Thursday, December 13, 2012

Thursday Thoughts

I am often asked by readers how I can write in more than one genre. In some literary circles, authors have informed audiences that it isn't "possible" for an author to be successful in more than one genre. I write in four: non-fiction (computer), historical adventure/suspense, contemporary suspense (some of which contain more romance and paranormal elements) and how-to books for authors.

But consider this: Isaac Asimov, considered brilliant by nearly everyone who knows of him, wrote in all ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System:

Computer Science/ Information Science
Philosophy and Psychology
Religion
Social Sciences
Language
Science
Technology
Arts
Literature
History, Geography & Biology

He may be known as the Father of Science Fiction but in more than 500 books, he clearly showed the world that he could write on any subject - and he was fluent in them all.

In the area of fiction, he not only wrote science fiction but he also wrote mysteries and suspense. Much of what he wrote as fiction was based on solid scientific principles, many of them in their infancy at the time of his writings.

If you are a writer, do you write in more than one genre or have you selected one in which to make your mark? As a reader, do you enjoy reading various genres from the same author or do you find it confusing?