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What I Like/Don't Like (to write)



Different people have different tastes. That’s what makes us all unique. If all writers wrote the same type of story, literature would become quite boring. So I am going to discuss some of the things I like to write and some of the things I don’t like to write. By the way, this may or may not have anything to do with the things I like to read, or the things I like to watch on TV or movies. There is obviously some overlap, but it is not complete.

More than any other genre, I like to write science fiction. I grew up on science fiction. I watched all the Scifi TV shows as a kid, and some of the earliest adult books I ever read were science fiction. There are a lot of sub-genres to science fiction: dystopian, space opera, post-apocalyptic, hard science fiction, sociological etc. (and for the moment we will set fantasy off as a separate genre from science fiction, though they are related).

I have written some space opera, in fact my novel, Star liner, is of that genre. I have also written short stories of that type. Space opera is fun if not always the deepest form of fiction. Some of the sub-genres that I have played around with have gray boundaries between them. I wrote a novel-sized work that could be called dystopian but could also be called sociological science fiction. I also wrote one quasi fantasy. I have also written straight fiction. Straight fiction means it doesn’t fit in a genre. I did write a horror story, though I suspect that is something that I am not particularly good at. It didn’t seem all that scary to me, and if a horror story is not scary, it’s not much of a horror story. One time I tried to write an erotic scene, and quickly learned that this is not something I can do. I don’t have a problem with erotic scenes in books, but they are not going to be coming from me. I like reading hard science fiction, but again it is not something that I am probably ever going to write (though I don’t want to completely close the door on it.)

I usually don’t write post-apocalyptic stories, but I am currently working on a short story in that realm. The particular cataclysm that brought about the collapse of civilization in this story is not explained because it is not important to the story. Some people might cry foul to that but in my opinion, you shouldn’t clutter your story with explanations that are not important to the plot.

I dabbled with the mystery genre in my novel Star Liner, which was fun, but it is not a true mystery. True mysteries have a tight framework and require much planning. Figuring out 'who done it' is the whole reason for the story. Anyone who is reading Star Liner and paying attention ought to be able to figure out what is going on fairly early. The mystery is not the point of the story.

In short, I write whatever strikes my fancy. An idea pops into my head and I go with it . . . or decide not to. Often I write just for fun, just for me. This is as it should be for writers who are not trying to make a living with their writing. If you are trying to make a living with your writing, you have a whole different set of priorities. But even so, I think you need to please yourself first.

(My novel Star Liner, is now available as an ebook through Copypastapublishing.com, Amazon, or the other usual online sources. For those who like to turn physical pages, the paperback will be out soon).
Link to Star Liner

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