This episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick is a park cast! It’s just too hot and stuffy in the lush (as in swampy) and lavish studios of MWS Media, so I recorded this one strolling around a big local park. Enjoy the ambience as I talk about how and why new fiction writers (heck, all fiction writers) must avoid the pit of mediocrity that is tropes and genre expectations.
Do you want your fiction to be known for what it’s similar to? Or do you want people to hold up your work as the new standard? Just say nope to tropes, and write from your heart and soul.
“If you make cookies with cookie cutters, your cookies will look just like the cookies from everyone else who bought those cookie cutters.”
What do you think? Leave a comment; let’s talk about it!
Links and Topics Mentioned in This Episode
- My new non-fiction book for writers, Indie Author Marketing Infrastructure, comes out on August 30, 2022 everywhere you buy e-books. Click that link and buy direct from me!
- Mentioned around the nine minute, thirty second mark: Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick 043: “Writing is Hard.”
- I cite a quote attributed to Orson Welles: “The absence of limitation is the enemy of art.”
- Want to go waaaaay down the rabbit hole of tropes? Check out TVTropes.org.
- My (far as I know) trope-less fantasy novel is Light of the Outsider. You should read it.
- My very trope-y first novel is Brave Men Run. Lots of people have read it. You should, too!
- My second novel, a follow-up to my first, is far less trope-y and reflects my growing maturity and ability as a writer. It’s called Pilgrimage, and you should read it, too!
- Authors I mention off the top of my head whose work defines a genre rather than being defined by a genre: Leo Tolstoy. Anton Chekhov. O Henry. Raymond Chandler. Ursula K. Le Guin. Ray Bradbury.
- My patron community receives the uncut, unedited version of every episode. For this episode, they’re privy to almost fifteen minutes of extra content! Want in on that? Become a patron for at least $5.00 per month (cancel any time).
This episode was made possible in part by the patronage of listeners like you, including J. C. Hutchins and Ted Leonhardt. In my park-wandering state of mind, I didn’t mention them in the original recording and so inserted my grateful thanks “in post.” Want to support the show and be listed in the credits, plus get lots of other goodies, perks, and exclusive access? Become a patron — and join at the Paramount tier before August 31, 2022 to get $100 worth of digital books, audiobooks, and music!
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