I started tracking what day the different characters were on. When the characters’ timelines intersected, it was important to make sure one character wasn’t on day three and another character on day five. :)
Other things I was reminded of:
Crappy, unskilled work can be fixed during our edits.
It’s vital to schedule time to read the new genre.
It’s easy to get carried away with research. A timer is helpful.
If we feel like we’re blathering on and on, it’s best to start wrapping things up quickly.
Sometimes, it’s best to skip to the ending and write backward. This helped me out tremendously.
Challenges and lessons learned from writing a new genre:
Click To Tweet
Image: Death to the Stock Photo
The post Writing a New Genre appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
