Genre vs Literary

[mmerriam]

This has come around on the guitar again. I'd dip my toes into the whole "Genre vs Literary" slapfight, except I'm, you know, too busy writing.

Read what you want to read. Read what you enjoy. Don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't enjoy a book because it's not whatever they think it should be.

Write what you want to write. Write the story you have to tell in the best way you know how. Don't let anyone stop you from writing your story because of what they think it should be.

It doesn't matter if you want to write Mysteries, Fantasy, Mainstream, or Modernist Literary Fiction.

Write the best thing you have inside of you. Present it in the best way you know how.

The rest will take care of itself. The rest doesn't really matter all that much.

Write. That's all. Just write.

Back to work.

Comments

[jongibbs.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but that's far too sensible.

How can I start a flame war with you if you keep coming up with logical, common-sense posts like this?

Sigh, I guess there's nothing for it but to go over to Marshall Payne's journal and try to upset him instead.

Dang it :(

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Sorry, dude. I know it's tough when I'm all reasonable and everything.

[jongibbs.livejournal.com]

But we're writers. I thought we were supposed to be all about conflict.

Ah, well ;)

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

To me, it's all a matter of marketing. People, especially marketers, need to label things.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I think some of it is marketing, and some of it is caused by literary critics, and some of it caused by academicians in college writing programs, and some (possible a lot) of it caused by writers themselves, and all of it is tied up in our silly desire to force a false order on things and to find a way to create fake importance about ourselves at the expense of others and/or something we don't like or don't understand and all of it is simply BS.

[chronicpaint.livejournal.com]

Amen!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Another slapfight? I'm getting off-line!

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I'm not letting the slapfighters run me off-line again. I'll just stop reading their journals and going to their sites.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

smart man!

[kmarkhoover.livejournal.com]

Well said.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[shay-writes.livejournal.com]

*applauds*

Very well said. I tend to tip my toes in both realms whether I'm reading or writing. :)

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Some here, and I think this stupid division--this silly need to segregate genre and literary fiction--is a complete crock of BS.

[moiread]

Oh, people.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I *know!*

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I always seem to miss the fights. Guess I frequent the wrong sites. ;)

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I'd say this is a good thing.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

*lol*

I rather think it is, too. :P