Interested in Writing? How to Decide What Type of Stories to Write

If you have made the decision to become an author, you will now need to figure out the type of stories you want to tell. This could be much easier said than done, especially if you are a fan of many different genres of storytelling. While you do not need to limit yourself to only one style of writing, the vast majority of successful authors like Daniel Handler are known for only writing one type of book. Therefore, it would probably be in your best interest to choose your favorite genre and begin to hone your skills by writing a single genre. It will take practice to perfect your writing style, and it will be hard to do this if you are flipping from one genre to another. Here is how to decide what type of stories to write.

What is your favorite genre?

You most likely have one genre that is your favorite above all others — perhaps you love suspense tales akin to those crafted by J.D. Barker or maybe you have a preference for romance stories by Julia Quinn. This would be a good idea for a genre to focus on. At the very least, you should write a few short stories in this genre and have a few people give you some honest feedback about the quality of your writing. Since this is your favorite genre, you will be familiar with all of the usual plot devices that these types of stories usually contain. You will also be aware of the various things that fans of this genre usually demand from these stories. You can then choose to incorporate these into your stories, or dare to be different by leaving them out. Whatever the case may be, make sure to write in your own voice in order to make your stories memorable and stand out from the crowd.

What type of stories can you see yourself writing for many years?

When Daniel was first starting out on his career as an author, he had to envision himself many years from now. Would he still be happy writing the same genre of books 20 years down the road? You will also need to consider this. Ideally, you should avoid focusing on a genre that you could easily get tired of. Write about a subject or genre that you have an endless fascination with. This will help to make your writing much more interesting every day. It will also help you to get your creative juices flowing when you have writer’s block.