Can a romance writer teach you how to write better mysteries? What about a writer of science fiction or paranormal? Or a historical fiction writer? If you’re a cozy writer, must you join a cozy critique group? Does your police procedural require working within your same interest?
I decided
to experiment with the question - what could I learn from a completely
different genre? I discovered a site called BBC Maestro which offers courses by
top talents in an array of interests - writing, design, cuisine, wellness, film
producing - the list goes on and on. Bestselling authors like Harlan Coban and
Ken Follett were among the writing instructors.
What was
my course choice? Drumroll….Writing about Love taught by the bestselling
romance author Jojo Moyes of Me Before You fame.
If you
know me personally, or if you’ve read my Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series, you
might guess I am a bit of a Miss Priss. Let me correct that. I am a priss.
Injecting romance is a challenge for me. Don’t even suggest I write a sexy
scene. I’m told by my adult children to loosen up but then I’d have to turn my
eyes as I input the words. The romance aspect of my protagonist in my series
moves very, very slowly. I am long on hints and short on specifics.
Jojo Moyes’ course was actually an easy choice for me because of her class outline. Here’s one of Jojo’s initial comments regarding love and relationships. “…There are big questions when it comes to writing about love. Questions like how do we get it? How do we keep it? And what happens to us when we lose it? When you write about love, you write about the human condition.”
Hmmm. Do I
think my amateur, recently widowed sleuth’s internal struggle to move on with
her life provides an emotional connection for many of my readers? You bet. Does
her personal style of relating to family and friends impact my storylines? Of
course. Love isn’t always romantic. It’s a thread that helps my overall series
ARC.
Would a romance author’s discussion of tone versus theme help me traverse through my own series with consistency? Could Jojo’s advice on plotting methods, finding voice, building characters, realistic dialogue, apply to my own?
I’m a
mystery lover through and through. Mysteries are always the selection I reach
for first. I’d like to suggest that exposing yourself to talented writers from
other genres could enhance your own writing.
When was
the last time you chose to step outside your genre ‘lane’? I’d love to hear
your experiences.
