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- Joexoxo4
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Help!

- H0LD0Nthere
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First, what are the themes of your short stories? Whatever you are into, and have been practicing, makes the most sense for a book.
I love historical fiction but I wouldn't recommend trying to write it unless you have a lot of time to do research or you're already a historian. Every time I read a history book, I get all fired up to write a story set in that period.
I also love fantasy, especially "quest" type books, but again, to write one of those, you need to have a very rich and detailed world worked out in your mind. I've tried making up the world as I go along ... doesn't work so well.

I also enjoy reading dystopias ... these are novels set in the near or distant future when something has gone terribly wrong with society. They usually feature characters struggling to survive or to do good in the crazy world in which they live. The Divergent series is a sort of dystopia. The dystopia can be set in a situation where there is complete tyranny, or in a survivalist/wilderness situation, or post-Apocalypse (zombie or otherwise)

I recommend writing a dystopia if you are quite angry or worried about something in our current society, and you can imagine what the world would be like if this worrying thing were to become ubiquitous and take over everyday life.
- Joexoxo4
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- Vimtuous
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So while I've never personally been a fan of diary entry style, there are a huge number of books that are written in that style and that attract readers. As long as your story is interesting and well written people will like it
- SidnayC
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- Vimtuous
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If you do want to write for a genre you aren't familiar with, it's also a good idea to read some novels from that genre to learn about some of the things that your readers are going to expect to see. Most genres have some key characteristics that help them fit together. Writing what you know is important, and this is when research comes in handy!
- SidnayC
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- Vimtuous
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You can write from experience for a romance novel for sure but unless you have a really crazy romantic life to draw off of, reading other romance novels and seeing how the genre works is good to research(I'd give some examples but I don't read romance so i'm drawing blanks).
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ETA hubby and i like different books, he's more into war/army type stuff, or stuff with the world going to hell because of the powers in charge, eg governments, high profiles etc, engineering what people think/have to do to get food etc. the series hubby and i both really enjoyed was a trial of blood and steel by Joel Shepherd, first book is Sasha
- SidnayC
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I think a better word I should have used is 'theories' rather than facts. I understand what you're saying but I still believe that what sets a masterpiece apart from just a regular book is when those books don't just follow what everyone else seems to be writing for that genre and instead does a hell of a lot more research into the chosen topic. So for example if I was writing about a serial killer - I wouldn't just look at serial killers in popular books... I would actually begin to look up psychological theories about why people kill and research real cases about it to better get into a serial killer's mind so that it will add substance to my character.Vimtuous wrote:Researching facts is good but I was more referring to elements of genre. Like you might expect to see an alien in scifi or a gorey murder in horror. But if aliens start showing up in your crime thriller or a horrifying murder happens in a sweet romance your readers are going to be blindsided. Genres typically have a set of events and happenings that make up the genre.
You can write from experience for a romance novel for sure but unless you have a really crazy romantic life to draw off of, reading other romance novels and seeing how the genre works is good to research(I'd give some examples but I don't read romance so i'm drawing blanks).
Sometimes a romance doesn't have to have angst and all the craziness that follows to be good, a beautifully written love story sometimes doesn't need all the flashiness... It can be simple, elegant and understated. However like I said before with romance you can use your own experiences or research. But with regards to research, reading books is good but I would still like a book that went the extra-mile and threw in all kinds of historical and sociological theories about romance - to really stimulate the readers mind and add more depth to the romance I'm writing about. George R.R Martin the author of A Game Of Thrones does this and is now being set apart from the rest of his peers in terms of his writing ability. He gets inspiration from books but also philosophical, religious and mythical teachings. His one of my biggest heroes in the literary world

- H0LD0Nthere
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- raindropwriter
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- ALynnPowers
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-- 22 Aug 2014, 11:29 --
Ah! I totally agree! Those are like, the "classic" stories everyone can't help but love.raindropwriter wrote:I love romcom stories and they always sell