Everyday Canvas

Free-Flow: Genres, Books, etc.

Prompt: Free writing: Set a timer for 5 minutes and write about anything that comes to mind.

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Free-flow is my favorite type of writing, but I couldn’t get to it until now at 8:48 PM.

Five minutes ago, I came across a book that is purported to be a magical realism piece. Almost every day, I keep running into books that claim magical realism. If embedding concrete, factual details inside most fantastical descriptions is magical realism, then isn't all literature magical realism? How come literariness suddenly changes its name?

Then, take all the different kinds of romance novels or mystery. Who taught of splitting the genres into more genres? Aren’t we confused enough? I never think of a genre when I start writing. This means I write, even with an outline, without thinking of the genre. Still, even with an outline, sometimes ghosts sneak into the story or bedroom scenes or horror, Heaven forbid! Sometimes the story takes over and out goes the outline.

When we talk of originality, it might be the originality of the storyline or the originality of the writer's (story's) form, but if the work is truly original, the two go hand in hand. Style and content develop as one. If the characters are developed enough that the writer and the reader understand their world and their motivations, then no plot can take a wrong turn even if it consciously stays within a genre, but giving so much emphasis to genres constricts a writer’s creativity, I think.

As a marketing ploy, however, a genre can be useful, but pushing the authors into writing in any one genre goes against the freedom of a writer and his creativity.

As to reading, I do not prefer any one genre. I’ll read anything as long it has a literary bone in its body. If written from the heart and the writer is talented in putting words together, any genre is acceptable to me.

I don’t know why I began picking on genre-splitting in this free-flow. Maybe because recently I have been doing more reading than writing, as I can read anywhere, but I can write at only one place: my desk.

I am reading about ten books at the same time, no kidding. Some of them are from the library and others are from Amazon, and still others are print books. I am just about to finish Goldfinch by Donna Tart, a Pulitzer winner, no less. Good book. I got it in paperback from a used book place. Large book, too. 963 pages. I am at page 712. I am not too crazy at the way it is ending, although maybe it will get better, but the beginning was awesome.