The Creative Writer's Survival Guide: Advice from an Unrepentant Novelist

Thinking outside Your Genre

137 Thinking outside Your Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I’m a fiction writer first and foremost, but I’ve also edited six anthologies , written screenplays, contributed to the book review sections of newspapers (back when such things existed), done the occasional nonfiction piece when I’ve been asked to write one, interviewed fellow writers for magazines, and written the quasi-​ self-​ help book you’re reading right now. Some fiction writers write only fiction and nothing else. I admire that. But maybe you’re the sort of person who gets antsy working on just one project. Or maybe you’re looking for ways to make a few extra dollars. Diversify, I say. The reasons why I’ve taken on so many disparate projects are as varied as the projects themselves. Sometimes I’ll take on a project as a favor to a friend.Other times, I do it for the money. Some projects I do to beef up my credentials. There was a time, before I had a tenure-​ track teaching position, when I wouldn’t say no to a project, because every publication was another line on my c.v., another step in the direction of landing that elusive university gig—or so I thought. (In truth, a published book trumps all the other smaller publications.) I’ve always been a fan of Franz Kafka, and as someone who is frequently concocting (sometimes ridiculous) ideas for new nonfiction books simply to make a quick buck, I was absolutely thrilled to read in Max Brod’s biographyof Kafka that he did the same thing. As you’ll see from this passage, Kafka and Brod (Kafka’s longtime friend) were actually way ahead of their time: We hit upon the idea of creating a new type of guidebook. The series was to be called ‘On the Cheap.’ There were to be titles like ‘On the Cheap through Switzerland,’ ‘On the Cheap in Paris,’ etc. Franz was untiring and took a childish pleasure in compiling, down to the finest details, the principals of this type that was to make millionaires of us and above all take us out of the hideous routine of our office work. Sounds like the bestselling “Let’s Go!” series, doesn’t it? Kafka wasn’t just a visionary in the world of surrealist fiction; he was a visionary in the world of travel guides as well. As with most of his fiction, it’s too bad he didn’t see the project through to completion. 138 Getting Published If you’re lucky, you may find financial security and, possibly, a life of leisure thanks to another genre. Novelist Richard Russo’s screenwriting allowed him to quit teaching and focus on his fiction writing. Novelist James McManus’s interest in poker led him to writing the nonfiction book Positively Fifth Street, which became a monster of a bestseller. Poet Donald Hall made a pretty good living writing textbooks . Prolific writer Ray González, who publishes in many genres, sums it up best with this advice: A young writer needs to find ways to acknowledge what he or she does best. Becoming a better writer doesn’t simply involve revising weak points of craft. It also has to do with gaining confidence by identifying the strong points and the best aspects of the writing. These days, with the vast literary experiment of erasing genre boundaries in contemporary writing, it is essential for young writers to try to write in different forms. This includes poetry, fiction, and non-​ fiction. Practicing and working in each one helps the writer identify which genre will be the one to specialize in. Chances are the writer will be successful with more than one form. Of course, it takes practice and commitment. Learn to work on more than one project at a time. Mix things up and the best work will emerge through exploration, patience, and self-​ granted permission to write well. It’s entirely possible that you’ll move away from the genreyou’re currently working in to focus on another genre altogether, as happened to John Sayles when his screenwriting career usurped his fiction-​ writing career, or Jerry Stahl, who moved away from the short story form to write for TV. Worse things have been known to happen. ...