Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Why we genre writers should stop obsessing

You're happily hacking away on your story, and given a revision or fifteen it will be a enjoyable read as well. Now, however, close to those last two chapters you're stuck. While you wrote it something must have happened, and it is no longer pure fantasy.
Horror of all horrors. To define it you now need to define its sub-genre.

Science fantasy?
Romantic fantasy?
Historical fantasy?
Paranormal thriller?

The questions echo and you spend, first only the evenings, and then whole days searching for that elusive, absolute truth about your work. And in the meanwhile very little is written. It is as if the search for truth smothered the breath of fiction.

There is only one thing left to do: stop obsessing!

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