A friend tells me of a pattern she sees in literary genres. "The best-selling author in a genre usually writes either a simple pop version--schlock--or humor, parodying the schlock. Either way, it's broadly entertaining stuff anyone can get. Second best-selling: a creative eccentric who violates every rule of the genre and only gets crammed into it by marketers, for their convenience. Third: a master of the genre's tropes--doing on a highbrow level all that the #1 schlockmeister does lowbrow and #2 ignores. The exact order varies, but you'll normally find these three clustered near the top...

"They aren't personalities: they're NICHES."

I think about the genres I know. How about fantasy? JK Rowling fits the pop niche--the world's only billionaire author. Though she got more serious, the Harry Potter craze arose from the broad humor of the early books. #2 might be Neil Gaiman, using fantasy tropes for his own kooky purposes; and Terry Pratchett is a mix of 1 and 2--eccentric humor but with serious overtones. Then you get a cluster of serious writers--Tolkien, Le Guin, Peter Beagle, Patricia McKillip, Diana Wynne Jones--masters using fantasy tropes, but thoughtful writers equal to mainstream masters--even if mainstream critics condescend. They make a living, though they're not rich. In their niche.

"So there's no wrong way!" I blurt. "Many approaches will work."

And I wake.

NEXT MORNING

• ACTION: Quit trying to fit genre or marketing requirements. There are none. Booksellers and publicists will label you as they please--after the fact. Just write! My work is fine as it is.

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