Often something new is a combination of two existing things. One example in the writing world comes from author Spencer Quinn. He combined dog books with mysteries. He’s now on the fourth novel in the Chet and Bernie mystery series.
Bernie is the private eye, Chet is his big mixed-breed dog, whose thoughts we get to hear. Notice which one gets first billing.
The fourth novel in the series is “The Dog Who Knew Too Much” and it’s about the search for a lost boy. As you might guess, there’s a lot of humour as well as the darker notion of a missing child.
Whether or not this is your cup of tea, the point is that Quinn has come up with a nice twist on the mystery genre—and it’s working.
Another example is the work of Terry Odell (“When Danger Calls”). In the Writers Knowledge Base Newsletter, she says, “I like to think of my books as "Mysteries with Relationships" although the publishing industry calls them Romantic Suspense. I think with the explosion of the indie market, it's easier to blend genres. Readers like a wider variety of genres and subject matter than the NY print publishers are willing to risk money on. I have one 'straight' mystery that was rejected by publishers because they said it was a blend of police procedural and cozy. I'm seriously considering publishing that one myself, because I think readers won't mind the crossover.”
What twist could you add to your writing that could expand its appeal?
(Want more ways to come up with fresh ideas? Get a copy of my book, "Creativity Now!". It's published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other booksellers now.)
