Since my novel is currently on submission I find myself sampling some of my other projects, trying to see if something will catch my interest. There's quite a lot to choose from. In addition to the novel series I've finished I also have ten other solid story beginnings. Many are different genres with different messages and audiences. Take a look at the sampling:
1 YA post apocalyptic
2 YA Dystopian (And they're VERY different in premise)
1 Adult Sci Fi
1 YA Fantasy
1 Middle Grade Fantasy
1 YA Fantasy/ Horror
1 YA Dark Contemporary
2 Adult Thrillers (Very very different)
1 Historical fantasy
1 YA romance (That has a slightly religious message going with it. It's like the two things I always avoid in writing: Religion and romance. Heck if I know why I got this idea)
So... ok that's actually 12 ideas. It's grown since I last counted I guess. Long story short, I like a lot of genres and I get a lot of ideas in said genres. The one I'm looking at today is the historical fantasy.
I should point out that I totally didn't expect it to be historical fantasy when I came up with the idea. It was just going to be urban fantasy in a modern day setting. But two nights ago I had a revelation (Don't you love those) and suddenly thought: "This would be so much cooler if it was set in early 1900s England."
What prompted said revelation? I watched Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows for the umpteenth time. I was really struck by the tone and setting of the movie and I could totally see a lot of the events of my story taking place in that kind of setting. It just looks so dynamic and cool. I think the cinematography also played a hand in that (Honestly, the cinematography is just incredible in that movie... I'm such a film nerd) but the places and buildings themselves also did. I love cobblestone streets and horse drawn carriages. I love how the buildings look elegant and yet really dirty and gritty. I love how busy they were with people and the little shops and markets.
You know what else? I love the costumes. I think men look awesome in those waist coats and hats and canes. The women's fashion is fun to play with too as it was just starting to move away from the traditional bodice and suffocating corset and moving towards more freeing and comfortable fashions. They still looked very elegant though.
There's also a lot of interesting events going on in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Great Britain. Beginning of World War I, a change in the influence of young intellectuals, Jack the Ripper etc. Plenty of good fodder for conflict and intrigue. Not to mention Historical Fantasy is a lot less common right now next to Urban fantasy. I think it would be an interesting experiment.
Of course, what interests me one day will be something different the next. I have the attention span of a flea. But if something does capture my interest I write like crazy on it (That book that's on submission? It's first draft was completed in just under a month. Yup.)
What genres are you sampling right now?
-Authoress Anonymous
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