Every writer in this world has a favourite genre or more. Like me. I very much enjoy writing
self-help books as I enjoy writing memoirs and romance.
But, as you know, agents always recommend authors to stick
with one genre only because the more you write in that genre, the better you
become, which makes a lot of sense.
But I am still in the beginners’ category, so I oscillate
between many genres depending on my mood.
I often said that I have so many stories in my mind, that I don’t
think the rest of my life will be enough to put them in writing.
I started too late and
I have to make a living, so I am nowhere close to focus on the stories that
torment me night and day.
Anyway, many authors lament about periods of writing blocks.
Some confess to being guilty
of procrastination.
I have never experienced any of these, and I wrote about it many times.
I have too many projects; if
I can’t write a story, I move to another one, I blog, study or research.
That's my way of being productive even if I can't write.
However, sometimes I really
want to finish a book, before moving to the next.
But my mind refuses to focus on it, so I made a few experiments.
A friend of mine is writing a memoir set up in foreign
countries and different periods of time. I was talking to her the other day, and she said that she started the book a few years
back and as the events happened more than 15 years ago. She told me that it’s difficult
to put in words what she felt at that time.
That made me reflect a lot on the mood I have when I write.
Of course it’s
difficult. It’s been a long time, and humans change a lot over the years.
I realised one huge thing:
If the events made you happy, it’s
hard to explain them after a few years, but if they made you sad and marked
your entire existence, then it’s easy.
From a point of view,
of course. It’s never easy to write a sad story, let’s make this clear.
However, I understood why is easier for me to transmit the
same exact emotions that I felt when the events happened.
Because my past was very turbulent and the traumas too great to cope with, I repressed these sad memories. So I never lived them at their magnitude. Except for the times when they happened.
When I sit down to put them on paper, I have to dive deep into my darkness. It hurts as it hurt back then, and that makes it easier to transfer the same emotions in my writing.
But to write an imaginary story, it’s more challenging as you can’t
have memories of something that doesn’t exist. Unless, of course, you had nightmares
and visions.
Which is quite helpful really, isn’t it?
If you read my romance book: Half my Age Plus Seven, you may
be aware of the fact that it was supposed to be a trilogy.
Due to unforeseen occurrences,
I had to stop to the second book – Too Good To BeTrue?.
The third was never written. I had the idea in mind, but it wasn’t
very definite.
The other day I was listening to some classical music when the Second Waltz started to play.
My heart suddenly filled with unbearable sensitivity. It was
physically painful.
I was instantly transported
in the middle of the third book I postponed thinking at for a long time.
That reminded of what my
brother said: “People like watching movies (or reading stories) they can relate
to.”
That’s exactly what happened.
I love waltzes. I believe it’s impossible not to fell in
love when you listen to any waltz, but especially to the Second Waltz, one of
my absolute favourites – if not the most favourite.
Second Waltz played a bog role in my second book – Too
Good To Be True ? – so I related to it immediately.
I sat down and wrote a few chapters in one go.
I am thinking that to write a sensible and sensitive romance book, you need to listen to classical music. Either you like it or not. It will put you in the right mood to write something worth reading.
Sit down and imagine your protagonists playing or dancing on that music. Maybe with the person they love. And what about a jealous pretender? Or an ex-partner?
You try it and let me know.
Of course, if your romance is around sex and immorality, maybe listening to
waltzes won’t give you any inspiration.
In that case, go with porn videos.
- If you are writing a thriller, listen to suspanse music. Choose a composer you prefer. Tango could work too.
- If you are writing an angry book, listen to heavy metal.
- If you are writing a book about a specific country, listen to their music (folk). And so on.
Happy writing!
Don’t forget to share the love by reading books. And if you
like them, why not review them o Amazon or Goodreads?
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