One Genre You Can't Write

Let's see...

Erotica: I'd blush my way through the whole novel.

Chick Lit: I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to this genre. (Sorry Chick Lit people, don't hate me.)

Humor: Sadly, I'm not that funny.

Religious and Spiritual: I'm an atheist and far too cynical to write about God.

Funnily enough, I never saw myself being able to write literary fiction, but here I am, planning a lit fic novel for the first time. I'd always thought literary fiction was 'boring,' because it just featured normal people living everyday lives, but I was determined to step outside my comfort zone this year. Yes, I'm using characters who aren't entirely 'normal' and structuring the story in a rather unusual way, but there will be a distinct lack of any fantasy elements, which is a first for me.

Other genres I can't/don't want to write:

Historical novels require far too much research that I simply can't be bothered to do. Because I'm lazy.

Science fiction, along the same vein, often requires the author to know a lot about technological advancements and the like, and I am totally inept at writing anything that takes place in a futuristic world or on another planet.

Romance is just so ridiculous and over-the-top that I can't even read it, let alone write it myself. If there's a bit of romance sprinkled into another genre, that's okay, but an entire book that revolves around one couple's relationship? Doesn't do anything for me.

Chick lit is...well, I'm actually not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds like something that focuses on a female character and talks a lot about women's issues and such. Um, count me out. Though I am a proud possessor of a vagina, I just don't see the point in writing an entire book about 'girly things.' *manages to offend all NaNoers who are writing Chick Lit*

And I would *love love love* to write a psychological thriller of some sort, but lack the creativity to do the genre justice.

My first thought was 'Romance'.
Then I realized that my NaNo this year WAS Romance.
Gah.
Anyway, another genre I don't think I could write would be pure chick-lit. (Now, if you added a few dragons, magical prophecies, and elves, then sure. But then that would be more fantasy...)

I tried fantasy last year. It even had a few elves.

I will probably never do that again. I need more realism. I need *modern* shit.

...says Jack as he gears up for his steampunk adventure.

(gears up. steampunk. heh heh oh god I'm ashamed.)

I don't think I could write epic/high fantasy, simply because it bore me when I try to read it.

Don't feel too bad. I'm a fantasy writer who can't stand epic/high fantasy. I think it's the absolute good and absolute evil with no possibility of middle ground that I don't like. IMO, just because it's fantasy, doesn't mean there can't be any realism.

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NaNo '08
Working Title: The Wars of Olympus
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: TBA

Horror.

I've never enjoyed reading it, and I have no idea how to go about writing it. I've dabbled in many other genres, and there are some I think I could write if I just put my mind to it.

But I just don't think I could write horror.

Fantasy - because I tune out as soon as I hear anything that has to do with fairies, elves, and mutant type species.

Sci-fi - for similar reasons (if it were to involve, say, aliens) and because I simply don't understand technology. It's utterly amazing I can correctly use my word program.!!

Westerns - because my dad ingrained that country music joke into my psyche as a child - you know, the one about "what happens when you play a country record backwards?" so I can't even watch western movies without focusing on what the MC is going to lose (unless he rewinds the story line to get it all back......).lol

Erotica - because even when I READ it I can't help thinking somebody will look over my shoulder and suddenly I'd be the laughing stock - and because I just can't think of more than maybe 3 ways to refer to a vagina or penis without saying "peepee". How erotic is THAT?! lol

Historical fiction - simply too boring for me and I'm too lazy to do the amount of research to not come out of it looking like an utter fool!

That is all.

Genres I Can't Write

-Chick Lit: Honestly, I kind of have a soft spot for Chick Lit. I like female protagonists because I simply come across them yet, and they're books that just really take the whole 'light read' idea to heart. But I couldn't write it. Not in a thousand years. I've tried writing female main characters, and I've been somewhat successful, I think, but I couldn't get the tone right, I'm certain.

-Historical Novels: Too much research. I don't like research. I like writing.

-Young Adult: I write stories for adults. My YA stories would end up being wildly inappropriate and would never be published and they would condescend to the genre as a whole.

-Romance: Well... I could probably write it. But I wouldn't want to do so.

Chick Lit - I've only read one that I liked and the general formula doesn't appeal to me enough to write it.

YA - I enjoy writing about sex too much XD

Humour - Granted, the play I wrote had everyone (including the cast) in stitches, but it was such a bizarre plot that I don't think I could apply my humour to a book and have it make sense!

Mystery - I always make who did it far too obvious, and my twists never work seamlessly enough.

Humor. It turns out that I cant be funny when I write. Which is weird, since I'm a pretty funny guy.

Erotica. It always turns into porn. And yes, there is a difference. Besides, too many of my friends, family and coworkers know I do this every year, and i really don't want to be that guy. You know , The One Who Writes Porn And Therefore Must Be A Pervert.

Romance. I cant write heterosexual romance to save my life. Again, weird since I am heterosexual.

Erotic/Romance: I would find it way too akward. Cutting people into tiny pieces and watching them bleed in my novel? Fine, but romance? No thank you.

Chick Lit: I could probably write it, but I wouldn't like it and probably end up killing everyone in the end.

Mystery: I'd like to write it, but I think it would be really hard, especially in one month.

Comedy: I'd have trouble writing jokes, and I'd be afraid it wouldn't be funny but boring.

Erotica: Umm... probably because I don't know much on the subject xD I shouldn't - I'm only 15.

Chick Lit: I don't really know what this genre is, to be honest o.O

Historical Fiction: To be honest, it's mainly because I'm way to lazy to look up facts about history and put my own twist on it. The closest I've come to that was involving the Bermuda Triangle with a transportation type system, which was why everyone who went through it disappeared. I just don't want to do a bunch of research, get bored, and all of that research go to waste =P LAZY, much?!

Westerns: I don't care for the movies, so my book would be trash.

Fan Fiction: I've tried it before, but if I tried it again... well, I probably wouldn't. My most decent one was for The Chronicles of Narnia, but I did an entire one for the show LOST and I got the characters all wrong. I'd ruin every character.

Otherwise, I can probably write the remaining genres :)

I could never write

Western: Bleh. I don't like the old west like that. I'm sick of the movies my dad always watches.

Chick Lit: I have a vagina and boobs. I think like a chick. Do I want to write chick lit? No. Feminism offend me, even the moderate kind. I can not do everything a man can, but I can do some things. Chick Lit writing is where I side with the men.

Kid Lit: Yeah...I'd make waaaaaaaaayyyy to many references and it would get parents mad. Plus I like higher level writing.

Mystery: I couldn't come up with an original mystery....and I don't do cliff hangers well which all mysteries I've read have had.

Fanfic: Used to be able to until otakus turned it into a trash heap for me. "I thenk ur story is bad cuz it takes to long nad doesnt have smut!!!!1!" DXX It killed me to write that.

Historical Fics: I could handle the research. Its just that I really despise messing with the past and turning it into what I want. There's always something the author changes to make it theirs and I don't wanna do that.

I think I could write everything else pretty well too. Romance I've done, Sci-Fi I'm doing, Fantasy I've done, and I wanna take a shot at religious/new age sometime in the future.

ChickLit - Strong women is okay but I rather enjoy the strong man characters that seem to disappear because it's offending to the woman power.

Comedy- I tried it but usually it ends up either way too flat or turns into a satire of itself.

LitFiction - Character driven focal point isn't my cup of gin, thanks.

Religious - I don't like reading it when I pick up a book, so I probably won't write anything like it.

As for what I want to write but sure I will screw up:

Historical.

Hey, don't going blaming the otaku's. Real otaku's love a good long story with plenty of development and unexpected twists. Parings/slashes/Erotica is optional at best. I'm sorry the vocal minority among us has put you off of fanfiction though.

Young Adult. I don't like most kids' books and don't know where the line is between PG and PG-13. I probably couldn't do Chick Lit well, either, because I'm not a girl and don't like those girly things. Other than that, I might be able to. I want to learn to write erotica, just for the irony of a repulsed asexual virgin writing smut. :D

Historical Fiction - It reminds me of school. Do not want.

Once upon a time, I would have said I could never write a mystery, but my first NaNo novel ended up being just that - and it was easier than I thought, once I figured out "whodunit."

Now I'm pretty sure the only genre I really wouldn't be able to write would be historical fiction, simply because history has never been an interest for me and there's no way I'd make it through all the necessary research.

Erotica - not for me. I simply won't do it.
Historical Fiction- borrrring. don't get to make up anything really new....really.
Non-fiction-like historical fiction, except you really really really, literally can't make anything up.
Romance-I Just suck at it.

I would have to say YA. My characters always are a bit on the crazy and PG-13 or higher side. Or horror, I tried that 2 NaNos ago. It turned into a gore fest mixed with XXX action. At least it was amusing to write.

For me, I have to agree with "epic fantasy", or just fanasy in general because even though novels are an escape from the real world, I like to write about the real world anyway.

Science-Fiction is another one I could not do, or at least not anything that involves heavy techno-babble.

Historical/War novels would also be impossible for me - I echo the sentiment of laziness in research, and I am terrible at writing battle sequences.

Like the OP, I find westerns boring as heck, but if I did one it could only be a spoof.

Chick Lit: Urrgh. I'm female, and chick lit, and the general crappiness of the genre shits me to tears. I will and do read and enjoy Janet Evanovich. All other chick lit can bite me. Most stuff aimed at women bugs me, to be honest-- it's like, "Let's dumb everything down and reduce it to shoe-shopping, weight-whinges, and man-chasing." Stuff that.

Erotica that isn't M/M: Writing erotica doesn't happen with me unless I've smoked some green. And I haven't done that in years, and I don't miss it at all. And there's enough sappy heterosexual sex out there in the world-- why add some D-grade sappy heterosexual sex to the mix?

Romance: I don't believe in it enough to do it convincingly. I don't particularly WANT to believe in it, either. Usually whenever a character of mine falls in love, it ends in ruins and emotional destruction.

Historical stuff: I'm not that fascinated with, and haven't researched enough, any particular time period and place.

Science Fiction: I don't have sufficient interest, knowledge, or any decent ideas for this one.

Fantasy: Ditto for science fiction. I can't do it convincingly-- I'm sure having a go at it would look like very bad parody.

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Apparently YA covers stuff for teenagers up to people in their twenties.

So the horribly-dysfunctional-family thing I wrote for my very first NaNo, where Mum had a chronic benzodiazepine problem, and Dad was a lecherous power-hungry creep playing sexual mind games with his secretary and was sexually abusing his son-- is actually YA.

And last years', about a kid growing up withy his fundie aunt and grandmother after his Dad committed suicide and his Mum disappeared... which is FULL of drug use and alcohol-consumption and swearing and conspiracies and sexual experimentation-- is also YA.

http://nano-jess-2008.livejournal.com/profile

I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who simply cannot write Romance.

Also Romance. Fall in love, become an idiot and change your character around to make things work. I think I can do erotica, conversely, for one night flings. But not the long term fall in love, deal with love triangle, eventually prevail over adversity epic.

Oh, and spiritual. Unless it's a religion I made up, I don't touch the stuff because I know nothing.

hmmm

Real Sci-fi: i have a teen one that is kind of sci-fi. But in general I do not understand science fiction. I took a sci-fi lit class and that went horrible.

Mystery: never read any, not really interested in it.

Memoirs: I hate writing about myself.

Christian Lit: not my religion.

Horror: I don't even think I could write a full horror story. Can't even think of a possible story idea.

Another on saying "Romance", unless it's kind of messed up. Actually, I am sort of writing a romance in a series of strories (a spin off with a couple of OCs from a fanfic series.) It's just the longest and most frustrating romance ever written (maybe.) It took me 210k words to work up to the first kiss. It will take the characters 12 years to actually have sex. So let's say there's plenty of other non-romance elements in the series too! After all there's only so much I can write about two guys giving each other significant glances and flirting a tiny bit. ;-)

And one of my fanfics was sort of a romance. A character got kidnapped and did the usual "seduce the girl to make her help me escape" thing, but she falls in love for real, and he doesn't and it all ends pretty painfully.

In the end I guess there's no genre I can't write if I put my mind to it and have a take on it that appeals to me. But there's plenty of genres I don't especially want to write.

I have never successfully written a Romance. It always comes out to sappy and I have this aversion to literary sappagery.
(I do like writing angst though, angst is fun. XD)

Erotica: Haven't tried, don't want to try. It's just not me.

Chick lit: Boring... just way to boring.

Western: Just not my favorite genre.

Genre's I can't write:
I can't write Romance. It's so boring, I want to just set my brain on fire.
Westerns aren't a topic of interest to me either; I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I ever did try to write one.

Genre I'd like to try:
I'd love to try my hand at Horror but I have all ideas the things I find scary actually are not to the normal person (I'm very weird).

What I generally stick to:
Fantasy and Science Fiction. I have a very overactive imagination and this seems to be the only way to contain it. :D