© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 4:34 A.M.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because anyone can stand behind being grateful for what we have, most of all for life itself. Unpredictable as it can be, that's what excites me. Thank you for your friendship along the way, and all the best to you on the occasion.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Pin the Genre on the Story
© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 4:00 A.M.
Writers of literary fiction have long clashed with writers of genre fiction. Literary writers want genre writers' popularity; genre writers want literary writers' respect. As I see it, "literary" is itself a genre. Genre labels came up in Short Mystery Fiction Society discussion with the recent release of The Anthology of Cozy Noir, whose publisher is an SMFS member.
Cozy and noir, if strictly defined, appear quite different: Cozies typically have polite settings and little if any onstage violence; noir typically presents hopeless settings and the characters they shape. One wouldn't think noir could be cozy or cozy could be noir, but stopping there leaves no room for creativity. And don't we read fiction to see writers' creativity in action?
Genre labels frustrate writers because they seldom pinpoint a story the way noun, verb, adjective, etc. denote parts of speech. Writers and readers, in their enthusiasm, are quick to assert that a story is more what any particular genre label brings to mind, that it "transcends the genre".
Yet genres exist because they are the simplest way for reference and sales people to organize their stock. Giving stories the rare label "cozy noir" invites readers to think of them in a new light.
There will always be argument over stylistic labels because they are open to interpretation. Even if it were possible, I doubt many writers would like being exactly pinned down.
Writers of literary fiction have long clashed with writers of genre fiction. Literary writers want genre writers' popularity; genre writers want literary writers' respect. As I see it, "literary" is itself a genre. Genre labels came up in Short Mystery Fiction Society discussion with the recent release of The Anthology of Cozy Noir, whose publisher is an SMFS member.
Cozy and noir, if strictly defined, appear quite different: Cozies typically have polite settings and little if any onstage violence; noir typically presents hopeless settings and the characters they shape. One wouldn't think noir could be cozy or cozy could be noir, but stopping there leaves no room for creativity. And don't we read fiction to see writers' creativity in action?
Genre labels frustrate writers because they seldom pinpoint a story the way noun, verb, adjective, etc. denote parts of speech. Writers and readers, in their enthusiasm, are quick to assert that a story is more what any particular genre label brings to mind, that it "transcends the genre".
Yet genres exist because they are the simplest way for reference and sales people to organize their stock. Giving stories the rare label "cozy noir" invites readers to think of them in a new light.
There will always be argument over stylistic labels because they are open to interpretation. Even if it were possible, I doubt many writers would like being exactly pinned down.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Why Write and (Try to) Sell Short Stories?
© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 6:28 A.M.
As it has seemingly become easier for writers to sell their work directly to the public, a frequent topic of Short Mystery Fiction Society discussion is, "How can writers make more sales?"
Several writers and publishers chimed in with soberingly-low sales figures. I replied, citing Lawrence Block's observation from his writing manuals that novelists need one premise per book while short story writers need as many ideas as they have stories. I write short stories and poetry because my mind is suited to many ideas and many ways of expressing them. I'd prefer to sell them all in print for as much money as possible, but I'm not against electronic form.
Ultimately I sell stories electronically as well as in print because I see no reason not to do so. I do question novelists who sell their books in electronic form for low prices as I think this devalues fiction-for-sale as a whole. I can see the short-term gain for popular authors, but in the long run, it seems to be hurting the market.
There will always be readers who dismiss short stories as inferior to novels. In their eyes, 99-cent stories or collections can't compete with 99-cent novels. I can't say I write for readers in that sense. I write to see how well I can present in words the images and worlds in my mind, and I try to reach just one person who can see them as I do.
As it has seemingly become easier for writers to sell their work directly to the public, a frequent topic of Short Mystery Fiction Society discussion is, "How can writers make more sales?"
Several writers and publishers chimed in with soberingly-low sales figures. I replied, citing Lawrence Block's observation from his writing manuals that novelists need one premise per book while short story writers need as many ideas as they have stories. I write short stories and poetry because my mind is suited to many ideas and many ways of expressing them. I'd prefer to sell them all in print for as much money as possible, but I'm not against electronic form.
Ultimately I sell stories electronically as well as in print because I see no reason not to do so. I do question novelists who sell their books in electronic form for low prices as I think this devalues fiction-for-sale as a whole. I can see the short-term gain for popular authors, but in the long run, it seems to be hurting the market.
There will always be readers who dismiss short stories as inferior to novels. In their eyes, 99-cent stories or collections can't compete with 99-cent novels. I can't say I write for readers in that sense. I write to see how well I can present in words the images and worlds in my mind, and I try to reach just one person who can see them as I do.
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