How do you classify your stories?
How do you classify your stories?
OK, I'm not googling anything here, so if there is a site that describes all this that's fine, but let's still discuss this. I sometimes think we use google so that we don't have to think for ourselves. That's just lazy and doesn't give your mind a chance to explore. If you don't exercise your mind, it will atrophy and fall off. It's a verified fact, just google it.
I'm writing a story that I've had on the TODO list for quite a while. I was trying to describe it to a friend and was having quite a bit of trouble giving her a quick description. Is it a 'literary novel'? A dramatic period piece? How about 'non-dystopian, historical, metaphysical journey of discovery with a dash of yuks'? (yeah, just made that last one up ;-)
It occurred to me that I've had this problem from the beginning as a writer. It's hard to give someone an 'elevator pitch' on one of my books. It's a problem because I need to be able to do this to gain a reader's interest enough to try a newbie writer, even if it's only 99 cents for the book. It's embarrassing when I can't describe my own story without stammering and having to search for the right words.
My solution is to not try. OK, that's being lazy on my part I guess, but I find it much more satisfying to engage the reader/friend/potential agent by diving into the guts of the story and dragging them along. ;-)
The real problem of course is that few of my books fit easily into the common books genres you see on Amazon. You know what I mean. That funky drop down box that categorizes books by 'genres'.
My SciFi series, Arlo and Jake, is a 'humorous, buddy story, Space Opera based partly on my time as a submariner in the US Navy, with great plot enablers, weird characters and wild action'.
'Genome' is a 'hi-tech, biotech mystery and love story with paranormal twists and Artificial Intelligence characters'.
'Walk with Me' is a 'paranormal romance exploring the worlds of dreams and pure love'.
'Etchings' is a 'pure ghost story set in a period of Colorado's mining expansion.'
I've used other phrases and summaries for these books. Each time I think I've nailed it I see some flaw in message and try again.
So, how do YOU deal with summarizing your stories?
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