SIA Showcase for Readers and Writers discussion

Hello and welcome to my little corner.

I write in a number of genres, but Literary Fiction is my favorite. I also do a lot in humor and a bit in the paranormal, horror, romance, light science fantasy and non-fiction. It is one of my dreams to one day have at least one published work in nearly every genre you can imagine.

Another goal is to one day be remembered for a genre of my own invention - the crop opera. My first published novel, Rave On is a romantic musical comedy that heavily features two farms. I have a few other novels in the works, including Suckers & Rogues, The Arteest and Juniper Jude, all of which feature characters living and/or working on farms.

My favorite of yours that I've read so far was Happy Clown Burger #1. Brilliant that each story is 1000 words. You are a master of humor. :)

Crop opera? I'm interested. Tell me more.

Crop opera! I love it! We will make this a thing! Just wait until I'm back in full in spamwhack mode on Twitter.

They sing about corn! And legumes!

Crop Opera is sung to the tune of Rock Lobster.
(Just for reference)
♪♫

Thanks for the earworm, CB....

Christina wrote: "Crop opera! I love it! We will make this a thing! Just wait until I'm back in full in spamwhack mode on Twitter."

And wait until at least one more novel is out. Then, yes, I want to make it a thing. Hope to have one of the novels done by this summer. Maybe two. Juniper Jude is fairly short, for a novel.

Thomas wrote: "Crop opera?"

Yeah, when it comes to novels, I seem to always come up with ideas wherein at least one character lives on a farm or works on a farm. There's generally tales of family drama, hardships with friends, problems with work, love stories, etc. all through them... so, instead of soap operas, I call them crop operas.

Ain't nothing wrong with farmers. They tend to scrub up quite well too...

Dwayne wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Crop opera?"

Yeah, when it comes to novels, I seem to always come up with ideas wherein at least one character lives on a farm or works on a farm. There's generally tales of family ..."

Ah ha. So it was really self explanatory. My brain was like "nah, that's too easy of an answer, there must be something else". I was thinking an actual opera, something like singing farm workers. Les Misérables...on the farm. :D

Thomas wrote: "I was thinking an actual opera, something like singing farm workers."

Well... in Rave On Del plays guitar and sings in a rockabilly band. Sometimes the kids in Suckers & Rogues break out in song, but not opera. More like tunes by The Rolling Stones and The Doors.

Missy wrote: "My favorite of yours that I've read so far was Happy Clown Burger #1. "

Those are fun to write, too. I need to get that series completed in 2017.

Jane wrote: "Ain't nothing wrong with farmers. "

Well... I've known some great farmers and some... not so great.

Oh, snap! I missed this thread!!

*commences self-flagellation*
*offers apologetic cookies*

Hello, Mr Dwayne XD

Some of the nicest peeps I know are farmers. Might just be an Alberta thing though LOL

Hi Dwayne! Your upcoming books sound awesome!

Cropera?

Marie Silk wrote: "Cropera?"

*giggle*

Annie wrote: "Hello, Mr Dwayne XD

Some of the nicest peeps I know are farmers. "

Hello, Ms. Annie!

I have known some really nice farmers. And I've known some farmers who were creeps.

Check out Mr. Meeker if you haven't read it yet. Still one of my favs from Dewayne here.

Riley wrote: "Check out Mr. Meeker if you haven't read it yet. Still one of my favs from Dewayne here."

Thank you, sir!

I can't even pick a favorite, to be honest, but Rave On is one of the best novels I've read this year. AND, it's up for best book of 2016 over at Read Freely, so you should all vote for it! http://www.readfree.ly/50-best-indie-...

Question for Dwayne.

What is literary fiction? Am not being snide. It is just a brain worm

Good question, Jane. I've looked up the definition a few times but it still has me scratching my head :) probably best to ask someone who writes it!

Literary Fiction is... the hardest damn genre to define.

*snicker*

Okay, literary fiction and general fiction are terms that are often times assigned to works that do not really fit into any genre. Or, they are works that cross over several genres at the same time. Not everything I do is literary fiction. We Fear The Living is a ghost story that ends in a grisly death for several characters, so I classified it as horror. Happy Clown Burger was written primarily to make people giggle, so I classified it as humor. But, stuff like Austism and Rave On are mostly about ordinary folk with fairly ordinary lives and do not really work in any genre, so I call them literary fiction.

Bottom line, I don't really want to pigeon-hole myself into one particular genre and so I usually refer to myself as a writer of literary fiction.

Thanks for asking, Jane and Marie! I hope I made the mud just a little less muddy.

Going to add this in connection with the comment above. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a perfect example of Literary Fiction, general fiction, general literature, Fictionary Generature or any other name it goes by.

How do you classify that book? In modern terms of genre, it could easily fit into adventure, coming-of-age, humor, young adult or children's lit. It also contains elements of romance, horror, western, mystery and courtroom drama. Some of it is quite satirical. And, so, it is called general fiction.

That's kinda what I thought Dwayne. It makes sense.

More sense than the idea that literary fiction is somehow 'better' than any other genre, which is a point of view I have encountered elsewhere. Which was what gave me the brain worm.

Thanks for beating the darn thing to death...

Christina wrote: "I can't even pick a favorite, to be honest, but Rave On is one of the best novels I've read this year. AND, it's up for best book of 2016 over at Read Freely, so you should all vote..."

Yeah! I'm glad you brought that up. This is the prime place to pimp that and it didn't even occur to me. Thanks!

V.M. wrote: "The Six People You Meet In Creative Writing Workshop. "

Thank you for the kind words. I'm not sure it needs to be taught anywhere, but I will say it was one of the funnest stories I've ever done. Working hard on a third installment in the Ben-Ambrosia series, which could go on forever, I think.

Jane wrote: "That's kinda what I thought Dwayne. It makes sense.

More sense than the idea that literary fiction is somehow 'better' than any other genre..."

I can see that. But, I don't, personally, believe any genre is better than any other. I don't "should" at authors much, but in this case I would say an author should work in the genres he / she is most interested and feels they have the most talent. I don't think I could ever write a decent hard science fiction story, for example, but if someone has a strong interest in it and understands the science behind what they're writing, go for it.

Hi Dwayne!! Hugging the stuffing out of you and others. Bill me for the overage on the SIA maintenance budget. Hugs!!

Sam (Rescue Dog Mom & Writer) formerly known as Sue wrote: "Hi Dwayne!! Hugging the stuffing out of you and others. Bill me for the overage on the SIA maintenance budget. Hugs!!"

Oh, for Pete's sake. Look at this mess. Stuffing everywhere.

*hugs ya Su... Sam."

*blushes and smiles* He likes me, Dwayne likes me? Squee!!"
Hugs... mess... hugs... smiles!!

Call her Suam. I really want to make Suam happen. ;P

Hi Dwayne! Thanks for the vocab lesson!! I had wondered myself what constituted Literary Fiction and General Fiction. Good to know there really is very little difference between them! You learn something new everyday!!!

Ember wrote: "Hi Dwayne! Thanks for the vocab lesson!! I had wondered myself what constituted Literary Fiction and General Fiction. Good to know there really is very little difference between them..."

Well, I have seen some people try to make a distinction, but in the end they seem to be pretty much the same. Some will say that "literary" puts more emphasis on style than the actual story. But, in the end, I don't think there's a huge difference.

hmmm I can see that but at the same time I tend to agree with you in that the way you describe they seem really similar! I know as a reader I don't really look for a certain writing style I look for characters and storylines that interest me most! As a writer I think everyone's style is different and can't be lumped into one style or another but that's just me! I could be wrong!

Dwayne wrote: "Well, I have seen some people try to make a distinction, but in the end they seem to be pretty much the same. Some will say that "literary" puts more emphasis on style than the actual story. But, in the end, I don't think there's a huge difference. ...."

I asked that very question a while ago to a good friend who is both an author and professor of literature. Her answer was the literary fiction is basically what a publisher says it is and what a "respected" review publication then agrees it is. So there is no firm distinction and no criteria as to what makes a work "literary fiction" vs general fiction or something else.

I've decided to change the title to General Fiction. There are some, as Jane pointed out, who look at Literary Fiction as being something a bit hoity-toity and that it's somehow above other literature. I don't want to give the impression to potential new readers that I'm not approachable and that I think my work is "all that". Artsy-fartsy? Sure. Sometimes. Better? No. I just do what other writers do. I type out the kind of stories I like to read.

I came upon this decision just moments ago while I was working on a book I'm calling Ambrosia Corazon-Reine's Writing It Right For Writers. I'm in a section in which Ambrosia, a snooty author, is taking swipes at another snooty author of my creation, Rufus Moran. And I thought, "God I hope I'm not as pretentious as these two assholes."

Dwayne, I'm sorry, but if you don't want to give the impression that you're hoity-toity, then why are you wearing your formal dress bathrobe in that picture? I mean seriously! The rest of us are just chilling it here in our every day bathrobes, but no, you had to wear the one that denotes you as a scholar, a wizard, and a hoity from the realm of toity.

Also, I'm sorry to tell you this, but when it comes to fictional jackass authors, I'm team Ambrosia all the way.

I'm not picking sides yet, but I can't wait to read this book.

Only one word to say: Autism ('nouf said!)

Literary vs general
I have to admit that I tend to look elsewhere when I see literary, which doesn't happen with general. Don't know why. Always been like that.

Christina wrote: "Dwayne, I'm sorry, but if you don't want to give the impression that you're hoity-toity, then why are you wearing your formal dress bathrobe in that picture?"

What? The one I bought on sale at Walmart? I think the yodelin' hat and the Vonnegut doll cost more than that robe.

Christina wrote: "Also, I'm sorry to tell you this, but when it comes to fictional jackass authors, I'm team Ambrosia all the way."

And you don't even know Rufus Moran the way I do. But, you've chosen wisely. She's bitter, going mad from being alone far too much, drinking too much and probably suffering from dementia. Moran has always been a pompous ass.

By the way, when my heavy weekend is over, I have something fun to share with everyone... I found a photo online of my former instructor, the one that inspired the character of Ambrosia (she was not quite as pretentious, though).

J. Daniel wrote: "I'm not picking sides yet, but I can't wait to read this book."

The rough draft is around 15K. I'm trying for 20 to 50K.

G.G. wrote: "Only one word to say: Autism ('nouf said!)

Literary vs general
I have to admit that I tend to look elsewhere when I see literary..."

Austism is still a personal favorite of mine, too. Thank you!

I think a lot of people do. If everything I did was all artsy-fartsy I might not care, but I would say only a small portion of what I write falls into that category. Most of it is silly brain candy or ghost stories and the like.

May I ask a question? Not sure why I ask because OF COURSE, I'm gonna do it just the same. :P

Which one(s) of your stories do you consider literary as opposed to general fiction?

Dwayne wrote: "And you don't even know Rufus Moran the way I do."

For some reason, which actually has nothing to do with the Six People title, I imagine Rufus to be a Mitch Albom type and that's enough to make me team Ambrosia even without the fact that I aspired to be her at one point.

Oh no, glitch in the Matrix!

I hate when that happens!

Oh, sure, fix your double post so now my post doesn't make sense. This is why you're the mean mod.

A crop opera? Wow. That's an interesting idea. It appeals to my quirky sense of humor.