What kind of book do you like to read?  I usually start with this question when I’m teaching students how to write.  Because, the things you are reading will usually determine the genre that you are most equipped and most interested in writing in.  I read a lot of different genres – historical romance, romantic comedy, women’s fiction…but the genre most represented on my shelf is romantic suspense and thrillers. 

So, that’s what I tend to write.  Have I written the others?  Yes.  But my strengths, the genre I am honing is the one I love the most.  Romantic Suspense. 

Whenever you start a book, you need to begin with the TYPE of book you’re writing…the GENRE.   So, go take a look at your bookshelf, and then come back here, and consider…what genre of book shall we write together? 

Here’s the deal – we’ve streamlined this process by creating polls…so we’ll log your preferences in by poll. BUT, if you’d like to add to your vote, go over to VOICES where we’ll have a discussion about this week’s voting topic, and you can add your two, (or more!) cents. 

If you want to think about it for a day or so, tomorrow Rach and I will be discussing High Concept and Low Concept, how they fit into Story Stakes, and how they apply to different genres.  Maybe that will help. 

Also, because, well, we need to write this book, as well as the OTHER books we’re writing this year, Rach and I have chosen genres we know how to write.  Probably you could write many others, but we feel confident that you’ll learn lots about how to write books in general, regardless of the genre we write.  (in other words, we can only think so hard, and have room in our brains for so much information.  This is it, folks!)

Vote!  Every voice counts!