The Write Way: Tips & Advice for Writers

Genres: What's Your Flavour?

Do you know what flavour your genre is? In the big, intimidating and more often than not, exclusive world of publishing, there are just two very basic forms of writing. Fiction and non-fiction. In others words, stories based on real-life events or made-up worlds and characters.

For each of these there are an ever-expanding list of sub-categories that never cease to change and evolve, much like the human race itself. On a simplified level non-fiction can include but is not limited to biographies, autobiographies, history, culture, love, relationships and the ever popular self-help/how-to genre.

Fiction has just as many varieties and categories as there are in the non-fiction world, but the problem dear readers, is that in order to market your work you must know into which category your work falls under.

If you can't figure out what genre you've written or what your target audience is, you will have a very challenging time marketing your work to the right publisher and market.

I experienced an example of not knowing your audience or your genre came when I attended a writer's group meeting at my local library several years ago.

Things many of these writers didn't know was where they fit into the world of books, or how to go about discovering whether or not what they had written had been done before.

When they read their short writing samples I was shocked by how little they knew. Not just about their target audience or subject matter, but they were completely oblivious to other popular works in their category.

For example, an older gentleman read to the group a fight scene between a father and son. Within the story was a weapon, one that the characters were using to teach the son discipline while strengthening their relationship as the son "came of age."

The problem in the story, was the weapon. The author failed to describe it at all. He continued referring to it by the name he'd given it while the rest of us tried and failed to picture what it looked like. I stopped listening after only a few minutes because I could not picture it which made it impossible to imagine the scene he described.

When we pointed this out to him he was confused. He didn't get that for us to follow his story, the weapon description was mandatory. Yet he still didn't understand because his focus was on the interaction between the two characters. Remember, you must put what's in your head in your story - your readers can't see what you don't tell them.

A second author, after reading their sample, made a strong case for knowing who your target audience is going to be - regardless of genre.

This author presented a story about a young brother and sister team who used their dreams to enter a magical kingdom in the woods at night. While listening, many of the other members of the group, including myself, kept thinking that there was something very familiar about this story.

When he finished reading, everyone thought his writing was well done, with vivid descriptions and good dialogue. There was just one problem - we pointed out to the author that his story was very similar to the popular children's book Where the Wild Things Are. A story he had never heard of.

He was also very adamant that his book was aimed at a young adult audience, but as a group we said that very few, if any, young adults would read it. When questioned further, he admitted he had never read books for young adults or children. Say what? How can you write for an audience that you know nothing about?

You're being a lazy,  irresponsible writer if you don't know what kind of books are in your genre.

If you don't know your competition, marketing your work to publishers will be very difficult, if not impossible. If you don't know your audience or what they're reading, how can you expect to even find an audience for your work?

When you first begin writing, you should always be clear and honest with yourself about what you want to write about. What you're passionate about and who you want to write for.

Once you've determined these points, you must read books that are in your genre. You will get a feel for style, content and gain a better understanding of your preferred genre or sub-genre.

Say you want to write a fantasy novel. That's great, but what kind of fantasy novel? Will it be loosely based on real-world locations? A parallel dimension? Are your ideas drawn from a time or place in history? Will it an epic fantasy or a stand-alone novel? A series? Will it crossover from our present world through a gateway? If you haven't heard of a story like that, you should be able to find them at your local library.

Here are a few that fit that description: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Kingdom for Sale SOLD! by Terry Brooks.

The world of books today have a multitude of genres and sub-genres and crossovers. The biggest key to unlocking your success as a writer is to know your genre and the books found within it.

If you're writing mystery and suspense, you will need to read at least one from each category that you feel your story falls into. For example in mystery, there are hard-boiled detective novels, who-dunnit stories, cat-solving mystery stories (yes even cats solve mysteries), and forensics or CSI which would then fall under crime-drama novels.

Below you will find authors I have read in different genres that I feel show some of the best talent their genre can offer. What you will not find are any books that I couldn't get through - even though they may have been on a bestseller list.

You also will not find any romance authors here. I have read many romances over the years but I find them too predictable for my liking.

Nowadays, I fill my romance needs by reading stories that contain a great plot and vivid characters. Which is exactly what you will find in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Authors for a variety of genres and/or age groups:

Horror: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul, Edgar Allen Poe, Clive Barker, Peter Straub and Robert McCammon.

Fantasy/Sci Fi:vTracy Hickman & Margaret Weis, Terry Brooks, J.K. Rowling, Barbara Hambley, J.R.R. Tolkein, Laurell K. Hamilton and Sara Douglass.

Mystery/Suspense: Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Dan Brown, Agatha Christie, Kathy Reichs, and Tess Gerritson.

Literary Fiction: Maeve Binchy, George Orwell, Jane Austen, , Charlotte Bronte, Yan Martel & Margaret Atwood.

I hope that having read this chapter you are now better able to understand and determine what genre your writing work falls under.

For a long time I believed my greatest passion was to write fantasy fiction. I no longer believe it is, but that's okay.

I don't worry about preferred genres anymore. If a story has a good plot and believable characters I'll read it if it's engaging enough - regardless of genre.

As for my writing genre, I'm perfectly content living in my self-made Mass Effect universe.

As long as it remains a passion for me, I'm perfectly happy letting my muse pave my writing path.