How do I, branch out?

I recently wrote a short story about a man who takes over a village, and symbolically the world. Then I got hooked on it. I need help branching to other genres, styles, etc. Any tips/insight?

Hi,

I would say, just let your ideas flow freely onto the page. If you started in one style, it's best to stick with that style (for your reader's sake) as you go, so that it's easier for them to understand the language, dear.

As for genres, make all of it gradual, dear. If you're like... in Sci-fi, and want to make a jump to romance, make it smooth. Transitional; just take everything slowly.

If you're unsure on how to pace things, just imagine it in real life. Put yourself in either of the character's shoes, and record how you would feel in such a situation.

Because you've given us so little information about your story, it's a bit hard to tell what you need help on precisely, so! If you need any help, feel free to PM me. I'm sure I could help you out with a little bit more detail, dear.

Best wishes in your writing. ^_^

Juniper

Hey!
I write alot of fantasy fiction too, and it IS hard to get out of that rut... but definitely not impossible.
Try let your ideas take you places. If you have a romantic idea, write it down, work and expand on it. Try your best and work at improving your writing style in that particular field.
Also, try reading other people's work as an example. This doesn't mean copying their writing styles, but getting ideas from them, and finding out how to actually write the genre you're trying to write.
And the most important thing is to never give up. If you write something horrible at first, don't just immediately think you're horrible at it and continue with fantasy only. Being a bit bad at it at first is to be expected. It's something completely knew to you. But after a few tries, it should start becoming easier.
Hope I helped.

xxmimixx

It definitely helps to immerse yourself in different genres and styles. You can find heaps of book / story recommendations both here and everywhere else on the internet — it also helps to watch films and television shows and read comic books and pretty much anything with narrative. All of these things kind of meld together your understanding of genre and storytelling and style, and they help with giving insight not only in things you can do well, but things you can do poorly.

And just as much as you read all of these various genres/styles/etc., it's also really helpful to start purposely trying out new styles and genres. If you're used to writing third person fantasy, start writing first person horror. Start writing present tense. Limit your adjectives, or expand them. Experiment with your own writing technique.

And as with every piece of writing, it does help to post your experiments here and get feedback. Find out what works for readers, and what doesn't. (And, for that matter, find out what you enjoy writing and what you don't.) Try to remember the things that they like and that you like and put them in other stories that you write.

It's definitely easier said than done. But experimenting pretty much always strengthens your own writing. Good luck!

Good luck in transitioning into genres. That's something I'm always happy to do. One genre isn't really enough for me to write everything I'd like to write. Last year, at one point, I was so ambitious that I had planned on writing a novel for every kind of genre I could do before two years passed. That plan has failed, no thanks to the fact that I'm still stuck on the first novel...

but I'm rambling. A really good idea, like smaur has said, is to immerse youself in different worlds and times. It doesn't always have to be sci fi or fantasy setting. I suggest you look up the book Blood Meridian, which takes places in the 1850's, for example. Great book. It's not a typical western, not a typical anything. I suggest that book, The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson, and Saint by Ted Dekker, which is more modern-times, but it's an action thriller novel.

Don't be held back by genres. Look for stories all over the place. Blend ideas, blend times, etc. That's what makes the story so fascinating to create; you have all this space to start with, and plenty of time to work on it.

I'm wondering, when you're talking about "branching out," are you talking about putting sub-genres into your work? Or just putting some action into an otherwise pure magic story?

The thing is, subplots in different genres are simply mini-plots you have to work out. If you know how to write about character tensions, then you can write them on a more complicated scale. Throw a boy/girl friend into the mix and you've got a romantic subplot. Easy as that. And, often, just working those genres into your work is easier then writing something in a totally different genre. Although writing in different genres helps, it's not really needed.

When it comes to putting action in, just write it out. Fantasy and action pretty much go hand-in-hand, so just work on that.

Hope that helped!