Thoughts On Selecting Genre For Your Story

I’ve been busy over the summer editing The Bookfinder, working on some exciting creative projects and developing more creative writing workshops. Recently, I’ve been working on a new online workshop about genre and setting, and I thought it would be useful to write a post for anyone who has a story to tell, but who can't decide what genre they want to write in, or for anyone who wants to try a new genre and isn’t quite sure where to start.

Some writers have a favourite genre and stick to it religiously, with a brief foray here and there into others. Some writers like to work with a few different genres or even fuse genres together. Think zombies with Jane Austen to create historical horror!

Readers too can be drawn to the same genre time and time again, as well as be open to exploring different genres if the story is enticing enough.

Genres are simply windows on reality; various ways for the writer to look at life.

Robert McKee - Story

When thinking about genre, it’s good to be aware that each one has its own cliches and tropes – basically, conventions that are typically included. These can be a figure of speech, theme, image, character, or plot element that’s been used many times, such as the reluctant hero. In some ways, these tropes are unavoidable because they’re the cornerstones of each genre, but the key is recognising them and working with them in new and exciting ways. Here’s a few classic examples you may recognise:

• Race against time – a deadline, the arrival of reinforcements or something else that the characters have to struggle against or hold out for. The subliminal or literal ticking clock adds pressure and ramps up dramatic tension.

• The mentor is an archetype in stories and can be presented to the reader with any one of a number of tropes, such as a long white beard to convoy wisdom through age and experience.

• The love triangle.

• Enemies who become friends through a dramatic shared experience.

• The hard-boiled detective who lives on the ‘mean streets’ of a city where death is a part of life, who has to balance day to day survival with a desire to ensure justice.

• Redemption or atonement, sometimes through a ‘noble death.’

• Good cop/bad cop.

If you want to explore genre, a good starting point is reading a few novels written in the genre you’re drawn to (hello research, my old friend!) and make a note of the different elements, like established point of view, character arcs and handling of time.

Then ask yourself – how effective is the story being told with the tropes of a detective story or a fantasy to ensure the genre expectations are met while using them in original ways? What makes the story a compelling and fresh addition to the genre? Or if it seems formulaic or predictable, why do you think that is? Too many cliches? Too easy to work out in advance what's going to happen?

As a fun exercise, why not write a simple short opening paragraph and then rewrite it in different genre styles to see what works best for you? I tried this once when I had writer’s block and wanted to gain a new perspective, and it opened up fresh ideas and possibilities for stories I hadn't considered before.

To help, here’s a brief outline of some genres and a few examples you might want to read. Each genre can have a multitude of sub-genres too:

Action Adventure

Fast-paced, with mounting tension and a ticking clock, the protagonist is in physical danger through a series of thrilling near misses, courageous acts and daring feats. When the climax is reached, it’s a relief for the reader. Examples - Treasure Island, The Count of Monte Cristo, Kidnapped, Master and Commander, The Three Musketeers.

Family Saga

On-going stories of two or more generations of a family with a plot that revolves around aspects like business, acquisition, property, adventures and family curses. They're primarily historical, often with the resolution in a contemporary setting. Examples - The House of the Spirits, White Teeth, Roots, Rich Man, Poor Man, Poldark

Fantasy

While sci-fi deals with universes, fantasy deals with kingdoms, featuring myths, magic-based concepts and otherworldly ideas. There’s a lot of work involved with world building and they can often utilise historical settings like The Dark Ages. George R.R Martin was inspired to mine British history for ideas when creating A Song of Ice & Fire/Game of Thrones. There are also a lot of sub-genres and specific terminology. Examples - Lord of the Rings, Gormenghast, Rivers of London, The City & The City, A Discovery of Witches

Historical

Fictional stories which take place against factual historical backdrops where important historical figures are portrayed as fictional characters. Historical Romance is a popular sub-genre that involves a conflicted love relationship in a factual historical setting. Examples - Wolf Hall, Pillars of the Earth, I Claudius, War & Peace, Memoirs of a Geisha

Horror/Paranormal/Ghost

High-pitched, scary stories involving pursuit and escape, with the protagonist having to overcome supernatural, demonic beings or occult antagonists.

Examples - The Shining, The Stand, The Turn of the Screw, Slade House, Frankenstein

Literary Fiction

Focuses on the human condition and is more concerned with the inner lives of characters and themes than plot.

Examples - The Great Gatsby, Normal People, Lolita, Catch-22, Middlemarch

Magical Realism

Magical events are part of ordinary life where the characters don’t see them as abnormal or unusual because they're a natural part of the story. Angela Carter was the queen of this genre with such classics as The Bloody Chamber & Other Secrets, Nights at the Circus, The Magic Toyshop and Wise Children.

Examples - One Hundred Years of Solitude, Midnight’s Children, Like Water for Chocolate, The Tin Drum, Song of Solomon

Mystery/Crime

Also known as whodunits, the central issue is a question or riddle that must be answered, an identity revealed, a crime solved. Clues lead to rising tensions as the answer to the mystery is approached.

Examples - The Magpie Murders, Murder on the Orient Express, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Maltese Falcon, Strangers on a Train

Police Procedural

Mysteries that involve a police officer or detective solving a crime. The emphasis rests heavily on technological or forensic aspects of police work, sorting and collecting evidence, as well as the legal aspects of criminology. Examples - Knots and Crosses, Hush Hush, The Bone Collector, Red Dragon, City of Bones

Romance

The main focus is a romantic relationship between two people featuring sensual tension, desire and idealism. There are many sub-genres, such as contemporary, chivalric, historical, fantasy, Gothic, paranormal and Romanticism.

Examples - Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Anna Karenina, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, The French Lieutenant's Woman.

Science Fiction

Sci-fi can incorporate any story set in the future, the past, or other dimensions featuring scientific ideas and advanced technological concepts with a setting defining plot. Serious world-building is involved, including genre-specific language.

Examples - Brave New World, Dune, Fahrenheit 451, War of the Worlds, Slaughterhouse Five

Speculative Fiction

The classic ‘What If?’ stories, creating worlds unlike our real world by extrapolating from a current situation or aspect of our present. This genre usually combines one or more of science fiction, fantasy fiction, horror fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history.

Examples - The Handmaid’s Tale, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Time Machine, I Robot, Cloud Atlas

Suspense/Thriller

Filled with cliffhangers, these stories of pursuit and escape feature a character in jeopardy with multiple opposing forces they must escape from, fight against, or outwit. The threats can be physical, psychological or both. The setting is also integral to the plot.

Examples - The Da Vinci Code, The Day of the Jackal, Rebecca, Misery, The Silence of the Lambs

Women’s Fiction

Plot lines are characterised by female characters who face challenges, difficulties and crises that have a direct relationship to gender. This is inclusive of women's conflict with man, the economy, family, society, art, politics and religion.

Examples - Little Women, Tipping the Velvet, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, The Colour Purple, Valley of the Dolls

Westerns

Specifically set in the old American West, featuring stories that include survival, romance, and adventures with characters of the time, like cowboys, frontiersmen, native Americans, mountain men and miners.

Examples - Lonesome Dove, The Virginian, Shane, True Grit, Little Big Man

Young Adult (YA)

Written, published, and marketed to adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 18, a surprising number of adults also read these books. Generally, they are ‘coming-of-age’ or ‘rites of passage’ stories that often cross into the fantasy and science fiction genres. They feature diverse protagonists facing changes and challenges.

Examples - The Hunger Games, Twilight, Lord of the Flies, Summer of My German Soldier, Full Fathom Five

Whatever genre you decide to use, it really does help to be aware of the established elements or conventions before you begin. Your reader needs to recognise the world they are entering, however strange, unusual or fascinating the new landscape, and by focusing on creating something no other writer has offered before, you'll encourage them to fully invest in your story. Whether it’s a western, fantasy, romance, detective, adventure, family saga, sci-fi, horror, magical realism, or any of the myriad sub-genres or genre combinations you can think of - the possibilities are endless…

Genre convention is a Creative Limitation that forces the writer’s imagination to rise to the occasion… with mastery of genre we can guide audiences through rich creative variations on convention to reshape and exceed expectations by giving the audience not only what it had hoped for but, if we’re very good, more than it could have imagined.

Robert McKee - Story

If you want to explore more on genre, keep an eye out for my exciting new online workshop coming soon… I also thoroughly recommend Robert McKee’s Story, which is a brilliant guide about all aspects of storytelling and essential reading for novelists! Maybe buy it from your local bookshop rather than ordering online to help local booksellers, who are struggling against the big corporations? Every little helps, and thanks for reading.