This month we’re talking specifics: all the ways in which we can make life different as writers. We talked last week about the things we writers know that non-writers don’t.
Now let’s talk about ways to add layering to genre in order to snap your story right into focus for the reader:
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If you’re writing a love story
. . .bring in a really hot third party.
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If you’re writing a thriller
. . .break your protagonist’s tools.
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If you’re writing sci fi
. . .create unexpected social norms.
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If you’re writing fantasy
. . .make both reality and fantasy too hard to cope with.
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If you’re writing historical fiction
. . .use facts that no one from our era would know.
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>If you’re writing a mystery
. . .kill off your informants.
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If you’re writing horror
. . .use prosaic details.
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If you’re writing adventure
. . .put your protagonist’s life in danger, plus everyone else’s.
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If you’re writing comedy
. . .add a touch of poignancy.
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If you’re writing Young Adult
. . .give your protagonist a slapstick sense of humor.
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If you’re writing Middle Grade
. . .add random non sequiturs to the dialog.
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If you’re writing a picture book
. . .focus on one signficant, telling detail at a time.
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And if you’re writing literary fiction
. . .make sure your editor is the very best.