You guys are going to kill me!

Oh man. Yeah, I'm a genre hopper. I probably won't lurk my way over to sci-fi, but my ideas are pretty eclectic. I read a lot of horror/suspense growing up, which back then covered just about anything. Paranormal, vampires, etc., etc. My current book probably really isn't suspense, though. It's one of those strange things that doesn't fit easily into any category--basically a comic book in novel form.

My next story is a sequel, but the one after that is probably going to be suspense or horror, but with strong fantasy elements. I've got another idea for what is essentially a historical fantasy about ninjas. Most of mine fit the suspense category pretty well, but not nearly all of them.

I don't really tend to consider genre when I pick something to write, though. I'm more someone who writes it then figures out what to call it.

Definitely.

My next book is going to be historical. Okay a historical thriller set in 16th century/Reformation Scotland.

Exile, take this for the gift it is. So many people struggle for ideas. And it does seem like in prolific writers the idea for the next book comes near the end of the one you're writing. Our brains do not like the rest and relaxation.

As for your question, the closest I came to genre-hopping was hopping over to mystery from thriller... and, uh... I'm a thriller-writer at heart. I truly admire people like gothic and Spring who delve into historical. It's fascinating, but I couldn't do it. And kaitie with the superheroes... I couldn't make that stuff up! You guys floor me.

Go with it, Exile. Just remember that when you get an agent you'll be expected to stick with a genre, for a while at least.

I only have thriller ideas for one set of characters, and even that is speculative. Every single other idea is paranormal. I tried hard to stick some zombies or magic in my WIP, but my MC won't allow it. I've tried to think of other thrillers, but no. This set of characters is for speculative thrillers. Everyone else stands in line for another genre. Since I'll be querying the thriller soon, my next WIP will be a sequel. That way, when every agent in the world comes clamoring to my door roll, I'll have more than a bait and switch to offer.

heyjude said:

Exile, take this for the gift it is. So many people struggle for ideas. And it does seem like in prolific writers the idea for the next book comes near the end of the one you're writing. Our brains do not like the rest and relaxation.

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QFT.

Well, I don't know if it counts, but I'm going from Crime suspense, (at least I think it's suspense, though it does have the elements of a thriller and a mystery), to straight murder mystery. And from the BIG APPLE to small town Texas.

And I'm with HJ, take it for the gift it is.

Exile87 said:

Anywho, as some of you might know, I'm working on a thriller trilogy. Just one book to go! However, I'm already fascinated with starting a completely different project when done with the trilogy. And it's not a thriller at all! It's sci-fi! *gasp*

And even worse, once that's done I have this existing fantasy trilogy I want to rewrite! Um...why am I genre-hopping?!

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heyjude said:

Go with it, Exile. Just remember that when you get an agent you'll be expected to stick with a genre, for a while at least.

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Heh. This is what pen names are for! Write what strikes your fancy. If one pen name is committed to thrillers, write the sci-fi project and publish it with another name. It's all good. Awesome that the ideas are flowing for you; keep at it!

Ineti said:

Heh. This is what pen names are for! Write what strikes your fancy. If one pen name is committed to thrillers, write the sci-fi project and publish it with another name.

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True, as long as you can keep up your commitments to your publisher for the original contract.

When I write commissioned or committed stories, I take my brief seriously and try to make the most of it: no nudging boundaries or colouring over the lines.

But when I'm writing for my own interest, genre is irrelevant -- only ideas and quality of story matter. I'll also avoid using genre tropes unless they add something irreplaceable to the story. I might decide that my story is best told as a mystery, but I won't make it a murder mystery unless I can see a good reason for a character to be killed. For example, I've long been interested in how tribal and urban mind-sets come into conflict. I have a story in which an urban brother tracks down his tribal half-sister separated in their childhood, and tries to reconcile with her. There's mystery and intrigue there (she's up to all manner of political and criminal shenanigans that shock his "civilised" mind, and he has views that appall her "tribal" mind), but I think it would detract to make a murder the focus of the story.

So, my suggestion: don't pick the genre first unless you have to, or you're experimenting with genre. Pick the story instead.

My WIP novel is a thriller set today without any scifi or fantasy elements, my previous script was epic/historical, and my new script is a thriller with futuristic elements (think Inception). So yes, I hop around, but most of my writings still are thriller-based.
I'd love to write a novel set in some ancient times (the Pharaohs' Egypt, the Roman Empire) but I'm afraid the research would kill me before I got the story off the ground.

Currently I'm writing a horror novel, a historic erotica/romance novella, a paranormal romance/erotica novella, and an alternate history novel. When I have trouble with the one I'm currently writing I focus on another one (it works for me).
After I have one or more of these completed I'll begin writing either a YA paranormal novel, MM inter-racial romance novella, a zombie apocalypse novel or maybe even childrens picture book.

If it works for you there is no reason you shouldn't genre hop. As Ineti said pen names are useful.

You guys are going to kill me!
OK, not really!

Are you absolutely, 100%, sure of that statement? Hmmmm?You are speaking to mystery/thriller/suspense/horror writers you know, right?

<*whistling innocently while standing in the shadows fingering the edge of a box knife*>

Honestly, crossover from MTS to horror and/or SF happens all the time. Just ask Dean Koontz, Jon Land, and a dozen or three others.

I have ideas that do not hop across genres, they motorcycle jump over them. Ask HeyJude about her emails with "FOCUS!!!" as the subject line. They tend to come often. And she's right... in a way at least. I just need to write the idea down, forget about it while I'm working on whatever I'm on, then come back to it. I tend to focus on whatever idea comes to my head for a short time, then come back to other things.

ToddWBush said:

I have ideas that do not hop across genres, they motorcycle jump over them. Ask HeyJude about her emails with "FOCUS!!!" as the subject line. They tend to come often. And she's right... in a way at least. I just need to write the idea down, forget about it while I'm working on whatever I'm on, then come back to it. I tend to focus on whatever idea comes to my head for a short time, then come back to other things.

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Ha. I forgot to tell you this yesterday but I was thinking about you--I keep having ideas for the next book and I'm only 20K into this one! Now you can kick me and say FOCUS!!!!