We’ve all heard of method acting where the actor tries to fully inhabit the space of their character. So this is less about acting and more about just doing what your character would do. Presumably this gives a more realistic portrayal.
Method writing would be more of a universe thing. The author would try to inhabit the universe or the milieu and basically try everything that is in their book. So how is method writing affected by all of the genres that it is in? Let’s have a look.
A romance method writer might have to have a lot of dalliances and affairs. Thus I don’t ever recommend marriage to method romance writers unless they’re honest and agree to an open marriage. It wouldn’t hurt to try to be up on STDs and proper protection.
Fantasy method writers, practically by definition, can’t really exist. The closest thing I can see is those who are lucid dreamers writing only about their dreams. Or drug users writing about their trips. Perhaps we’ll see more complete Xanadus. These method writers would be the most likely to be drug addicts.
Science fiction writers like to explore technological milieus we have never seen. These would be impossible to method write about. But, it’s just slightly possible that would-be method science fiction writers are trying to be abducted by aliens right now.
Method murder mystery writers would be of special interest to the cops. So expect these writers to not yell it from the rooftops what they are. Imagine getting proof of one of these scum having murdered someone. You could easily prove first degree murder simply by using one of their books as a guide. There would be little to no doubt.
The horror fiction of a method writer would be less about the supernatural and more about the grotesque. If I heard someone was a method horror writer, I would give them a wide, wide berth.
How about method literature writers? Those slice of life authors could be anyone. Precisely because they could be anyone, they are boring beyond belief. As are their books. Maybe their characters will impress you. But because it’s slice of life stuff, you’ve undoubtedly tripped over the characters before in other stories.
