Welcome to the Year of Fearless Writing!

So… what do you write?

It’s the question some writers—ok, most—fear at parties. Or at least, we do. Heavily implicit in the question is “Have I read you? Would I want to?”

Under most circumstances, it doesn’t really matter what you say next. But what if the person you’re talking to is an agent, publisher, or editor and you don’t know it? Being able to speak quickly and well about your writing is a critical skill, and one that we as writers often don’t develop until relatively late.

We spent a lot of time convincing you that you’re a writer. So let’s answer that next question: what do you write?

The big questions

Before you can tell anyone what you write, you need to have a solid, personal grasp on it. And that means being able to answer a few questions for yourself, before anyone else asks them.

• Who is my audience?
• What genre do I prefer?
• Can this genre be broken down into subgenres that describe my work better?
• Who else writes in this niche?
• Can I describe the main character and plot of my latest project?
• Do I address any broader social questions or themes in my work?

Being able to answer these questions will get you from “um” to polished elevator speech in short order. So let’s explore them together, and figure out how you might answer.

Audience: who you’re writing for

It may seem silly, but ask yourself who you expect to read your work. Is it adults? Kids? Where do they live? What kind of people are they?

If your answer was “adults” you’re done with this topic. Unless you’re writing erotica, you don’t need to specify “adult audiences.” If your answer was anything else, it’s important to include this information when you’re telling people what you write. Otherwise you’ll say “vampire stories” and they’ll expect Dracula but get Bunnicula.

Publishers tend to break books into marketing categories by age, and you can too. The lines are a little bit blurred, but these broad categories will tell readers what to expect from your writing in terms of vocabulary and content.

• children’s books (0-8)
• middle grade (9-11)
• young adult (12+), and
• adult fiction (18+).

Genre: what’s in your writing

Once you know who you’re writing for, it’s time to think about what’s in the writing. Not what the plot is, but what elements are contained in your genre. If you don’t know what genre you’re writing in, you may not be able to meet reader expectations.

Genre really has two parts: length and content. Are you writing a fantasy novel? flash literary fiction? a longform personal essay?

I’m going to trust that you know whether you’re writing a book or an article, and move on to talking about the content part of genre.

First, let’s break genre down into fiction and nonfiction. While you don’t need to say “I write fiction for adults” it’s good to at least narrow down the categories you’re choosing from. Here are some good resources which delve much deeper into “what’s a genre and which one is mine” than this post has space for.

• Book Riot’s Guide to Book Genres
• Wikipedia’s List of Writing Genres
• Publimentary’s What’s in a Genre?

Remember, no list of genres is truly complete and exhaustive. You just have to get close ENOUGH to set reader expectations. What does that look like? Well, start with the broadest genre possible and then narrow it down from there. Your work may cross two genres – that’s fine!

So for example…

Nonfiction

Cooking

Subgenres:

• Cookbooks/Recipes
• Cooking Memoirs

Examples:

• I write about cooking. 
• I write personal memoir about cooking. 
• I write blog posts about cooking with my grandmother after my mother died.

Biography

Subgenres:

• Autobiography
• Memoir
• Collections
• Letters
• Diaries

Examples:

• I write memoir.
• I am writing a memoir of my childhood.
• I am writing a memoir of my childhood as the daughter of an astronaut who was not chosen to go into space.
  

Religion

Subgenres:

• Mythology

Examples:

• I write books about early religions.
• I write books about mythology.
• I write middle-grade books about Norse mythology.

Comps, or, who else writes like me?

Ever hear someone say “It’s like Hornblower, but in space?” The beauty of a line like that is that it tells the listener a lot about the content of the story, without having to use a ton of words.

This may come as a total surprise to you, but people who read usually enjoy reading books that are like the books they already enjoy. So knowing who is out there writing in your genre (really, in your subgenre) is a good start.

Once you have a short list of stories or essays or whatever that are similar to yours, think about the biggest thing that makes your work different. So:

• I write urban fantasy mysteries. You know, like Agatha Christie… but with elves.
• I write western horror. You know, like Zane Grey…but with zombies.
• I write memoir about my childhood and my parents’ struggles. You know, like Angela’s Ashes… but in Hong Kong.

Describing your work as similar to, but different in one aspect from, something your listener already knows about will help them envision it better.

Plot: what happens, and to who, and why?

Okay! This is the big scary one, right? How do I distill my 350,000 word novel into a couple sentences? It’s easier than you think.

First, identify your main character. Who are they? What do they like? Be able to give your reader a quick verbal sketch.

Anna is a young woman who was raised by her mother and older brother after her father died. It was a strict and circumscribed life, and now that she’s twenty-six she’s had enough of that, and the small town she lives in.

See? that wasn’t hard.

Sherlock is a young man who lives alone because he can’t keep a roommate. He plays violin at odd hours, injects cocaine, and solves mysteries for a living.

If these all sound a little bit like profiles on a dating site… well… there’s a reason for that. You want to hook your listener’s attention just like you want to get that swipe on Tinder.

Next, you need to say what’s going to happen to this character. To do that answer two questions: what do they want, and why can’t they get it?

Anna wants, more than anything, to go to the Academy in Oas. But the airship she takes is hijacked by an organization called the Harbingers of Peace. If that wasn’t bad enough, one of the leaders is her ex-fiance!

Sherlock needs to pay rent, and he can’t do that without a roommate. But can he convince a young doctor fresh off the battlefield to move in with him? What will happen to his detecting business?

See? you don’t have to overexplain. You don’t need to describe every single thing that happens in your story. Just let the listener know who they’re supposed to care about, and why that person can’t get what they need. Finding out how that tension is resolved is what will get them into your story.

NB: if you’re writing a summary to pitch your book to an agent, you’ll need to do a lot more work in terms of describing the actual events. This is a pitch summary. It’ll get you through a cocktail party or in the door, but it’s not a full description of your work. Read submission guidelines and find out what kind of summary you need to send!

Bonus overtime question: broader social themes

Sometimes readers will connect to a book not because of, but in spite of, the genre, plot, or characters. When this happens it’s usually because the author has included broader themes that the reader cares deeply about outside the context of the book. For example, someone with a new baby might want to read a memoir about parenthood or a science fiction novel about trying to raise the first generation of kids born in space.

Mentioning the broader social themes that are included in your work can help expand your reach, and net you readers you wouldn’t have expected.

Examples:

• LGBTQIA+ characters
• parenthood
• coming of age
• sibling rivalry

No really… what do you write?

Your assignment for this month is to describe your work in the Coffeehouse. Here’s a script:

Hi, I’m [name], and I’m a writer. I write [genre/subgenre] for [audience (if not adults)]. My latest project is [plot]. It’s like [comps].

Here’s an example distilled from everything above:

“Hi, I’m Christine, I’m a writer. I write soft science fiction, with a strong tendency to veer into f/f romance. My latest project is a novel about Anna, a young woman who was raised by her mother and older brother after her father died. It was a strict and circumscribed life, and now that she’s twenty-six she’s had enough of that, and of the small town she lives in. Anna wants, more than anything, to go to the Academy in Oas. But the airship she takes is hijacked by an organization called the Harbingers of Peace. If that wasn’t bad enough, one of the leaders is her ex-fiance! The book is a little like Horatio Hornblower, but in space.”

You can mix up the order to make it sound natural—keep your summary in your own voice—but try to include all the elements. Bonus points if you can work in any broader social themes!

About the author: