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!

The "Literary" Genre

For a long time I have wondered about classic literature. Why do those authors like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, and many others seem to get away with things that are no-gos in our time? Like telling, for instance. And the author's voice slipping in.
The beginning of Pride and Prejudice is all telling and author-voice for the first paragraph. But everyone seems to love it. Have our reading preferences changed so drastically that what was good writing back then is shabby craftsmanship now?
I was rather confused myself so I asked my critique group about it. Diana Sharples , the group leader, explained it rather well.
She said that the classic novels are in the "literary" genre where such things are acceptable. The only problem is that modern readers are not so much into the "literary" thing. They want faster-paced, more exciting books. If you are trying to write in the "literary" genre you have to have plenty of talent, be a fair hand at keeping an interesting and worthwhile "author voice", and be able to sell it. If you truly do want to be a "literary" writer, than you'll have to accept the fact that your public of adoring fans will be much smaller than if you write for the main group of readers.
I was glad to get that question answered--I don't think I could have figured it out for myself. :P Also, while on the subject of publishing and writing and things of that nature, Taylor Lynn did a really great post on the submission process of publishing, as well as writing queries, etc.
So hop on over and read it--she has some great ideas! :) -Rachel

Write What You Know?

I have a topic for all us writers to debate:
In one film version of Little Women, Jo March says to her sister Beth, "The first rule in writing Mr. Tupman, is never write what you know!" (Emphasis mine) What has always intrigued me about that particular line, is that it is contrary to the advice authors give nowadays. The classic tip is writing these days is: "Write what you know!"
I have atheory about this dilemma: I think the script-writer in the Little Women movie decided to add that line to show Jo's immaturity in her writing, and set the stage for Proff. Bhaer later on to tell her to write from her heart.
But what do you all think? What are your interpretations of the advice: "Write what you know"? Mine are as follows:
Write, not always from your own experience, but from a similar setting to that which you live in. For instance, I have unlimited stores of creativity for family-centered stories, since I live 24-7 in a large family. It would be like having an underground lake of oil and never drilling it, if I disregarded the extreme resource such a unit is. I don't have to write about my family, or even modern times, but I understand the family unit from living in it, and I can seriously tell you that a book written by me, set in a family, would be far better than a book written by me about....spies, or something! ;) As far as things like allegories go, I would pretty much beg leave to say that the more spiritually mature a person is, the better the allegory would be. So...maybe leave the allegory idea till you are a bit older.
As far as fantasy goes.... do use a bit of your own knowledge of things to write your book. I personally have never "dabbled" in that genre, so I am not the best judge of that sort of thing! Anyway, tell me your ideas! :) -Rachel