Genre, Part III

This is the final stop in the genre journey. It covers romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, thriller, urban fiction, and westerns.

ROMANCE

Romances are about relationships, generally between a man and woman.  They often cross over into other genres, and many stories in other genres include some romantic element. Some subgenres include Christian romance, gay romance, historical romance, lesbian romance, multicultural romance, paranormal romance, present-day romance, Regency romance (set between 1811-1820 in Regency, England), romantic suspense (man rescues woman), sensual romance.

Erotica is another word for sensual romance, and is now emerging as a genre of its own. It is about sexual relationships, fetishes, and sometimes taboo subjects. They are usually written by women.

SCIENCE FICTION

Science fiction is based on some type of plausible science, such as machines, travel to alternate places, genetics, or technology. The subgenres include alien invasion, apocalypse or post-apocalypse (end of world), artificial intelligence, biopunk (uses biological or genetic research), cyberpunk (futuristic story with cybernetic enhancements of characters), extraterrestrial, hard sci-fi (detailed scientific information), gothic (macabre stories), lost worlds, military (soldiers and conflicts in another world), nanopunk (uses nanotechnology), shapeshifting, soft sci-fi (science isn’t detailed), space opera (space travel), steampunk or gaslamp (involves the Victorian era), time travel, xenofiction (strange cultures).

 SPECULATIVE FICTION

Speculative fiction takes place in a different world. It crosses several genres: fantasy, horror, science fiction, and their subgenres.  It also includes its own subgenres: dystopia (nightmare world), slipstream (fiction that leaves the reader feeling strange or weird), supernatural fiction, utopia (perfect world).

THRILLER

Thrillers are exiting, and have an extreme level of fear.  The subgenres include conspiracies, crime thrillers, disasters, environmental thrillers, espionage, legal thrillers, medical thrillers, mercenaries, paranormal, political thrillers, psychological thrillers, survival, and techno-thrillers (involves technology).

URBAN FICTION

Urban fiction is also called Street lit. The story takes place in a city, and is defined by the underbelly of the race and culture of the characters. It includes raw profanity, sex, and violence.

WESTERN

Westerns are usually set in the American west, although Australian westerns have been popular.  Some of the subgenres include buffalo soldier (the protagonist is not a white man), family sagas, gunfighter, Indian, lawmen, outlaw, prospecting gold, settlement of lands, trappers, wagon trains.

 

 

Genre, Part II

Here is the second installment in our genre journey, covering children’s books, fantasy, historical fiction, horror, humor, and mystery.

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

There are several categories of children’s literature.

 

Picture books are mostly illustrations with few words, and are intended for an adult to read out loud. Picture books can include: 1) lullabies and nursery rhymes for young toddlers, 2) books that teach numbers, colors, letters, shapes, and animals to early learners ages 1-3, or 3) books with a simple plot (one main child character with a problem to resolve) for ages 4-8. 

Easy-to-read books are for children ages 6-8 who are getting used to reading on their own. The plot is still simple, and the books include pictures and large print, with only a few sentences per page.

Early chapter books are for children ages 6-9 who have advanced past the easy-to-read books. There are fewer pictures, and the books are a little longer with a more involved storyline. Manuscripts are roughly thirty pages, and the chapters are only two or three pages long.

Chapter books are written for children between the ages of 7-10. They have longer sentences that are more complicated, and few, if any illustrations. The manuscripts are no more than sixty pages, with chapters that are three or four pages long.

Middle grade books target ages 8-12. These stories have subplots, more characters, complex sentences, and start to expand into different genres. Often, the books will be a series so the children can follow the characters through several different adventures.

Young adult books are for age 12-18. They focus on the real-life struggles of teenagers, or take children away to another time and place where they get lost in the story. The young adult books are intended to help transition the children into the world of adult fiction.

 

FANTASY

Fantasy stories focus on the supernatural or magical worlds and creatures (elves, fairies, etc.). Subgenres include dark fantasy (includes gothic or horror elements), epic fantasy (long adventure), historical fantasy (with a setting from Earth’s history), medieval fantasy (with knights, dragons, sorcerers), superheroes, urban fantasy (modern environment with fantastical characters), and vampires.

 

HISTORICAL FICTION

Historical fiction tells a story about a true event or an actual person. It usually has vivid descriptions of the setting, clothing, homes, and furnishings. Historical fiction includes biographies and period pieces set in a specific period of time.

HORROR

Horror stories are intended to scare the audience, and usually contain gruesome content.  Most of the time, evil wins. The subgenres include aliens, ghost stories, gothic, grindhouse (explicit gore and violence), hauntings, monster or other critter (spiders, lizards, etc.), noir (urban setting with weary characters), paranormal, stories of the occult, serial killers, supernatural, and zombies.

 

HUMOR

Humor deals with comedy, and is meant to make the reader laugh. It crosses into any genre (romantic comedy), and sometimes is a spoof or parody.

 

MYSTERY

Mysteries have a puzzle that must be solved, and the reader tries to solve the mystery along with the protagonist. It includes several subgenres: crime stories, courtroom stories, cozies (small town, amateur female sleuth) hardboiled (male private investigator, corrupt setting), heists, historical, legal thrillers, medical detectives, murder mysteries, police procedurals, private detectives, supernatural (crime with a supernatural villain), and whodunit.

 

On Thursday, I’ll post the last installment in the genre journey.

Genre

I wanted to enter a contest where I was to submit the first ten sentences of my science fiction novel for an agent to review. The guidelines were simple enough, but I got stuck in my own brain.

The novel I’m working on has a paranormal theme, but I didn’t know if it was science fiction.

I never entered the contest because I couldn’t get past the genre question. I did some research, and don’t think my book fits the “sci-fi” definition. I discovered that paranormal is typically a subgenre of horror, but I’m not so sure my book fits the definition of “horror” either.

I have another novel that is complete, and I’ve always called it a mystery.  But when I was doing my one millionth edit (at least it feels like I’ve read it that many times!), I started to question whether or not it really fits into that category. I submitted it to a publisher, but I’m still not sure if I’ve classified it properly.

There is a lot of crossover in genre, and a lot of subsets within each major category.  Over the next few posts, I will share a basic definition for each major category and the subgenres under each one. I hope this will be helpful to you if you get stuck in the “genre” quandary, especially when you’re submitting your work.

COMMERCIAL V. LITERARY FICTION

One of the common questions writers ask is, “What is the difference between commercial fiction and literary fiction?” The easy answer is that commercial fiction is genre fiction that is heavily plot-driven, and literary fiction is more character-driven. What this means is that commercial fiction focuses on the storyline and the external and internal conflicts that are resolved in some manner. It moves at a quick pace and keeps the reader entertained. Literary fiction is based on a character with internal and emotional conflicts and how that character reacts to events that occur. It moves at a much slower pace, with artistic prose, and invokes deeper thought.

ACTION AND ADVENTURE

Action and Adventure stories are often lumped together, but they also have distinct differences. Action involves the main character in dire situations with scenes that include elements such as fighting, escapes, and buildings blowing up. Adventure is a journey that the characters take to accomplish a particular mission. Action and Adventure can occur across any genre, meaning any story can have an element of Action and/or Adventure, even if it’s not the main focus. Some subset genres include spy stories, military stories, crime stories, and thrillers.

 

CHICK LIT

Chick lit is a category of writing for women by women. It tells of real world experiences younger women face, in an entertaining manner. It includes some type of glitz and glamour, and addresses the wants and needs of its audience. Chick lit is light, easy to read, and quick-paced. It crosses other genres, such as chick lit mystery and chick lit humor.

 

Next week, I'll post the next installment in the genre journey!

Zebekiah is a lovely brindle pit bull. We adopted him when he was a year and a half old, and he clearly came from a traumatic past. Zeb is an independent dog. It took almost six months for him to understand that he was in a family that loved him and would never hurt him. He is now gentle, affectionate, and loving. At five years old, he acts like a pup, running and playing with anything he can find.

Unfortunately, pit bulls have a bad rap. They are banned in many cities and counties because they are very strong dogs and can do a lot of damage.

One day, I took Zeb to work with me because he had to go to the vet. Some of the people in my office were worried about encountering a pit bull. The stereotypes surrounding the breed are what people think of first. After meeting Zeb, my coworkers realized that pit bulls are not horrible animals. One of my coworkers sat on the floor, and Zeb backed up, sat on his lap, and put his head on my coworker’s shoulder.

Zeb is a fine example of how stereotypes and perceptions can mar a person's thoughts. As writers, we try to step outside of stereotypes and perceptions. We write to entertain, and to bring new thoughts and ideas to people. At one time, strong female protagonists weren't common. But now, those stereotypes have been broken. At one time romance novels weren't very detailed in the sex scenes. Now, writers have changed ideas, and erotica has become its own genre.

Writers shouldn't be afraid to challenge stereotypes and perceptions. The viewpoints and story may not be popular, but controversy can boost sales.

Break out of the ordinary, challenge your own stereotypes and perceptions, and see where it leads you. With Zeb, I was able to show that not all pit bulls are mean. With my writing, I can also step into another realm, where I can change people's thoughts and ideas—or at least make them think.