IWSG October 5: Digging into Genre

This month begins with a nicely layered question from the Insecure Writer's Support Group.  

IWSG October Question: What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

This question could apply to reading as well, but I'd like to talk about genre as it relates to writing. 

I write in two genres -- historical fiction (1840s) and art crime mysteries (21st Century). My fascination with history, art, culture, and what life was like back then creates an overlap between these two genres.

• Underlying theme: Pretty close to the same: My historical fiction characters generally struggle to find/make a better life, despite sometimes overwhelming obstacles, often created by the upper class. My art crime investigators work to try to resolve crime, restore what was lost, and find truth and justice along the way.
• Settings: Pretty much international -- Scotland, France, Australia, Canada for my historical fiction, and, so far, France, Scotland, and Egypt for art crime. I absolutely love to travel anywhere and happily love the adventure that pursuing a new story brings.
• Characters:  My stories follow a family (brothers and sisters) for historical fiction (most likely, a family saga), and a pair of detectives (male and female couple) for art crime. 

Although readers may expect certain scenes and actions (even style of dialogue) for the genres they read, I don't rely too heavily on genre outlines. I do use them to check the story has depth as it develops. For example, I'm still learning how to really outline with the goal to not need 3 years to write a novel! Genre outlines like the Journey of the Hero, or Savannah Gilbo, for example, her 6 Scenes Every Crime Story Needs (genre checklists), or Jessica Brody's Save the Cat Writes a Novel, are all helpful.

But I hope I avoid formulaic writing that may entertain but lead to stories that are too predictable. I still remember that meeting with literary critics on East Coast, where one potential agent asked, "You write genre fiction?" I swear she sniffed, her nose in the air, as if genre fiction were something with a horrible odor.

Maybe I'm like you, more of an intuitive writer, enjoying the process of sinking into a time and place with particular characters and setting them up with a nasty twist of fate to see what happens next!

More About IWSG: 

Note that the first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Here's a chance to post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writers - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

And plan to visit those writers who are co-hosting this month: Tonja Drecker, Victoria Marie Lees, Mary Aalgaard, and Sandra Cox!

I'd like to add a challenge: Why not celebrate the coming fall by reading maybe just one book written by one of the IWSG members? And review it on Amazon and/or GoodReads, knowing that writing a review is the best way to say thank you to other story writers! 

Meme from AutoCrit

L is for Library . . .

This morning, I was trying to think of an "L" concept, person, or event that would tie into 19th Century Tasmania. Lady Franklin, otherwise known as she-who-got-me-started-on-this-project.  BTW Robert Hughes gives her just one page in The Fatal Shore, a little shocking given her role in Franklin's recall. But, then I thought since I'm working on convict history at Port Arthur this week, perhaps the Luddites.

But only one "L" leaped off the page. L is for L I B R A R Y.

I've already exhausted my local city and local county libraries. Interlibrary loan takes weeks, but brings me books from all over the country and the Library of Congress. I'm grateful for every book I've gained this way. Shelf browsing at used book stores has brought some surprising gems, but oh, is that random. Libraries are changing, but perhaps not fast enough.

My go-to research source is simply the Internet in all its complexity. I've found doctoral theses, genealogy essays, biographies, travel sites, and lovely PDF files. I'm no apologist for Wikipedia; I think Wiki is a great jumping off place for overviews, key names, dates, maps, and photos.

This morning, my online search took me to a wonderful book, An Excursion to Port Arthur, 1842, written by David Burn, no publication date available. Within minutes, I had downloaded the book onto my Kindle (no cost) through the Internet Archive. and an "editable page" through the Open University.  Right when I'm struggling to understand the daily life of prisoners at Port Arthur, and, yep, in 1842.

Just this year Amazon opened up access to Kindle books for libraries. We patrons (whether of Amazon or libraries) have had to jump through a few extra hoops, but the sorting, searching, and downloading will continue to improve. And now I'm ready to download and get back to work!

About April . . .

April has its writing challenges. National Poetry Month -- a poem a day with Robert Lee Brewer from Writer's Digest's Poetic Asides and new to me, Blogging from A to Z, a blog hop with daily blog entries. Most days I find it easier to write on my current project (Years of Stone, historical fiction set in mid 19th Century Tasmania) and leave my blog to languish. But this April, prompted by writers from the IWW (Internet Writing Workshop), I will take on both challenges.

And continue work on Years of Stone. On good days, the writing is fun, the characters talk to me, and the story unfolds in dialogue. I can see Tasmania of 1842, sense the conflict between characters, their desires and their realities, and the words spill onto the page. My goal is simply to finish the draft by  the end of 2012. OK, maybe by the end of summer. My word count is 50,000 so far; goal maybe 70,000 to finish the story.

The biggest unresolved plot question I have right now is tied up with smart-mouthed secondary/main character Mary Dallow. Mary survived the four-month voyage to Hobart Town by sleeping in sailors' quarters whenever she was bored (did I say this story is not YA and not a bodice ripper?). She found work at a waterfront tavern, fell in lust with a bushranger, and serves as a conduit between the two main characters -- Mac (a transportee) and Deidre (Mac's fiance who follows him to Tasmania). So, would Mary (despite her many travails) jump to get married? I'm beginning to think not. Or would she?

Some mystery writers start with a dead body and figure out who-done-it by the end of the book. Maybe Mary Dallow will let me know what she really wants . . . by the end of the book! But whoever she winds up with will have to be her equal, no pandering to convention for Mary, even in 1842. Unless . . .