Genre trouble

I have completed the full draft of my novella for Rowan University Writing Arts thesis.  The draft still must be looked over by both advisors but I am thinking that the text should not be too problematic.  

 I was describing the novella to a friend of mine in which I could not pin point the genre of the piece.  I have been told by professors that this is a good thing (Genre fiction is the Devil. Formulaic stories are not well written stories); however, now I do not know how to describe the story and more importantly, I do not know which publishers/agents to send the material.  Presently, it seems that the novella is too dark for literary fiction and too deep to be considered horror. 

Literary psychological horror, maybe? 

Writing: completion is a mean to begin again.

Recently, I am finding it difficult to focus on my thesis novella.  I am not sick of the story or discouraged by repetitive editing.  Quite the contrary.  I am satisfied with the plot and in love with the characters and tone.  I want to be finished with the novella so I can graduate: an obvious advantage. However, another pressing desire that constantly raps on my brain is the desire to sink my teeth into another project. 

I am not a fan of pending projects.  When I find something that needs to be done, I do it. If I do not complete a task, I become perturbed.  Pending writing causes me extreme anxiety: when I have an idea and an idea on how to express an idea, I wish to churn out a final product.  An idea wandering aimless in my mind or sittting static on a draftboard is merely a tease.   

Therefore, I find myself thinking constantly about my new project (Note: I would explain the novel idea, but being a private person who is mistrustful of the public internet medium, I fear someone – not in WEC, but in the internet community – will steal the idea).  I actually find myself active researching the new project: buying books, running internet searches, and browsing my own library.   

 Summer is right around the corner.  Although summer should be a time to rest, the time excites me because it is a time to work on individual projects: editing an existing novel, beginning a new novel, trying to sell my thesis novella, and starting and completing three short stories all sit on my plate for this summer.  All of these projects look up at me with eager eyes, waiting to be devoured.  And my stomach is really starting to growl.

 

Thesis sorrows

                             

I am writing a novella for my thesis for the Writing Arts M.A. The story is becoming very dear to me – it has become an extension of myself. After sitting at a computer for hours reworking a scene, sometimes professors disagree with aspects of the work (Should that scene go here? This dialogue needs to be summerized.  Why did you choose this character’s name?, etc.)  Sometimes they utter the dreaded words :  “I don’t think this part is necessary”.  The “part” is half of a chapter. Ten pages.  I love the scene.  Others (critical reader/writers included) have enjoyed the scene.  My thesis advisor didn’t seem to mind the scene.  

 I am now confused on what to do.  I am a perfectionist and the seemingly perfect chapter is now deemed well written but infectious to the narrative drive.

I value the particular professor’s advice; I cling to his knowledge like ambrosia given from the gods.  If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be in this situation.   I think I’m keeping the scene.  I’m just going to rework it.

My fictional writing style is somewhere between Dostoyevski and Leisure Books – that is, between rich symbolic literature and dialogue based dark fiction.  I am trying to marry the two styles.  Professors enjoy the symbolic literature style and outside readers enjoy the dialogue based style. So I guess I am going to piss off both parties and do both.