Can a romance writer teach you how to write better mysteries? What about a writer of science fiction or paranormal? Or a historical fiction writer? If you’re a cozy writer, must you join a cozy critique group? Does your police procedural require working within your same interest?
I decided
to experiment with the question - what could I learn from a completely
different genre? I discovered a site called BBC Maestro which offers courses by
top talents in an array of interests - writing, design, cuisine, wellness, film
producing - the list goes on and on. Bestselling authors like Harlan Coban and
Ken Follett were among the writing instructors.
What was
my course choice? Drumroll….Writing about Love taught by the bestselling
romance author Jojo Moyes of Me Before You fame.
If you
know me personally, or if you’ve read my Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series, you
might guess I am a bit of a Miss Priss. Let me correct that. I am a priss.
Injecting romance is a challenge for me. Don’t even suggest I write a sexy
scene. I’m told by my adult children to loosen up but then I’d have to turn my
eyes as I input the words. The romance aspect of my protagonist in my series
moves very, very slowly. I am long on hints and short on specifics.
Jojo Moyes’ course was actually an easy choice for me because of her class outline. Here’s one of Jojo’s initial comments regarding love and relationships. “…There are big questions when it comes to writing about love. Questions like how do we get it? How do we keep it? And what happens to us when we lose it? When you write about love, you write about the human condition.”
Hmmm. Do I
think my amateur, recently widowed sleuth’s internal struggle to move on with
her life provides an emotional connection for many of my readers? You bet. Does
her personal style of relating to family and friends impact my storylines? Of
course. Love isn’t always romantic. It’s a thread that helps my overall series
ARC.
Would a romance author’s discussion of tone versus theme help me traverse through my own series with consistency? Could Jojo’s advice on plotting methods, finding voice, building characters, realistic dialogue, apply to my own?
I’m a
mystery lover through and through. Mysteries are always the selection I reach
for first. I’d like to suggest that exposing yourself to talented writers from
other genres could enhance your own writing.
When was
the last time you chose to step outside your genre ‘lane’? I’d love to hear
your experiences.
Judy -- I'm happy for you that you found love! My fiction reading is 60-75% crime reads with the rest primarily fantasy, dystopian, and YA. It's good to try new things and make sure you don't end up stuck in a rut.
ReplyDeleteJim, I don't know if I now know how to better express relationships but trying. My protagonist makes her detective sleep in his car instead of her inviting him inside. My kids said "Seriously, Mom!"
DeleteAnother writer I know recommended the Maestro series. I tend to read books in the relevant sub-genre and then incorporate elements in my short stories.
ReplyDeleteIt's good for us to push ourselves out of our comfort zone a bit. :)
DeleteI'm in a long-standing mixed-genre critique group. Three of us are foundation members; some others come & go. One of the original authors writes speculative fiction (an inter-galactic animal-control specialist whose spacecraft crashes in DC, permitting a shape-changing carnivore to escape,) another military legal fiction (protagonist is assigned to defend a soldier suspected of selling top-secret info,) and my crime fiction. We all enrich one another's work.
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a range! I admit, that speculative fiction is beyond me. Sometimes it's a struggle to help critique work that is such a different interest. Impressed you can.
DeleteI think any reading you do will enhance your mystery writing. I read a lot of mysteries, but also biographies, historical fiction, and non-fiction history. It's all good.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to fit it all into our day!
DeleteWonderful blog, Judy. I started life as a romance writer. Short stories, of course. I segued into mysteries for novels because I love puzzles. My current WIP is a mystery - with a romance subplot. It seemed to fit the story, and the protag.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kait. Your WIP sounds like a match for you and I think readers enjoy the blend. Who doesn't love a little romance?
DeleteThis is great advice, Judy. As a former bookseller, former children's librarian, and mom and granny always being handed the books her children and grandchildren just read, loved, and now want me to love, too, I read far and wide. That includes poetry.
ReplyDeleteMolly, I used to love reading poetry back in my Woodstock college days. Every so often I pull out my favorites like Robert Frust and e.e.cummings.
DeleteGreat post, Judy. I write books in four genres, so I certainly like to read books in various genres.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, I admire your breath of writing interests. You're someone to emulate.
DeleteI'm exactly the same, Judy. When I write about romance, I keep it PG. I've heard from my particular audience that that is how they like it. I couldn't write steamy romance; I'd spend all my time blushing. I can tell a dirty joke with the rest of them and enjoy innuendo--but not in my own books!
ReplyDeleteWith traditional mysteries, I agree that readers seem to like a PG romance. Maybe it's refreshing compared to so much 'shock' media coverage. There's a reason people still love Norman Rockwell's paintings.
ReplyDelete