Genesis of a Writer

Genesis. The beginning of everything. In Genesis 1 in the bible, the creation of the universe began when God said “let there be light.”

So what does genesis have to do with writing? For writers, there is  a specific pinpoint that contributes to the creation of stories. Whole worlds, although imagined, made alive with pen and paper. And made the more beautiful and intriguing as not all creation stories behind the story are the same.

The genesis of a book is something that always interested me. It’s a question I love asking authors when I take part in their blog tours. For many, the story came from a muse whispering in their ear or a suggestion made by others. I find it fascinating to learn more about the story behind the story.

JK Rowling created the Harry Potter because of a delayed train. And wrote out the idea for the series on a napkin. The Hunger Games creation story was influenced by reality TV shows. Roman gladiator games and the Greek myth of the Minotaur.

The genesis of my own WIP supernatural novel Nadia the Fire Witch (tentative title) came from a dream. Where a girl risks her identity as a witch to save a friend. Just thought she was too bada** to let her stay inside a dream. My urban fantasy novella The Soul Traveler is also based on a dream. And the genesis of my epic fantasy Harbinger of El Tinor (in hiatus) happened while waiting for a delayed train. Hmm, isn’t that a similar situation to someone?

Anyways, there’s a story behind every story. And I’d like to know more about your story(s) ‘let there be light’ moment. Care to share the where, when, how, etc?

The Hunger Games, Genre, and Confusion

As most of our followers know, the movie version of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games opens in theaters today. If you haven't read the book, you are missing out on a helluva roller coaster ride.

My confusion stems from the book’s genre. 

In my opinion, the genre doesn’t fit. Yes, the age of the MC is correct for YA. But the Voice? 

IMO, ah, not so much.

Others would say the violence, teens killing teens on ‘reality TV’, is a point against the YA designation. But with so are many examples of drug use, explicit sex, and murder in other popular tomes, I don’t see this as an argument.

According to several agents, Voice is the key to whether a book is adult or YA. The MC in Hunger Games, Katniss, speaks in adult tone and manner and therefore the book is not YA. What do you think?

I’ll see Hunger Games next week after the crowds thin out a bit. One thing I’m curious about is how it made the transition from page to screen. The books were *sigh* fantastic but after a director gets a hold of a book and the screenwriter and the producer and the actors, well, boy howdy things can go downhill fast. 

Twilight is an excellent example of this kind of face plant. I loved the books. No. That is too ordinary. I lived and breathed those books. Yes I realize as a debut author, Ms. Meyer’s writing was not all it could be. Which she acknowledged. But I never skipped pages/paragraphs as I do with nearly all books. I read every word. Several times. Actually double digits even.

But the movies. *groan* Horrible acting combined with a stumbling script equals Cee R A Pee.

The Harry Potter movies are the other extreme. Great acting. Excellent direction. 

And Holy Cannoli, could you find anyone other than Alan Rickman to play Snape? I tell ya, he shoulda received an Oscar nomination for his performance.

My question to our followers who have read Hunger Games:

Is it YA? Or adult? Are you going to see it?