Mystery. I love a good mystery, but trying to write a compelling one... It's just hard for me to envision the full pathway. I will simply have to sit on the sidelines and appreciate the amazing talents of those authors who do it well. (Or practice more...but...bah!)
this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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The trick to (most of the) Mystery genre is that you have plan/write it out of order. Instead of starting and being with the main characters you start with the source of the mystery the main characters have to solve.
Because of this any writer who pants their story (and/or enjoys to also be surprised by the story they are writing) the construction of writing a mystery hugely clashes.
I feel like mystery is one of those genres where the author has to have a lot of trust on the readers. 🤔 So that it can have the kind of subtlety that carries through and makes for a more satisfying reveal. I also don't know how writers do this. It sounds like a lot of "show don't tell" which I am subpar at. :D
Oh, this one too. Even when I can think out all of the pieces, then you have to figure out what the people figuring out the mystery figure out/misconstrue/miss entirely? It's very difficult.
Depending on the characters involved as soon as I figured out the mystery I no longer have to plan the rest. I just write out their reactions and watch things burn.
The biggest one I struggle with is Romanticism. Despite loving and enjoying a lot of works where the entire structure is built upon it, my ability to let plot's narratives be controlled by character's emotions and letting them create situations that allow catharsis/resolutions to happen is just too unrealistic to me.
At least, in creation. For some reason reading other people's stories that do it I have no problem with.
Also not to state I don't have stories that do this. I just can't deliberately plan for it. Aaaa
(Huh, I never really knew what to call my style of writing but Romanticism sounds like the right word for it. So thanks for that! :D)
Have you tried not planning for it? I only ask because whenever I write my romantic stories, I don't really have a plan for it. I kinda just have a moment that inspires me and then I just... wing it XD. And then the challenge becomes learning to balance it out so it doesn't come across as too melodramatic.
(Oh! Glad it helped you!)
Yep. As long as I don't deliberately plan for it sometimes I get that kind of story. It's just very rare.
Romance. What is love?
It took me forever to figure out how to write romance. When I first started writing, I did zero of it. I was also uninterested in writing romance, so there's that. Now I'm not even sure how I do it. In part it feels a lot like being vague? Which doesn't help when I try to figure out which parts make a romance successful.
Might also be why I'm only interested in romance stories with people who already know each other though. I think it's easier to figure out a close relationship (friendship or enemies) to love than it is with strangers or some immediate attraction.
So valid.
~Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more ♪♫♪
Comedy. It is so hard to write. Most of the time, it's impossible for me. At least, it is very difficult for me to write it deliberately. Which is a problem when one of my ongoing stories is definitely comedy. I haven't updated it in a while, because it's been even harder as of late to make intentional comedy. I'm always happy when my story veers me into something humourous despite me not planning for it. Why is comedy so hard?
While considered one of the "lesser" genres in a lot of cultures, comedy is considered one of the hardest to write. So you are in good company in suffering!
Your comedic works are always a joy to read.
My subconscious must be funnier than my conscious! Do you struggle with it? It often seems like it's second nature to you. (Or I'm just biased toward your particular brand of comedy that it looks like this to me.)
I have never had to think hard about it. (and if you never said anything, I wouldn't of thought you had to either!) But I also just accept that what will make me laugh is not what many others will laugh at. But those "most others" wouldn't be interested in my works anyways- so win!
Oooh! Comedy is tough. It's like you have to resign yourself to some measure of chaos while also trying to manage the pacing of it. Figuring out the phrasing of humor is also tricky, as well as having to convey the right tone, without being to descriptive/on the nose.
Very this. Which is probably why I often surprise myself when I do write something funny. I often just go for upbeat/lighthearted and accidentally stumble into humour.
Plot-heavy, multi-chaptered stories. I used to be able to write it when I was younger (never finished tho 😅), but I find my brain nowadays is more primed for introspective shorts. I am in awe of writers who craft really solid epics, filled with drama, adventure, action, fantasy and some hint of romance. I am working on a story that has both currently, introspection & plot, and admittedly, I'm a little worried I won't actually finish it to my satisfaction. But oh well, what can ya do? 🤷🏻♀️XD
That's the biggest problem: if practice makes perfect, then you have to write a lot to practice writing endings for plot-heavy multi-chaptered stories!
Exactly! And I always end up running into the threat of writer's block a few chapters in because my brain is so primed for fixation on one moment, not really developing a cohesive whole.
Oh yeah. I think I told you that I'm kind of getting away with a larger epic with an anthology? A bunch of oneshots that are all in the same world. So bit by bit in pieces I am showing how big/mess this world is!
Best wishes on your latest project!
You did! I wish you luck as well :D