I finished my tenth fiction novel last month. It’s a satisfying feeling, and for me, the writing part is the funnest part of the creative process. This particular novel required a lot of research (also very fun), because although is is a genre blend of historical fantasy with horror elements, it is based in a particular time and culture of the past. I still have a lot of work to do before it sees publication, probably sometime next year. In the meantime, I am rebooting my little grey cells out from the world I’ve immersed myself in for the past nine months and giving myself permission to look for a new starting point. Unlike previous novels I’ve written, I don’t really have an idea of what I want to write next, and thus, the Decision Paradox has stopped me cold.
The Decision Paradox could be loosely defined (for me, at least) as an abundance of options actually that requires more effort to choose. Easy enough to say yes to Fiction, but what comes next?
The Genre Decision
Speculative Fiction is my preferred choice. The world-building is fun, and with fantasy, there’s the magical elements (also fun), but I’ve done quite a few of those now. Fantasy is a fantastic choice, but certainly not the only one.
What about Science Fiction? With the recent Artemis mission and Andy Weir’s wildly successful Hail Mary and the recent film release, I expect Science Fiction will soon resurge in popularity. I’ve got the chops and background to do it, and have done it previously.
Horror? Personally, I love horror in all it’s forms and last year’s Sinners is (in my mind) a master class in storytelling. I’ve done it in short stories, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that in a novel.
Thrillers? Love ’em. Love reading them, and action movies are my absolute faves. Want to write one (or more!). It would be something I haven’t tried before, but that is no reason not to do it. I’ve even got books on how to write them (snerk!). Very appealing, and popular with audiences. Leaning very heavily into this direction.
Heists and capers? Love these too. I am thinking you need to be pretty clever to write these. As part of my research/reading of best-selling heist novels published in the last dozen years, it seems to me that the author’s name carried significant weight in the publication decision, as many seem to be (at least to me) co-written with a lesser-known author, and disappointingly shallow. Am I clever enough? I don’t know, but with the right set of circumstances, this could be very fun.
Romance? Nope. Sorry, I know it’s the best-selling fiction genre out there, but it’s not for me.
So here I sit, reading books, watching movies, scrolling through my phone and waiting for an epiphany of inspiration that I know I don’t need in order to start the next novel. Picking a genre is good, but it doesn’t need to be set in stone before I start brainstorming the next novel. All I really need is a character in a setting with a problem.
Time to write.
