Trying that Difficult Genre - Writers Forum

Anidazen · 11-20-2005, 10:54 AM

Hello.

Those of you who remember me from way-back-when will know that I favour light-hearted humour. Well, I'm trying something a little different, and a little harder.

Particularly, I'm trying to enter what I believe is a new genre that will spring up in the wake of Harry Potter: a revitalised interest in magic and stuff especially in kids' books.

What I'm not looking to do is to create an exact rip-off of Harry Potter. Part of the way in which I'm doing this is reading quite widely on similar material so that HP is just one of many influences. I'm trying to create an entirely different premise.

Obviously there's nothing approaching a magical school etc.

I'm wondering if anyone can reccomend anything to read to gain a diverse range of influences - and anything I can do to avoid being seen as a plajurised work. It really is different in premise almost totally.

Lastly - anything that I can do to help make it a gripping read. I'll be posting an extract or two and maybe some notes on ideas for critique *IF* anyone's interested in how I get on with this. (Lemme kno if so).

Shade53 · 11-20-2005, 11:07 AM

chronicles of narnia, wrinkle in time, amy's eyes, Mary poppins (the books), Bed-knob and broomstick, there are more but I'm currently stumped or senile....

~S

ravravrav · 11-20-2005, 12:04 PM

http://www.filmfiler.com/2005/11/adu...ens-books.html

Ilan Bouchard · 11-20-2005, 01:43 PM

(Welcome back, even if it is for just a few posts.)

The "So you want to be a wizard" series, by Duane, "Lirael" and its two sequels, by Nix, and "The Keys to the Kingdom" series, also by Nix (but with a very different style) are my recommendations. "Lirael" and co. are very good books.

Anidazen · 11-21-2005, 12:06 PM

Thankyou.

I'm beginning to see ways to explore what I see as an entire genre that has been highlighted - without being too overly similar.

I've made a small extract from mid way through. I don't suppose anyone would care to give me a detailed critique if I sent it to you?

Does anyone have any advice on how something as difficult as writing in the shadow of a phenomenal success can be accomplished without people getting hung up over the similarities?

amusinglackoftalent · 11-21-2005, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anidazen

Does anyone have any advice on how something as difficult as writing in the shadow of a phenomenal success can be accomplished without people getting hung up over the similarities?

You must out-write the writer that created the phenomenon...

I am of the humble opinion that Rowling never gave much thought to who had written about witches and wizards before she picked up her pen.

Kane · 11-22-2005, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amusinglackoftalent

You must out-write the writer that created the phenomenon...

I am of the humble opinion that Rowling never gave much thought to who had written about witches and wizards before she picked up her pen.

I highly doubt that, since she ripped off Le Guin, Tolkien, and a myriad other myths and legends.

Rhea · 11-22-2005, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane

I highly doubt that, since she ripped off Le Guin, Tolkien, and a myriad other myths and legends.

It could have been a bit subconscious, the original idea might have been read from there but after years and a lot of books the influences would be all jumbled up, know what I mean? But I think a lot of stories have something taken from myths and legends.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anidazen

Does anyone have any advice on how something as difficult as writing in the shadow of a phenomenal success can be accomplished without people getting hung up over the similarities?

I don't know if I'm going to help, but...in my opinion almost every fantasy book is woefully similiar to JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. But people still buy and read them. OR maybe I'm just reading the bad fantasy books.

midlandsmuse · 11-22-2005, 06:48 AM

You have to decide what you want to do. If you are simply talking about appealing to young readers then it's not just HP that floats their boat. Jacquline Wilson doesn't touch fantasy at all but is hughly popular.

What these books do have in common though is characters that children can relate to. For instance, HP in the first book is in an unhappy family. Now many children around 11 to 14 and either starting or going through puberty think that they are in unhappy childhoods and that everyone hates them. Lo and behold children associate with Harry. A trick also done by Wilson and it's why adult readers can also associate because we were all children as well once and understand those feelings.

You can put as much fantasy as you want in your story but without believable characters people can relate to you will get no where. That's the thing we were all trying to tell Ilyak1986 with his fantasy styled masturbation fantasies but he couldn't grasp it.

Space Monkey · 11-22-2005, 07:28 AM

I never was big on fantasy, but Chuck Palahniuk's 'Lullaby' put an interesting spin on magic...