Sunday 24 June 2012

On Genre

I've often been asked what kind of stories I write. It's a question that I've always found difficult to answer.
I think that what you've read so far is a fair sample of my work, although by no means all. The old adage is "write what you know," and I think I'm faithful to that. I write about what interests me, about the human condition, but in no particular genre. I'm not ready to get pigeonholed that way. I'm having too much fun running without any boundaries. I love writing humour, but not all the time. I can't think of anything more arduous than sitting at the computer, knowing that today I have to crank out a thousand words of really funny stuff when I don't feel the least bit like laughing. Sensitive soul that I am, I love writing about love, but the same goes for that, also. I don't believe in the necessity of a happy ending, but I don't preclude them, either. And too, after a few initial attempts, I tend to steer away from trying to be deliberately profound, because I'm not. In fact, if there is one area where I would feel comfortable being labeled, it would be that I am not a 'thinking' writer, but rather an 'instinctive' one. I do my best to allow the story to write itself, so if there is any profundity in my work (and I believe that there is) it was already there, when it found me in the River.

So, to make a long story short, in reply to what kind of stories I write: don't ask me - ask them.

2 comments:

  1. Chuck - that's one of my favorite things about your writing... That with every new story, I get to look forward to discovering what it is all about. An open (and sometimes buckled-in) mind is required to fully appreciate your writing :) Deb

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Deb. I like the analogy of a "buckled-in" mind. Safety harness for the soul.

    ReplyDelete