Hi all! Breaking my silence and hiatus to offer y'all a guest post from Emily Mundell. We agreed to do a collab/post exchange in the summer before I went on break, so that's why the sudden appearance here lol Enjoy <33 (also excuse the fact that the formatting is a bit wonky? happens when you copy text from another doc, bother it XD)
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Hello everyone! I'm on Lisa's blog today (while she is over at mine) to talk about DIFFERENT STORIES, as in, writing darker fiction vs. writing lighter fiction. And yes, I have *some* authority in this because I have written and published two books that are each on complete opposite ends of the spectrum (cue the shameless self-promo of Faithless and The Sorceress and the Squid).
So is there something that makes one better than the other? Or are certain people better off writing about certain things? Not at all! I'm here today to make the case for experimenting on both dramatically different sides, and why YOU in particular, should try it.
#1. BENEFIT TO YOUR WRITING ABILITIES.
One of the main reasons to write stories of different tones is how it grows and challenges you as a writer. Maybe you've stuck to cleaner, more wholesome stories which are mostly light-hearted and a little whimsical. Where your character may be trying to save the world but not without cracking a few jokes and never forsaking their moral code. Or, alternatively, you're like me and took aim for "serious fiction" where no one ever smiles and there's always blood on the carpet and possibly a few bad words exchanged at the climax.
The ability to write BOTH of these types of stories well and sell them to your audience is actually way harder than you might think, especially if you've been focusing on one more than the other. For me, while TSatS was my first published book, it wasn't my first written story, and figuring out the tone, voice, and balance of magic and world-ending danger with one of my main characters being a squid was certainly interesting. It was my first time writing something so light-hearted and intentionally whimsical, as I had pursued "serious fiction" since I wrote my very first story at age 8. It was a challenge! With every bit of dialogue, every passing thought in my character's POV, every strain of the plotline I had to be conscious of the tone of the story and how that affected EVERYTHING.
Writing Faithless right after this became equally interesting as I delved deeper into the drama, angst, and horror of truly dark and distressed people, with that as my directional goal. How can I show the effects of this scenario as accurately as possible? It was a challenge because I was an older and better writer than I had been in years past when trying to write the angst before. The intentional ferocity of language and the inability to sugar-coat my character's thoughts, words, and actions left me in a totally different place than with TSatS.
All this to say, I have grown as a writer by dabbling in BOTH of these types of stories, and I guarantee that in challenging yourself this way, you will too!
#2. FIND WHAT YOU'RE TRULY PASSIONATE ABOUT.
Maybe you haven't tried writing outside your genre or theme, and you're hesitant because you like what you do now. That's all well and good, but what if I told you, in changing it up you might find your truest story love?
Before I wrote TSatS, I had never attempted a light, whimsical fairy-tale. EVER. I am personally all about the angst and I didn't even consider that middle-grade fantasy about wizards and squids could be SO ENJOYABLE to write. But you know what? It was honestly the most fun I've ever had writing a story, and it created in me this deep love for middle-grade fantasy, inspired more story ideas, and enriched my imagination. It actually opened up totally new territory for me, and even now, years later, still gives me such excitement to think about. Dare I say, I'm even more on board with the fluffy fairy-tale genre than the murder-in-the-street-corners genre?
#3. GROW AS A PERSON.
We all have a tendency to get stuck and rooted in things that are familiar. We often don't want to change or try new things because we're comfortable where we are. While there's nothing wrong with comfort, sometimes it's good to stretch our imaginations and ourselves. Even if you don't plan on becoming the next Douglas Adams, it never hurt to dabble in something a little more vanilla than your usual flavor. Likewise, if soft and sweet is all you know, try throwing a sharp edge into that story and see what your characters do with it. And keep in mind, darker and lighter stories can cross over! More often than not, the finest stories have a little bit of both, as that's what really reflects the world around us the best.
LET'S TALK.
What do you love about your story style/tone? What's holding you back from trying something new? What about in your reading, do you like to stick to one thing more than another? Let us know in the comments below! Also, be sure to check out Lisa’s post all about writing anti-heroes over on my blog! Thank you, Lisa, for hosting me today!
