Putting Story Before Genre and Finding the Best Audience Fit for Your Novel

When author Valerie Willis started writing the first book in her Cedric the Demonic Knight dark fantasy series, she didn't know much about the different fiction genres and subgenres. She only knew the story she wanted to tell. As a writing teacher, Willis believes that what is most important is to get that story down and let it speak for itself. A book's genre and/or subgenre can be determined once the writer is ready to begin revisions and editing, Willis says. A writer can then decide if changes...