IWSG: Ill-Fitting Genres

Happy September! It feels like the rest of the year is going to fly by now that my son is back in school and busy with activities. I hope you find some time to enjoy the rest of summer and the upcoming fall.

As has become tradition, let's start the month with a post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Learn more about them on their website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

Our hosts for this month are Kim Lajevardi, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre, Olga Godim (no link available), Michelle Wallace, and Louise-Fundy Blue.

Here's our question for September: What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?

I used to read more widely in my youth, but these days, my fiction reading is mostly fantasy and mystery, with some science fiction and historical fiction mixed in. That means there are a lot of genres that I don't know very well. In particular, Westerns, thrillers, and horror hold no appeal for me, so they would be the worst ones for me to tackle. I know very little about the conventions and tropes in those genres. I'd probably create something featuring an eldritch cowboy pursuing a spy across the West to prevent a mass undead cow uprising or something like that.

Which genres are you least-prepared to write and why? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

IWSG: Drawing the Line

 

Welcome to October! I'm looking forward to cooler weather suitable for partaking of scones and tea, but we're not quite there yet. Hopefully you're enjoying your fall no matter what the weather is like in your area.

Our hosts this month are Jemima Pett, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard. 

Here's our question for October: In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

The line varies depending on what I'm writing. I have characters in my science fiction that swear frequently. There's not much sex in my stories, but I would include it if the story requires it. (Spoiler: a sex scene may show up in the next Season Avatars story collection--if I ever finish it.) I'm not interested in writing steamy reverse harem stories no matter how popular they are, so the sex scenes would focus more on emotions than body parts. Cozy mysteries, on the other hand, tend to be "clean." There's no swearing or sex, and even though they're about solving murders, there's relatively little violence or gore.

No matter how you feel about writing sex, violence, or controversial topics, there's bound to be a reader who wants to read what you wrote. The key is matching the topic and language to the genre so the reader knows what to expect as they start the story.

Do you avoid writing stories with sex, violence, or strong language, or are you comfortable with it? Feel free to discuss in the comments.