Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Other Genres Elisabeth Rose

The thing I enjoy most about writing romances is the psychology of the relationships between characters. Not just the main couple but the secondaries as well. I like the push pull element and the way, as I write, new angles I’ve never thought of arise from the way someone reacts to a situation. I’m sure this is so in all genres by the way, but this is what I like to explore in the character driven romances I write for Avalon.

It’s obvious from this comment that I’m not a plotter. I start with a situation and go into the fog from there feeling my way and delighting myself when I stumble across a clear sunny patch to show the way for the next stretch.

On the other hand I have a couple of non romances on the go. I write them in between my romances for Avalon. One is a thriller which started out with just the germ of an idea. I had no idea where it would lead but with a lot of ‘What if’s?’ it’s slowly taking shape. This is a longterm project—very longterm LOL. I’ve had to do a bit of plotting with this one, certainly establish a time line for what I’ve written so far because I have several points of view and it’s so easy to lose track of who knows what when. It’s international too, LA to Sydney with a Chinese gangland component and corrupt politicians. I keep getting out of my depth and having to stop for research.

My other non romance is a mystery featuring a retired Sydney detective whose neighbour is involved in a home invasion. I’ve brainstormed this one with my husband on our regular walks round the suburb. Last weekend I’d written to a halt in my typical ‘into the mist’ fashion but relating the story to him gave me an overview and suddenly I knew what was going to happen. I decided on murdering a character I wasn’t sure about and I knew who and why, and I also knew why the police investigation would go in the wrong direction leaving my old bloke to sort it all out.

Writing in a different genre is great fun. I know some of our Avalon authors already do and there are many other highly successful writers who work in different genres under different names.

I’d love to hear about any favourites you may have.

5 comments:

Sandra Leesmith said...

Hi Elisabeth, I'm with you. I like to write in other genres so I don't get bored. Or redundant.

You're braver than I to tackle mystery.

I write children's books. They really help you to pick your words.

I think its interesting that when authors do write in other genres, they use different pen names. This is a marketing trick so as not to disappoint their fan base.

What do you think about that?

Kathye Quick said...

Hi Elisabeth-

I have only begun to write in another genre, and that's with a writing partner which we write under a pen name. I also have a non-ficiton piece I've benn batting around for a whole lot of years.

I wish I could write more than I do so I could explore other avenues. Right now romance and work are all I can handle.

Good luck with branching out!

Sandy Cody said...

Nice post, Lis, very thought provoking. My short stories are all over the place as far as genre, but so far my full-length works have all been mysteries.

I like the sound of your mystery. I hope to have a chance to read it some day.

Elisabeth Rose said...

Sandra--I don't think it's a marketing trick so much as good sense. Writers who write completely different work would have to use a different name. Imagine if an Avalon romance author branched out into dark urban fantasy or erotica. (I won't ever be doing that btw LOL) Our reader's faces would be white with shock. Or the other way round.

Sandy--I'd forgotten about short stories. I've had a few successes with non romance ones in contests. Both were published as a result which was nice.

Thanks for the comments

Carol Hutchens said...

Hi Lis,
Loved reading about your adventures in other genres. I hope you finish that mystery. I'd love to read it soon...
I agree with you, changing gears adds inspiration...
Nothing like a good murder to get the creative juices flowing.