I know it’s true, I really do, but I just can’t do it.
I was just reading at Tess Gerritsen’s blog again. I love her blog. She’s made a great point about reader expectations after reading a post at fellow writer J. A. Konrath’s place about keeping your readers happy by giving them what they want… or rather, what they expect.
Now, I want to keep my readers happy. Really. How often can I write the same type of story though? Once… well, okay, maybe twice. I did have two similarly set stories published. You know what? It’s tempting to keep on writing about the same situations too. After all, I did a LOT of research to get myself into the world of those books. It would be nice and comfortable to stay in them.
Is that what readers want too? Nice and comfortable? After a while doesn’t that equate to nice and – boring? Yet Tess goes on to tell of the emails, and letters she received after each book that swayed a bit from the previous path.
Maybe that’s why category type romances do as well as they do. They’re tightly wound around the same types of plots, the same types of characters… only the names are changed. Okay, not really, but it’s darned close at times. That’s not to say I don’t like to read category romance. I do, and have. I can’t write them though. It takes a special ability I think to stay within such strict parameters in plot… I can’t. I’m wild. I’m free. I’m … well sometimes crazy, but I just can’t do the same thing over and over.
Why do readers expect their ‘favorite’ authors to write the same types of books over and over? If they like the style of writing, shouldn’t that be enough? If the plot is good does it matter if it isn’t ‘just like the last one’? If the last story was a mystery, does the second one have to be a mystery too? Or can it be a thriller, maybe a comedy… I’ve been known to switch gears quite consistently. See… I have my pattern—my category—I’m consistent in switching categories.
What do you think? Should a writer stick to what they’ve done in the past, especially if it’s been wildly successful? Or is it good to be bad and switch up the beat?
9 comments:
Let me ask...do you get tired of chocolate?
No, never... so you're saying a writer should stick to the 'forumla' that was a success?
Yes. Though not to the point of beating it to death, as some series do.
There's always pseudonyms for other methods.
Okay, okay, whoa nelly, let's back up a step. In a series it would certainly make sense to stick with the whole tone, and idea -- forumla if you will. But not talking series here, let's talk about a writer putting out several non-series books. Do they all need to be in the same tone, genre, etc. And more, even if they're in the same genre do they have to be the same sub-genres, and tones?
Oh, and on the pseudonym path--yeah, I have 4 now... and that gets a tad bit crazy too after a while. I agree with the pseudo for the wildly different for example my romances vs. erotica, and my spiritual thriller vs. homoerotica. But what if the differences aren't 'that' wild?
No, don't think they have to be in the same genre.
The question is though, what does the reader like most about the first ones?
Tone? Style? Plot?
To add, I think it's the writer's - not the genre's - "formula" that should be stuck with.
Have authors become politicians then?
Ha, like I have a chance to be PC. heehee
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