“Focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind.” Nicholas Sparks
This is Part 2 in a series on how to write your novel from start to finish. You can find Part 1 here.
The most important advice that seems to come from almost all successful authors, is to write what you love.
Choose to write in the genre that is something you really enjoy and are passionate about.
This will make a huge difference in the stories you put out into the world. Because passion for a genre – or lack of it – always shows through. Readers have a sixth sense about this when they read.
When you write in a genre you genuinely love, your characters will be more colourful, your stories will be addictive, and the world you create for your readers will come alive.
However sometimes it takes a writer a little time to find the genre that they love… and that’s okay. Keep writing and you’ll find one of a few different genres that are your favourites.
Here’s some tips to help you pick a genre.
Tips on Picking a Genre
When you pick a genre, it’s usually fairly easy to choose… because the idea comes first.
If you have a good story idea, it should naturally fall into some sort of genre that you are drawn to. With my 1st Historical Romance Answering Annaveta I didn’t tell myself, I want to write a Historical Romance, instead I was drawn to write a story set in 1913 – 1917 Russia about the Volga Germans, Jewish people and the Russian peasants.
For me the idea came first – it fit into some kind of genre – then I wrote it.
Some Tips:
*Choose a genre you love to read. Pick what is most natural to you. You’ll know, because you’ll love this category of books already, and you know the ins and outs of it as a reader. This will also help you when it comes to publishing and marketing, because you’ll have an idea of the market.
*If you slip out of your ideal genre, you’re likely to feel it. You’ll have this sense when you’re writing that something doesn’t feel quite right. Most likely you’ll struggle to move forward with the proper plot points. Even if you’re fine while writing it, afterwards you’ll look at it – during editing and publishing – and you’ll see that it’s not quite right.
*Understand your readers – It’s important to try your best not to deny your readers what they expect(that the lovers will live together in bliss, that the crime will get solved, etc.) or they will stop reading your books.
Also, indie author Russell Blake who writes and sells a lot of books, says that writing books in a series helps to build your audience. In his case, he says his books in a series sold four times better than his standalone books.
So whatever genre you write your book in, should be something you could envision making a long-term commitment to.
However I want to add here that many self-published/indie authors now are successfully writing cross- genre stories which personally I find unique and very interesting to read. Read more about that here.
So don’t be afraid to experiment and try things out. We certainly don’t need to feel like we’re stuck in one way of doing things as storytellers. Just be you and write what you love!
*Write in a genre that reflects the way you think. Sometimes the only way you figure this one out is to try writing in different genres. When I wrote the Historical Romance, and as I’m working on Book #2 in the series now, I love exploring and writing about the history during this time period and I also like the bringing together of two cultures – like the Russian peasants and Volga Germans.
However I also really love the metaphorical language that I use as I’ve started my first Dystopian book. I love how deep the language can be in that genre and I was shocked to find that I’m love with building the story world… what fun! These are things I didn’t know about myself before. So that’s why I think sometimes you won’t know until you try writing your idea down, which genres work for you.
That’s all I can think of as far as story ideas and genres. If you have more – I’d love to hear them in the comments.
If you feel genre-challenged, here’s a list of some of the different genres and sub-genres that might give you more ideas in understanding them. I don’t think this is a full list, but I hope this will get you started.
Genres and Sub Genres
Science Fiction – a genre that centers around elements that don’t exist in the real, modern world, but are scientifically explained.
Apocalyptic/Post Apocalyptic Fiction – Takes place during or after an apocalyptic event(the end of civilization as we know it) and examines the effects of such an occurence(Gone, Life as We Knew It).
Dystopian Fiction – Can also be in other genres, but this is typical sci-fi standard; often derives from post-apocalyptic fiction. This looks at societies and worlds which are, essentially, “nightmare worlds.” Another less common derivative is utopian fiction, which shows the opposite. (The Hunger Games, Divergent).
Hard Sci-Fi – Has very detailed, researched, and potentially realistic science behind the story. (Jurassic Park).
Soft Sci-Fi – Focuses more on the central themes and political and social concepts and less on the science itself. (Brave New World).
Superhero Fiction – Revolves around characters with superhuman abilities, e.g. superheroes. (The Adventures of Superman).
Space Opera – Takes place almost totally in space and revolves around space travel. (Star Trek, Star Wars).
Cyberpunk – Includes humans who have been enhanced by cybernetic technology. (The Blade Runner).
Steampunk – A historical sci-fi crossover, where some important part of history has been turned into sci-fi, focusing on the time and use of steam engine technology. (The Time Machine).
Speculative Fiction – Is a combination of sci-fi and fantasy, sometimes with horror added and is used whenever the exact genre of a novel in this area is uncertain. (The Outsider).
Thriller – a genre that is somewhere between action-adventure and horror, which works on inciting both fear and excitement.
Disaster Thriller – This is about some major crisis that the protagonist must save people from, such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster. (State of Fear).
Psychological Thriller – Tis explores the mind of the protagonist; it is often written in a way that confuses and misleads the audience. (Inception).
Crime Thriller – Crime fiction that runs more on the horror/thriller side. (Jack Reacher).
Medical Thriller – This focuses on some sort of medical disaster or problem and the limited time to solve the problem. (Contagion).
Crime Fiction – This is a genre that is close to action-adventure that focuses specifically on crime – this includes mysteries.
Detective Story – This genre tells the story of a detective’s journey to solve a crime, the who, why, and sometimes how. (Death on the Nile).
Courtroom Drama – Usually T.V. oriented – this focuses on stories of crime and the law. (Law & Order).
Murder Mystery – A detective or mystery story that focuses specifically on a homicide case. (Dark Places).
Gangster Fiction – This focuses on gangs and criminal organizations. (The Godfather).
Romance – this is a genre which focuses on romantic relationships.
Contemporary Romance – This is a romance that takes place in modern time. (The Princess Diaries).
Historical Romance – A romance that takes place in a historical time. (Pride and Prejudice).
Fantasy Romance – A fantasy novel which primarily revolves around a romantic relationship. (Beautiful Creatures).
Sci-Fi Romance – A science fiction novel revolving around a romantic relationship. (The Host).
Historical Fiction – This is a genre where the story takes place in history at some point, often centering around real, major events.
Alternate Fiction – This is where the author tries to answer a “What if?” about an important point in history and how it might have changed things. (If It Had Happened Otherwise).
Period Piece – A story where the historical setting is merely a backdrop and the story runs more on its own with no focus on a major event. (Cinderella Man).
Fantasy – This is a genre with fantastical and fictional elements, such as magic or supernatural forces.
Contemporary Fantasy – This story takes place in the modern day and often in a real world rather than an imaginary world. (Harry Potter).
Urban Fantasy – A contemporary fantasy that takes place in an urban setting. (Unearthly).
Fairytale, Fable, or Mythic Fantasy – A genre which tells a cultural specific story that often has a specific moral or historical background; may be retold in a new way and it might fall into a genre other than fantasy as it is retold. (Cinder).
Epic/High Fantasy – This is the most familiar kind of fantasy, with a typical heroic journey, famous archetypes and most likely some kind of quest or fight between good and evil. (Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings).
Paranormal – This focuses on paranormal creatures such as vampires, werewolves and ghosts – its a much lighter form of horror.
Horror – This is a genre where the story is told to deliberately frighten the reader.
Ghost Story – This kind of story revolves around the existence of ghosts, spirits, and occasionally, Revenants. (The Shining).
Monster Story – Story focused around some kind of fantastical monster. (Frankenstein).
Survivalist Fiction – This is a story derived from the monster story, this one focuses on humans trying to survive in a world overrun by some kind of creatures, such as zombies. (The End Game).
Action Adventure – A genre with a protagonist who journeys to places and often ends up in a desperate situation.
Military Fiction – A genre that centres around a war, fictional or real, and a central character caught up in it. (A Farewell to Arms).
Spy Fiction – Centers around a secret agent or military member sent on an espionage mission. (James Bond).
Western Fiction – Indians, Cowboys, outlaws and a ton of gun-slinging action. (Jesse James).
Different Age Group Categories
Picture Book – A story for very young readers, with few words and a lot of pictures.
Young Reader’s/Children’s – A category for chidden who have graduated from picture books and are moving into chapter books and beyond. Usually up to age eleven or twelve.
Middle Grade Reader – A category for “pre-teens” – from ages ten to fourteen. This is similar to a young adult novel but gentler and often sillier and more often than not in third person POV.
Young Adult – Category for teenagers that are usually in high school, fourteen to eighteen. This is defined by the age of the protagonist and the content of the book.
New Adult – This is a rising category for college-age adults who don’t quite feel like adults yet, usually between the ages of eighteen to twenty-five. This fiction has protagonists of the same age and focuses on college/transitioning into independent adulthood. Lots of romance.
Adult – This is a category of fiction for adults.
So hopefully that gives you an idea of some the different genres and sub-genres out there. Hopefully this is helpful as you start to put together your story idea and pick which genre you want to write your story.
Most of all, have fun writing your story!
What genre do you love to write? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
