Wednesday, February 7, 2018

IWSG & Favourite Genres

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.



Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

And we’re revving up IWSG Day to make it more fun and interactive! Every month, we'll announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

February 7 question - What do you love about the genre you write in most often?

Great question!

I mostly write contemporary romance (although I think I'll always dabble in quite a few genres & categories!).

Some people have a tendency to look down upon the romance genre, but I'd guess many of those people haven't read many current romances!

For me, romance tends to be about hope.

The characters need to overcome an internal obstacle along with an external obstacle as they figure out how to trust both themselves and someone else. The story lines are complex and I enjoy building in suspense and humour. I also love knowing that there will be a happy ending with my story. The world has enough sad, I need my fiction to be about the happy!

How about you? What's your favourite genre to write in? What's the best part of that genre for you?

(As some of you might know, my MacBook appears to have died, my phone refuses to reply to emails, and basically technology hates me. While I am in technological limbo it may take me a while to return your comments. I will do my best to get back to you soon!  In the meantime, I hope your technology is good to you!)

40 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sorry about your issues!
Love makes the world go around, so romance is needed.

Angela Wooldridge said...

Don't forget romance is one of the (if not THE) most popular genres. And it also gets slipped into mysteries, fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, thrillers, horror, you name it.
Hope your technology gets over itself :)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Romance is a key element in everything I write. Except the non-fiction. That would be odd.

Some days technology hates me, too.

mshatch said...

I do love a good romance and generally include some in my writing though I tend to write in the fantasy/scifi genre. I do hope you get your computer issues fixed soon.

Carol Kilgore said...

Hope your tech situation improves soon. It's maddening, I know. I like romances, too ♥

Rachna Chhabria said...

I like reading romance and contemporary romance sounds amazing.

Chrys Fey said...

I'm sorry you've been having technical issues. I hope things get better.

Romance is a beautiful genre. For me, I love to dip into the sub-categories. :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I've been following your tech woes on Twitter. Hope you can some life support for that computer. I also like your answer to the question.

Chemist Ken said...

Yikes! Not having access to electronics? Now that's definitely in the horror genre.

I don't read much in the way of romance, but I do enjoy romantic comedies. You can see the story structure in them so well.

Cathy said...

We are birds of a feather re: romance and happy endings.

JeffO said...

WEll, that's at least two IWSG bloggers having technology issues--hope yours gets resolved quickly and inexpensively!

I do not read romance as a rule, though I certainly do not mind romance or the romantic in what I read (or write), but I really like the way you frame it: that it's about hope. That may encourage me to look into one here or there!

Crystal Collier said...

I'll second that. I always want my happy ending. That's why I read! ;) Maybe not why I write...

emaginette said...

You're right it is about hope. Looking around I see several people that don't remember what hope is. Don't believe they look down on romance so much as they've forgotten its a real thing.

Anna from elements of emaginette

Anonymous said...

Well, I love stories that provide a sense of hope. Hope is a very good thing to have in life! :)

Elsie

Denise Covey said...

Hi Jemi. You got that right. Writing romance is jolly hard. I've pretty much given up on that and now enjoy fleshing out my characters in more of a women's fiction way. I wish you all the best on your writing journey...:-)

Mason Canyon said...

Some writers might not want to admit it, but I think a little romance appears in almost every story even if you don't write romance. Good luck with your tech problems.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Romance is a great escape for readers, I think. And it's nice to have that happy ending to look forward to.

Jemi Fraser said...

It does indeed - makes the ride very worth while! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

This is so true! A sprinkle of romance is in so many books! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

It would be a little odd in your nonfiction for sure! :P

Jemi Fraser said...

I love fantasy & SF as well - there are so many great stories out there!

Jemi Fraser said...

And you write them well! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

There are so many excellent contemporary romance authors out there!

Jemi Fraser said...

It is beautiful! There are so many great subgenres too :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Looks like my friend is having some success with the Mac #crossingfingers!

Jemi Fraser said...

It has been a horror filled week for sure!
I love rom coms - and you're so right about the structure! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

We are indeed!

Jemi Fraser said...

Hope is such a core element of the stories and for the characters. There are so many excellent reads out there :)

Jemi Fraser said...

HEAs FTW!

Jemi Fraser said...

It's pretty scary when someone doesn't have hope - it's one of the most important elements of life!

Jemi Fraser said...

It is hard!!!
Women's fiction is another great genre :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Yes! I love knowing that things will work out!

Jemi Fraser said...

This is so true! A touch of romance can really make a story sparkle!

Jemi Fraser said...

It is! I like knowing that my MCs will be alive and looking forward to the future at the end of the story!

Stephen Tremp said...

Yes! The trust factor. I put a bit of a twist on this as one of the secondary characters the best friend of the protagonist had to put his trust in Chase Manhattan. This was fun to write as both would have died if this did not happen.

DMS said...

Hope is a great thing to have in our writing. We definitely need more of it. :)

Sorry to hear about your technology woes. Hope they are fixed soon!
~Jess

Michelle Wallace said...

You write mostly contemporary romance? Based on your Tick Tock story, I think you'd do a great job with suspense!
Hope your techno troubles have been resolved!

Jemi Fraser said...

Trust can be a huge factor for the characters. So many people have learned to NOT trust, it's fun watching them learn that it's okay with the right person :)

Jemi Fraser said...

We do - the world can be tough. I like my HEAs! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

SQUEE! Thank you - that means a lot! I do like to toss in suspenseful elements in my stories - they really do make me type more quickly! :)