I bet some YA writers have tales about when they've been asked when they're going to write 'grown up' stuff, and erotica writers with all kinds of real horror stories - I'd love to hear them!
Nevertheless, I have a dream that someday a genre/literary discussion will go on for more than one page before explicit or implicit arrows are shot over somebody's bow.
I'm told that, on one occasion when Stephen King was asked why he wrote horror stories, he replied, "What makes you think I had a choice?"
I write what I write. Yes, everyone gets those "When are you going to write a serious book?" questions (possibly except literary authors, who are probably asked "When are you going to write something popular?")
It comes with the territory. And it comes from folks who aren't in the business not knowing what to say to an author. They're fumbling.
I write what I write. Yes, everyone gets those "When are you going to write a serious book?" questions (possibly except literary authors, who are probably asked "When are you going to write something popular?")
I shot no such arrows. I only said that this is all I can do right now. I can't seem to do anything else. I'm very one sided, very limited, very restricted.
Someday maybe I'll have a choice... but right now I can't write anything else but 'serious' books. I'm afraid I don't understand non-serious, and I don't read for entertainment.
I guess I'm not a very 'fun' oriented person... instead, I see all these things around me, all this 'human condition' and feel a great need to explore and uncover all these things we do to each other and constantly ask why...
Genre writers, on the other hand, have no interest in the human condition and never, ever ask why.
I don't really need a sarcasm alert here, do I? Well, except for the genre writers who won't notice, being too busy slouching around on their knuckles uncovering (not deep truths) but grubs.
Your post suggests that genre writers don't write books that are serious or that explore the human condition.
Your post suggests that genre writers don't write books that are serious or that explore the human condition.
Have to say, am kind of tickled the OP's Mum considers romance 'something serious'.
I don't have super cool space ships, or scary monsters, or mystic dragons, or odd historical settings or super sleuths or elicit body parts or sweeping love stories, or, or, or.. any of those fantasticly inventive super imaginative things!
Interesting. I get none of this. People are simply impressed that I wrote a book, and even more so that it's actually getting published.
I don't have super cool space ships, or scary monsters, or mystic dragons, or odd historical settings or super sleuths or elicit body parts or sweeping love stories, or, or, or.. any of those fantasticly inventive super imaginative things!
Nope, all I got is this human thing
As I read through the answers on the first page, this is pretty much what I was thinking, too. I've also been an environmental educator. You want to talk about a job that gets the 'You get paid for this?' question (and the 'when are you going to get a real job?'), try running around the woods and playing on beaches and in ponds with kids all day.I think all genres [including literary] have a stigma attached to them.