Platforms! Niches! Genres! Oh My! by Author Holly Michael

After years of working in diverse areas as a nonfiction writer—journalist, ghostwriter, newspaper features writer, editor—I dove into fiction writing without a platform. Gasp! Without a platform! 

I just thought I could write a book. Wrong! The books on how to write books spoke of platforms, niches, genres. 

As a hybrid—Fiction and Nonfiction—author, I didn’t have a niche. And worse, Crooked Lines didn’t fit into any genre. I had the general market in mind, but after publishing Crooked Lines, I’ve had reviewers on Amazon call it: Literary Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance, and even “a book that can’t be assigned to any genre.” 

So….was I doomed? 

Hope not! 

Backing up….While writing Crooked Lines, I decided to at least try to get a platform going by starting a blog. But what kind of a blog? Everyone was doing writing blogs. Without a defined genre, I wasn’t sure what to do.  

I ended up naming my blog Holly Michael’s Writing Straight @ www.writingstraight.com Writing Straight is from the maxim: God Writes Straight with Crooked lines. Crooked Lines, of course, being the title of my first novel. Through life’s crooked lines and learning curves, people are the dots that connect. I wanted to create a website to connect people and to inspire and share about life and writing. 

Sometimes I blog about family, sometimes faith, sometimes my books, sometimes travel, and sometimes football. Yes, football. So, I have a blog, but it’s not really a platform. BUT…..maybe it is. See, here’s how I tied it all together (at least in my mind)… 

Faith, Family, Travel, Football: I have a traditionally published devotional coming out in 2015 co-authored with my son, an NFL player who is also a type 1 diabetic. My fiction is spiritually themed. My husband is an Anglican Bishop. We travel a lot and the locations we travel to become settings in my books. 

So, my point in this article is that you just need to write what you want. I understand the plusses of having a platform, niche, and genre, but if you don’t, it’s okay. The writing police won’t arrest you. First, write what you love and write it well. If you find you can write to a niche and genre, all the better. Your platform is ready made. Get your blog going, and blog away. But if you’re like me, an ADD hybrid author who’s all over the place, it’ll all work out fine. So far, it’s working for me.

I’m a kaleidoscope, twisted and turned by the hand of God through a beautiful life of writing, traveling, and other incredible opportunities. I’m the wife of Rt. Rev. Leo Michael, an Anglican Bishop in the Holy Catholic Church-Anglican Rite. Mom to three great kids: Sweet Betsy and my two #81’s: Jake Byrne (San Diego Chargers) and Nick Byrne (Ragin Cajuns). I’ve been blessed to be able to travel extensively across the United States and internationally to India, England, Scotland, and Canada.


Make sure to stop by Friday for a chance to win a free copy of Holly's novel Crooked Lines!

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Genre Gelato!

At the risk of infringing upon Sandra's poll posts, I put together a short survey to see what sorts of genres/styles of books you enjoy most. (I'll admit it - I had a little bit of "writer's block," and a survey seemed like a fun way out of that scary place...) Plus, I've been focusing more on reviews this month, with reviews of a children's book and an autobiography posted the last two Mondays and a YA review to come soon.

So, I'd like to know if you're enjoying these varied reviews or if you're longing for some more romance, suspense, etc. Don't be shy! (And pardon the survey title... "Genre Gelato" just sounded really cool, although we're probably all going to start craving some sort of frozen dessert after this!)

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Characterization 101-Personalities (and how to drive your characters crazy!)

You know those people who drive you crazy? Yeah? Well, you need to have some of them in your book. You see, variety is key to a good story. It also helps set up personality conflicts. Know what I mean? Think Odd Couple. Oy, I just dated myself. But truly, Felix Unger and his polar opposite are the perfect example of a way to generate conflict using characterization.

Just like marriage is the blending of two personalities, fictional characters (especially in romance) should also discover ways to reconcile their differences. To learn the give and take of seeing things through someone else's eyes. Eventually, in your writing, if you work at it enough, the swapping of personality strengths and weaknesses between your characters will begin to make them multi-dimensional. Real.

Opposites *do* attract. Iron sharpeneth iron, and all that. In a romance particularly, and really in any genre, though to a lesser extent, these conflicts of personality can be an integral part of your story arc and produce many hurdles for the protaganist to overcome.

Think of the angst of someone who wants to learn to "get along" with someone else but doesn't know exactly how to go about it. What happens to this person? One of two things. Either he learns the process, or he gives up.

Characters who resist any chance at getting to know others (anti-social) can also be an interesting twist. Thrillers employ this type of character trait all the time in their villains.

What is one of the most interesting play of personalities that you've read in fiction?

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