The importance of being incongruent in your writing
Let your freak flag fly
It happens often that as a writer makes progress with their manuscript, they’ll begin to see that there may be aspects of their story that aren’t quite “following the trend.” They begin to worry that their novel won’t fit in anywhere. In some instances, it’ll be the agent or the publisher (when attempting to traditionally publish) that’ll tell the writer they can’t take on their story because it doesn’t fit the genre requisites. Or that the novel is unmarketable. That they just can’t imagine an audience for it.
So what’s a writer whose dream of being published is about to be blown to dust because some story arcs are outside of the genre expectations, or because they don’t meet all the required tropes to do? Usually, the writer, clinging to this dream will bend and change what needs to be changed and resubmit, with perhaps better luck this time, and possibly with a lot of sacrifice. Maybe. Because let’s remember that changing their story doesn’t guarantee being accepted.
So what’s the right answer here? What should a writer do when their story doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere?
Once upon a time, someone invented ice cream. Perhaps vanilla may have been the first. Then chocolate. Then strawberry. Then pistachio. And one day someone decided to make combinations of these. And thus, our ice cream universe grew wider, expanding into all kinds of unimaginable flavors and combinations. Then we started adding toppings. Then we invented gelato and sorbet. Not that long ago, we were blessed with frozen yogurt. The ways in which forms of ice cream have evolved are endless.
It bothers me that publishing, especially the traditional kind, always seeks to curtail the vision of writers who took a bold step into writing something that didn’t quite fit in anywhere else. I understand the reasoning behind it. I understand that they’ve already done the metrics, and they know what will sell, and publishing companies are making big investments for which they’d like to see worthwhile revenue.
But it puts a serious stopper to the limitlessness of writers’ imaginations. I mean, let’s take the romantasy genre as an example: romantasy is a pretty recent subgenre, made popular by the Sarah J. Maas novels. Here’s someone who said I like romance, but I also like fantasy, and I would love to see those two merged. Sarah J. Maas said, why the f*ck not? Romantasy was a hit and now you’ll be hard-pressed to find authors who aren’t delving into romantasy.
Does it always work out the way it did for Maas? No, surely not. But I'm sure someone out there somewhere once also tried to mix pineapple ice cream with cookies and cream and quickly found out why that wasn’t a winning combination. But it’s also quite likely that that person kept trying different combinations, finding many that did work.
Experimentation with writing is the key. Unfortunately, there are subgenre combinations that may not mix. A horror romance may be hard to create, but given the right circumstances and the right techniques, I’m sure there’s someone out there who could make it work. Furthermore, I’m sure there’s someone out there who will enjoy it and eat up every word. (There’s likely someone out there who likes the strange blend of pineapple and cookies and cream. Though this group may be small, those people probably do exist).
I’m currently working on a novel that I’ve never seen done before. There are many elements of it that I know people will turn their noses up at. I’ve taken aspects of different societies and married them. Recreated history. Redesigned Latin America and fictionalized it. At times, it frightens me that these choices I’m making with this novel are what will keep it from getting read. But the truth is, I can’t imagine it any other way. And my muse keeps pushing me to write it, so I do my best to oblige. If no one else wants to see it done, I do.
The point is that we won’t know until we try. I think practicing intuition here is our best bet. You may have a story on your hands that seems very out of left field, but if something inside you strongly says that you should keep working on it, that you should keep pushing to see it published, be it trad or self-published, then listen to that voice. You don’t know what may come of it. Maybe you’ll be the next Sarah J. Maas. Or maybe you’ll inspire the next Sarah J. Maas. Success comes in many different ways, after all.
But always remember: the world needs the oddities. We need your strange brain babies. The ones that risk not fitting in anywhere. It’s the only way we can test the waters and see how far our imagination can go.
Editorial Services
My schedule remains open as of June 2024. If you’re in the market for a fiction editor and you write romance, women’s fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and certain fantasy genres, among others, reach out, and let’s discuss your editing needs!
Other book news
The lovely
from My Untitled Thoughts has invited me to write book reviews for her up-and-coming book site! This week the reviews for two oldies but goodies have gone up. If you’ve ever been curious about what Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak hold in store, go ahead and check the reviews out and see if they’re copies that you’d like to check out!Check them out here:
While I have you here and we’re talking about my friend and books, I’d like to let you know that her book, A Daisy in Lily’s Valley (edited by yours truly!), is currently available for preorder with the release date set for March 19th, 2024!
If you like quiet novels with strong cottagecore aesthetics, dealing with complicated parental dynamics, found family, and chronic illness but maintaining a positive vibe throughout, then A Daisy in Lily’s Valley could be your next favorite read!
Follow the link below and order your copy today!
Order A Daisy in Lily’s Valley
Hi there, I’m Maria! I’m a freelance fiction editor assisting women writers in amplifying their voices through their writing. You can find me on Instagram @theintuitivedesk. Or visit my site
www. theintuitivedesk.com to find out more.
Oh wow, this was the perfect read at the perfect time! And what a lovely surprise to see a shout-out for my book at the end 🥹 Thank you!! You are the absolute best and working with you was an honor!