Writing Meme: Day 8
8. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?
Make that genres. What I love writing, I already write. :D Historical fiction, historical fantasy, and contemporary fantasy. I got into classic literature when I was in high school — following my J.R.R. Tolkien phase — and it pretty much carried over into college. To be honest with you, I wouldn’t have developed a fascination with history had it not been for all those things I read about chimney sweeps, landed gentry, highwaymen, etc., in different novels from the 19th century.
Historical fantasy is when I want to play with the past, and it’s a pretty good challenge to stay within the usual parameters of historical fiction while adding some weird, dreamlike elements that make everything a little off-kilter. But that’s the trick in writing this sub-genre. You have to know history in order to alter it. It’s not enough to dress your characters up in Victorian garb while tossing them into one fantastic adventure after another. You have to have a solid factual base on which you can build your fantasy scenario.
As for contemporary fantasy — I live in the present. I already know how life is. I prefer to explore it through a different lens.
My reading preferences are a little more diverse — just a little. I enjoy historical, historical fantasy, contemporary fantasy, and contemporary fiction. I grew up reading a lot of books with a very strong romantic subplot or are pure romances. At this point I just don’t want to touch any more of those unless it’s GLBT, and even then, the more subtle the romance, the better.
