Musings About Genres-Part 1

I have been studying my craft by reading within what I think is my genre, HISTORICAL WESTERN ROMANCE. The novel I'm working on is HISTORICAL. It is set in the WEST (okay, what was the West in the 1870s--Abilene, Kansas, plus part of it is in Indiana). And, it is a ROMANCE. But, I am not sure it fits in the HISTORICAL WESTERN ROMANCE genre.

It is important for an author to categorize his or her work correctly. People have certain expectations about their genres of choice. I recently learned of an author who was slammed on a bunch of reader reviews because her novel was billed as "inspirational." Several readers, I believe, interpreted that to mean it was a "Christian" novel. They indicated in some of the negative reviews that they gave the book low marks because they did not feel the book fit in the Christian genre. I don't think it fit in that genre either. However, it was a good novel with some interesting plot and character development. The lesson I learned from seeing that happen was this:

Be careful how I bill my novel because book reviewers can be vicious with their feedback if they think I have listed my book in the wrong genre.

I know that there are really only about 24 different basic plots. I think I have a list of them somewhere. No matter in what genre we writers write--contemporary romance, action-adventure, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, etc.--our stories will fit in one of those plot selections. What makes each story different and worth reading are the details. Oh, yes, the skill of the author plays a big role, too.

My novel is definitely not a mail order bride romance. I've read several of those lately. They are starting to run together in my head. The names and places are changed, but, with only a few exceptions, the plots are getting a tad too cookie cutter for me. Time for me to read something different.

Other examples of that genre I've read lately have pretty simple plots and are like pulling petals off of a daisy: Does he love me? Does he not? Does he love me? You get the point. I don't like it when that seems to be the beginning and end of the plot "conflict." 

Some of these novels read like they've been dashed off on the computer pretty quickly. I know about the "write your novel in 30 days" principle, but that is not me. Besides all the editing I do as I go, it takes me days, sometimes weeks, to do my research, set up my timelines or calendars and write up my character descriptions before I really get into writing my story. Thank goodness, I don't have much of a problem with writer's block.

Yes, my little contemporary Christmas feel-good novel I recently finished is only about 51,000 words. But, I get nervous when I consider reading a genre novel with stats that show well under 200 pages or 55,000 words. Some of the historical Western romance genre books I have been reading are not very long. That tells me the plot must be pretty simple if the story can be told in that few words. On the other hand, I'm worried my novel is going to be well over 85,000 words and maybe pushing 100,000 words. So, does my novel "fit" in this genre?


I've read some comments by historical writers to the effect that they don't like the history to get in the way of their story. I think on the other end of the scale. The main reason I like to read historical novels is to get a feel for the history, attitudes and the conditions in which the people of that place, time and society lived. To my way of thinking, if an author is not going to do the research and try to as accurately as possible bring in the history and social customs and conditions of a time and place, why not write that same story in a contemporary setting?

Maybe part of my problem is that I like to be educated as well as entertained when I read historical novels. I think a historical novel, especially, needs a little more setting development to give it substance for readers who may not be history experts. Maybe I'm over thinking things for this genre.

Okay, most blog readers, including myself, tend to have short attention spans and/or time restrictions. I will continue my musings in a future post.

See Post on the Kansas and Indiana Connection

If you are following the development of my historical western romance novel, Abilene Gamble, you might enjoy my latest post under "Trails and Rails", above, or click on the link:
http://trailsrails.blogspot.com/2014/05/serendipity-indiana-and-kansas.html

Please feel free to sign up to follow my blogs by RSS feed or email by clicking on the links to the right of my blog posts.

How I Manage My Kindle

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Someone recently asked me how I delete books off of my Kindle. I have one of the basic readers and currently have almost 800 books ON my Kindle. I have no idea how many I have already taken OFF my Kindle. I only know I don't want it to get so full that I use up all the memory.

Keep in mind this is a quickly thrown together tutorial and the photos are quick snaps, not the best quality. Also, I should have numbered my arrows more efficiently. But, I didn't, so here goes.....

I'm going to delete my own novel, Aurora Rescue, off my Kindle since I've read it and know how to find it again if I need to. I bring up the main menu and, using the down arrow, highlight the name of the book (Image 1, #1). I then click on the right arrow (Image 1, #2).

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This brings me to a menu with several options. The top option (Image 2, #1) allows me to organize my books in categories which I set up. (That is another whole tutorial.) I use the down arrow (Image 2, #2) to make other selections. One of my favorites is the "Book Description," so I can go back to the Amazon site and review what the book is about. For me, this is a must since I often have slept between the time I buy a book and I read it.

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Once I arrow down (Image 3, #1, I press the center of the selection button (Image 3, #2) and--Whalla! The book is deleted off of my Kindle. It is still in my Kindle Cloud should I ever want to find it again. (I sometimes like to check the cloud for all books written by the same author, whether or not the book is still on my Kindle.)

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Other functions I use a lot are accessed by the little button to the right of the selection button (Image 4, #3) I press this when in the main book menu mode to get to "Settings" (Image 4, #4) where I like to keep the Kindle on Airplane Mode while I am not downloading books or checking the book description. Saves on the battery life.

Also, when I am in the book itself, I like to use that button (Image 5, #5) to, among other things, adjust the size of the font. And, if ever I am roaming around my Kindle and want to go back to previous pages or previous screens, I use the little "Back" button on the far left (Image 5, #6)

My Nook is the device I have that has everything in color and lets me access the internet, do emails and the like. It also has a method for either removing books from the front page or off the device completely It also has its own cloud so nothing I have purchased is completely lost.

Why Prologue Might Be Better Than Back Story

Click on the Trails and Rails tab above to read my post about why I decided to use a scene originally planned as back story and changed it to a prologue instead. It is in there towards the end, I promise. Meanwhile, while you are reading with anticipation that the answer will really be there, enjoy learning a little bit more about the explosion of the steamboat S.S. Sultana and Alabama's Civil War Cahaba prison camp.

Started Abilene Gamble

Please read my post under the "Trails and Rails" tab above to learn more about a new historical western romance novel I am writing.

New Aurora Series Offer

Please check out the Aurora Rescue tab above to find the details for a Kindle Countdown offer on the second book in the series, Aurora Redress. If you have not already purchased this book for your Kindle, please take advantage of these special prices while they last.

Sorry, Nook readers, this volume will not be published for Nook until after May 27, 2014. I will offer the ebook at a good price for you at that time.

The Beast

Just finished Chapter 12 of The Fourteenth Quilt. It is titled "The Beast."

"The Beast" is the biggest chapter in this book so far, weighing in at 5,130 words. I've done my best to make all those words entertain, educate and amuse. Any quilter who has worked on a project where everything seemed to go wrong should appreciate it.

Up to 34,877 words, this novella is about two-thirds finished--I think.