I'm sure this post has been done many times before.
As an adult, I seriously got into fiction writing at the same time as I discovered fantasy fiction. So for 20 (?) years, I've been attempting to be an SFF writer in one way or another. It's sort of part of my identity.
I've had quite a few short stories published, but only in token or semi-pro markets. I've completed a few novels, some very bad, a couple of middling ones. An urban fantasy got some agent attention, but ultimately went nowhere. In late 2019 I finally finished an epic fantasy that took me years to write and started sending it out - silence. Trying to look at it with objective eyes, I wonder if perhaps it's a bit dated, if I'm writing it as the fantasy reader/writer I was ten years ago.
It struck me, what if focusing on fantasy was just a habit? You're supposed to write what you love - but the problem is I love everything! I read more science fiction than fantasy (but don't know any science), and also thrillers, crime, romance, commercial fiction, etc. What if another genre is more suited to my voice?
This year, I completed a contemporary fic/rom-com novel and I'm sending it out now. It's had a couple of full requests but I actually wrote the beginning a long time ago and once again I'm wondering if taking too long on a project always risks in it being dated!
The thing is, I have no idea what to write next! I don't think self-publishing is what I'm good at, so I'm still seeking traditional publishing.
I'm in the UK, and I am stuck between writing:
1) fantasy fiction, but something edgier/with more voice than what I've done before. No ideas so far. Something about revenge maybe.
2) a cozy mystery series, which I think would be a hard sell in a UK market, but lots of fun, I have an idea for a concept but it's not hugely original
3) I have an idea for a psychological thriller. I read the genre (and fly through the books), but not sure I 'love' it. I'm not passionate about any one author
4) Another commercial/romance idea, I have a couple in the very early stages
5) Attempt to come up with an SF plot but would have to be 'soft' science really
I can't ask you to choose because none of those are actual ideas, but I just don't know what to do. Do you only focus on a single genre (yes, is the advice I usually read)? But what if it's not your forte? Argh! How do you 'know'?!
As an adult, I seriously got into fiction writing at the same time as I discovered fantasy fiction. So for 20 (?) years, I've been attempting to be an SFF writer in one way or another. It's sort of part of my identity.
I've had quite a few short stories published, but only in token or semi-pro markets. I've completed a few novels, some very bad, a couple of middling ones. An urban fantasy got some agent attention, but ultimately went nowhere. In late 2019 I finally finished an epic fantasy that took me years to write and started sending it out - silence. Trying to look at it with objective eyes, I wonder if perhaps it's a bit dated, if I'm writing it as the fantasy reader/writer I was ten years ago.
It struck me, what if focusing on fantasy was just a habit? You're supposed to write what you love - but the problem is I love everything! I read more science fiction than fantasy (but don't know any science), and also thrillers, crime, romance, commercial fiction, etc. What if another genre is more suited to my voice?
This year, I completed a contemporary fic/rom-com novel and I'm sending it out now. It's had a couple of full requests but I actually wrote the beginning a long time ago and once again I'm wondering if taking too long on a project always risks in it being dated!
The thing is, I have no idea what to write next! I don't think self-publishing is what I'm good at, so I'm still seeking traditional publishing.
I'm in the UK, and I am stuck between writing:
1) fantasy fiction, but something edgier/with more voice than what I've done before. No ideas so far. Something about revenge maybe.
2) a cozy mystery series, which I think would be a hard sell in a UK market, but lots of fun, I have an idea for a concept but it's not hugely original
3) I have an idea for a psychological thriller. I read the genre (and fly through the books), but not sure I 'love' it. I'm not passionate about any one author
4) Another commercial/romance idea, I have a couple in the very early stages
5) Attempt to come up with an SF plot but would have to be 'soft' science really
I can't ask you to choose because none of those are actual ideas, but I just don't know what to do. Do you only focus on a single genre (yes, is the advice I usually read)? But what if it's not your forte? Argh! How do you 'know'?!