Word Witch Wednesday - balancing formula and originality

This is a battle I've been thinking a lot about lately. Readers want familiarity. Give them their favorite types of genre books with the same formula. Readers also want originality. Something they've never seen before. Giving readers both? It can be done, but it's tough.

Formula - Most publishers will have a sheet on what you're supposed to have in a book in a given genre. For example, paranormal romance (PNR) requires a dual point of view from the heroine and hero, minimum 80% (with some publishers it's 90%) of the plot must have the hero and heroine together, the male must be an alpha, the heroine must kick butt, the key to the climax must hinge on their romance, and it must have a happily ever after or a happily for now ending.

With the formula, I feel like I'm reading the same two or three books over and over again. It's not enjoyable. Every now and then, I'll come across something different within the formula and it will rekindle my love for the genre. But as a reader, the formula is ruining my enjoyment of PNR.

It just isn't in this one genre. I've heard the same complaint about other genres, especially young adult (YA) and romance. The thing is these three genres I've mentioned are the best selling genres in the market.

Originality - Many publishers will not take a chance on a book that isn't written to their formula. Thank goodness for self-publishing! It is in indie books that I see more original tales. Yet sometimes I feel as if these stories are lacking something or wondering what the heck was that!

Making it in the indie world is hard work. Yet there is a lot of fabulous original material out there. Why aren't they selling better? Because readers want the comfort of the formula... while complaining they want something new.

 

The trick is then to give them both. But how?

 

I don't have the secret to that. I can only share what I've been doing. With formula, you can easily Google story structure for any genre and find hundreds of links. If you're aiming for a particular publisher, be certain you know what they want.

Here are some tips for adding originality into the formula:

- stick to the standard main plot but write twisty subplots

- choose a little known mythology to base your story on

- twist the clichés of your genre (e.g. the heroine isn't an orphan but a well loved daughter in a big family)

- have something familiar combined with something new (e.g. a greedy dragon stealing treasure from castles is really a scaly Robin Hood)

- write one main character off trope be it the hero, the love interest, the sidekick, or villain

How do you feel about formula writing? Do you have any tips to add to help make a story original?

Word Witch Wednesday - whipping up the news

Good news or bad news first?

The good news: I don't know if this is the bigger news, but here we go! The release of the first three of the Totem books is going good in that the readers who has read the books love them. Yay! Yes, the whole book ad thing didn't work out, but I've learned from it.

 

I'm on schedule for getting the next three Totem books out starting in January. The covers are done, and I'll reveal them next month.

I'm behind in writing the final three books. I wanted at least book #7 to be done by now, but I haven't set any release dates for them yet, so I'm safe in that aspect.

The bad news: my publisher, Ellora's Cave, is closing. I've regained all my rights for the nine books I had with them, and I'll publish them myself next year. I won't discuss all the details, but if you want to read about it, check out this article here. You can email me about it if you're really curious.

This is the second time I've had a bad experience with a publisher. I am thankful for the ability to publish my work myself. It's tough out there right now, especially for romance authors. Issues with Samhain Publishing and Harlequin also add to the mess writers have been dealing with this past year. Is it a wonder so many people are going indie? If Tor or Penguin want to sign me, then I'll be excited about working with a publisher again, but at this point in time, I have no desire to do so.

I'm not blocking off that path in my journey, but I'm putting my focus on being an indie author now. It's a little sad, and more than a bit scary since it will all be on me, but I'm one of those folks who find their determination strengthened by such things.

Never give up your dreams. You just may have to forge another path to get there.

IWSG for May 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

I'll be querying very soon. As if that isn't terrifying in itself, I've now developed a new worry.

I have a list of publishers I want to query. But what if they aren't the right publishers for me? I've done all my research. These are the ones that I consider the best for this particular manuscript. Yet I could be wrong.

I won't know until it's done. That's the risk we have to take as writers. I've already had one bad experience with a publisher. Maybe old fears are surfacing from that.

I'm curious about those of you who have queried and found a happy home with a press. How did you know they were the right publisher for you? Or how about those bad experiences? Please share those too.