Writing Meme Day 8

[erastes]

8. What's your favorite genre to write? To read?

To Write: Well – I suppose I’d have to say gay fiction!  LOL!  As said in an earlier post, I did try and write kid’s books and or YA historical fantasy but they just didn’t work out, and when I discovered slash fanfiction something opened the flood gates and I found my niche. 

My mother for one was often saying that “it was good as practice, but she was sure I’d start writing proper fiction one day.” But I think I am writing proper fiction, and historical fiction despite some people thinking that I’m doing it Rong. I find gay historical fiction endlessly satisfying and enthralling to write because of the restrictions that my guys have.  I haven’t yet written in an era where it was more acceptable, like Greece, and I don’t think I will, others do it far better than I could.

To Read: I’m hugely catholic in my tastes for reading and will try just about anything. Until I got on the net I was very cautious in my reading – I never went and ordered a load of unknown (to me) authors from the library – and I stuck to fantasy/sci-fi/classics/historical murder mysteries. Now I take recommendations from people and will try many fantasy books that I would never have tried (I was badly scarred by reading the Shannara series – oh – and anything after Dune Messiah…*trembles with Herbert related shellshock *  I love Heinlein first and foremost and I DON’T CARE that he’s right wing. Tolkein, Christie, Sayers, Pohl, some Asimov, (the earlier stuff), Austen, Dickens, = well, just about any classic author you can think of and books, from Candide to The Twilight Barking to Mary Poppins to The Borrowers to Dostoevsky. I adore well written kid’s books and made a crusade to buy all the books I had as a child, Noel Streatfield, Edith Nesbit, Frances Hodgson Burnett. I never liked Dahl, and mother wouldn’t buy me Blyton so I had to read them in secret. Potter? Up to book 3.

I don’t actually read a lot of gay fiction, but I do read a fair bit of gay historical fiction for review purposes obviously.  I wish that was more of a pleasure and less of a “job” though – I have to say.

- - and I do apologise for my Dog Poo dragon. Most… unfortunate.

Comments

[tiggothy.livejournal.com]

You mean I'm not the only person* who likes Heinlein? YAY!

*outside of my family. It was, after all, on my Dad's bookshelf that I first came across Citizen of the Galaxy and Double Star

[erastes.livejournal.com]

You me and countrygirl! :)

[countrygirlxxoo.livejournal.com]

Heinlein is one of my favorite authors of all time. I've read every book he's ever written, and own most of them as well. I first discovered his young adult adventures, then the more adult works as I grew older. My favorites are his future history books. I bet I've read The Number of the Beast at least 20 times. It never gets old. I just about cried when I saw Starship Troopers and realized how much they had mangled RAH's book to (very loosely) base that piece of garbage on.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

absolutely agree - i had no idea until quite recently that the younger protag novels were marketed as YA books - i never saw them as that, but love them all. Podkayne and Willis and all the great characters. My favourite is Time Enough for Love. read it when i was 17 and have never recovered from it.

[countrygirlxxoo.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. I was about 16 or 17 when I read The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. It was the first of his adult books I read. I quickly hunted down the rest of his future history books and read them before I was 20. Like you, I've never recovered from it (and don't want to). I really can't pick a favorite. It's a tie between Time Enough For Love, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, To Sail Beyond The Sunset, and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. They made a 3 part cartoon called The Red Planet and adapted from his book, that actually turned out really well and followed the book closely. I was lucky enough to record it on VHS from the TV and recorded it onto a DVD when my brother got a VHS to DVD machine. Some enterprising soul has split it up into 10 parts and posted it to youtube. Here is the link to part 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_GHFeXrRFY

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Heinlein was always a fine writer and I'd have died of boredom when I was stuck in a small town for 6 months if the library hadn't had all his juveniles.

I like the first Wyvvern of Spring. And hey, maybe Dogpoo will improve with age.. as long as you stay upwind.