15-day Challenge Day 6 and 7: Favorite Genres and Current Project

I am agreeing with Abigail Hartman when she says that picking one genre to write in can be "damaging to the mind and doom the author's writing to tedious repetition." Like any other thing in life, you ought to use moderation in your favorites. One can not survive on one kind of food only. One cannot have a well-formed mind if the mind is only fed on one kind of book or one subject. And so it is with writing. One genre only can quickly reduce the flavor of your writing to stale crumbs of half-baked inspiration trying desperately to be an elaborate Charlotte Russe or some other stunning dessert. That being said, I will name my favorite genres to write, and what I like about them:

15-day Writing Challenge Day Six: What is your favorite genre to write in?

Light Historical Fiction: this is what I'm terming novels as that are not dealing with historical events, but are set back in time. Using history as your setting, rather than what moves your plot along. A Mother for the Seasonings fits this category well. It's set in a British settlement in East India during the Victorian Era, and while I tried my best to be historically accurate with what was going on during that time, the kids don't encounter much history.

Historical Fiction: This is researched, thought out, careful writing that has to deal closely with historical events and people. My newest idea is going to be a French Revolution historical fiction, and I am in the stages of researching and planning and loving it to death. :)

Poetry: Is this a genre? I guess it is. I love poetry. It comes to me quite often with a resounding "SMACK!" and I'll have written something passable. A phenomenon, really, as the words seem to write themselves. What moments. If only prose was as easy as poetry is for me most of the time.

Satire: I will admit, I love satire. I love Mark Twain's tongue-in-cheek, biting words. But a little of satire goes a long way, and I have to be careful in selecting who I show my bits to. I actually am quite a hand at poking fun at our conservative/homeschooling foibles and follies. :P *smiles at Marybelle*

Short Stories: Until about a month or two ago, I had never been much good at writing these. I found it hard to fit a beginning, a plot, and an end into a few short pages. But I've found that when the writing bug has bitten and my main novel isn't agreeing, it's a great way to liberate inspiration.

15-day Writing Challenge Day 7: What is your current writing project?

Aha. Puddleby Lane claims my attention at present. I am not the writer who works on two projects at a time--I can't fathom how that can make for a very cohesive novel...hopping back and forth from plot to plot as if you were playing one-man ping-pong? Strange indeed. I know most of you have heard enough about Puddleby Lane, but for any new-comers I shall do a blurb:

"In her fourteen years of life Cora Lesley hasn't met with much that she'd call adventure. Beyond The Accident, there hasn't even been anything worth writing down as her "life story". That is until the stock-market crashes on October 29, 1929 and Cora and her sister's family lose everything. They are forced to leave their cozy home in the Mid-West to move to a shabby seaside town. Does Puddleby Lane hold a promise of adventure? It seems so. The discovery in the Other House and the mystery cloaking it, the budding friendship with the three year-round inhabitants of the town, Captain Boniface and his queer home, The Bonny Addie, and even the change of scenery all point to new experiences for Cora. But when calamity touches the family and a shadow falls across Puddleby Lane, the question arises: Will Cora, Maggie, and the children be force to go through yet another storm, or

will this new set of adventures teach them to lean more than ever on the Everlasting Arms?"

There you have it. I am at 139 pages right now, and about half-way through the plot. I'm estimating it to be about 300 pages long by the end. Plenty long enough for a light historical-fiction novel, I believe. Anyway, that's all for now, folks!