How do you decide on what genre to write in? It should be a genre you can stand to read, first of all. You're going to be spending a lot of time reading what you've written, simply from rewriting and editing, and if you can't stand to read it, how the hell are you going to be able to slog your way through that, right?
Having said that, if you read as omnivorously as I do, you may run into the same problem I have: OK, I read several different genres and can see myself writing in any number of them, which do I pick? I'm perfectly comfortable writing horror, psychological thrillers, fantasy, spy stories and I've even been kicking around a western in my mind for the past couple of days.
Every book I've read seems to suggest picking one and sticking with it, to which I ask Why?! Why should I restrict myself to just one genre when I feel comfortable writing multiple? I see authors that jump genres all the time; some going from suspense/thriller to YA in the blink of an eye.
Now, to be honest, I can see the appeal of sticking to one genre, at least at first: you don't have to force your mind into another track with each story. Let me give a for instance. At this moment, I have 9 stories going, spanning 4 different genres. Each time I go to work on one of the stories, I have to force my mind into the track of the genre and story.
It's kind of like a train switching rails, or perhaps more appropriately, jumping from one set of tracks to another. It's difficult but if you can do it, more power to you.
