What genre do you write?

[sterling]

In a recent discussion with a writing peer, the subject of genres came up. She asked me what genres I typically wrote, or would like to start writing.

My answer was a lengthy ramble that could have just been summarized by two words: Speculative Fiction. But of course, I wanted to get into more detail than that, so we talked about it for several hours. Almost everything I've written falls into this category (both fanfiction and original fiction), with specifics in: post-apocalyptic, dystopian, fantasy, steampunk, and/or urban fantasy worlds. With the rare exception of a few horror and sci-fi works, I was actually a little amazed that my writing focus was so easily defined.

Even the genres I'd like to start writing for are under the big "speculative fiction" umbrella (one specifically would be alternate history, but I just don't know if I have the patience to do the kind of research I would need to do to make it feel historically possible).

So, some questions for other writers here...

What genres do you usually write?

What genres would you like to write for if you decided to try something new?

Comments

[vanessagalore]

I write suspense and mystery. I've dabbled in erotic fiction, usually with a psychological slant. Mostly I like to screw with my characters' heads and see what happens.

I have a mild interest in writing chick lit, as long as I'm veering far away from traditional romance (oxymoronic, perhaps?). After a year of writing classes, a couple conventions, and reading a lot of publishing/writers' blogs, I feel like none of the typical genres that are popular interest me all that much, and it's discouraging how stratified the business is.

[sterling]

That's interesting! A lot of my speculative fiction contains a suspense or mystery element. I have a tendency to sometimes come up with plot summaries like, "Something mysterious is happening in [insert place]. Will [insert character] figure out what's going on?" That suspense and/or mystery element is definitely a hard thing to craft. I always want my reader to figure out what's going on in the end (no trick ending) but the key is to not give everything away so quickly in the beginning, or make it like you're artificially holding info back. One of my personal pet peeves, is the mystery story where everyone but your POV character seems to know what's going on, and no one will tell him/her. Drives me nuts!

I agree, sometimes the industry seems so limited. Chick lit is an area that definitely could use some expanding. Hey, maybe you'll invent a new genre!

[finch]

I sum myself up as writing mainly urban fantasy and horror, though I'm working on steampunk, superhero and scifi projects as well. Urban fantasy and horror are generally the genres I talk most about and... "write most like" if that makes sense? Other urban fantasy writers tend to "get" where I'm coming from better than other genres.

I'd love to move toward a more mystery/noir style, since I enjoy reading those a lot. I just find it really intimidating.

[sterling]

What sort of horror aspects do you tend to get into? I'm always curious what sorts of things horror writers want to scare or disturb people with. For me, I tend to wade into the realm of frightening illusions by messing with reality in a way that tends to slightly disturb the mind. I don't get into gore or monsters as much, although admittedly, it can be fun to work on zombie fic sometimes. ^_^

Anything new always seems intimidating at first. I have the same problem... mostly because I try to visualize the entire project as a whole entity. It gets easier just focusing on it bit by bit, but that's not an easy skill to master (I still haven't).

[finch]

I like my vampires, my werewolves and my serial killers. I've played with psychological horror but I don't really feel like I'm good enough at it to pursue.

[sterling]

Ah, yes! Vampires are fun, too. For me, vampires tend to be less "monstrous" sometimes, and end up in a more fantasy capacity than horror. And they tend to accompany post-apocalyptic settings as well. One of my favorite ways to present vampires, is in a work where most characters have a morally gray compass. It fascinates me to experiment with which characters readers actually end up liking when I do that...

[ninety6tears]

I've written realistic YA-type stuff, sci-fi/fantasy YA, general lit with a trend of family issues, general fantasy...It's really hard to generalize, and I'm not really sure yet what I'm best at, but no matter what the genre my plots are always very character-driven.

I'd love to write something more postmodern some day. Or a play or screenplay.

[sterling]

YA is a neat genre. Can be really tough to break into it though, from what I've been told by peers who write the genre. I love that YA has a chance to really grab people before the trouble of the world sets in when they become adults. You can help expand their imaginations with books, and maybe even encourage them to become writers or artists themselves.

I'll never forget my favorite YA series, written by Jane Yolen. The Pit Dragon Trilogies (which weren't actually called as such when I read the first one, Dragon's Blood) had an immense impact on me. I'd like to think this book encouraged me to read others, and inspired me to write about fantastic things. I just love her immersive world of Austar IV, it's well fleshed out, even being aimed at kids.

Which reminds me, never let people convince you that YA writers are somehow inferior to fiction writers whose target audience is adults. What YA authors have a chance to do, is extremely important. If YA writers can start a kid on the path to reading, then the adult-target audience will have someone to sell books to later on. I love reminding people of that fact. XD

ETA: Not poems, post modern! Nice horrible reading on my part. /laugh Admittedly, I don't know much about that genre. Although, the idea of writing a screenplay sounds fun!

[sixbeforelunch]

Right now it's mostly historical fiction. I'm interested in sci fi as a reader, but I don't know if I could ever make the genre work for me as a writer. I'd maybe like to try my hand at contemporary literary fiction as well.

Also, I have Stephen Fry's An Ode Less Traveled and I'm kind of hoping he'll turn me into a poet. Not counting on it though.

[sterling]

Historical fiction takes a lot of dedication to research (not that other fic types don't, but for some reason, it seems to me that HF just seems to require a bit of extra effort) because if you don't get certain facts and feel correct, you are going to completely alienate your target audience. Kudos for doing that -- I'm not sure I have it in me. ^_^

As for poems, I just can't get into them. I've written a few, but I never feel comfortable wearing that skin! There's just something about poems that trigger a... pretentious (I think?) feeling in me. I almost feel like I'm showboating or something. It's hard to describe, but all I know, is that I tend not to be able to write poetry with any seriousness at all. Good luck on your journey -- I hope you have better luck than me! ^_^

[sixbeforelunch]

Hee! For me, the research is almost as much fun as the writing, though I do tend to be really paranoid about messing up the little details which leads to sometimes insane amounts of research for the smallest little things. And then sometimes the historians can't even agree, which opens up a whole other can of worms. Sometimes you just have to relax and accept that you will get some things wrong. I do refuse to alter history just because it makes for a better story, though.

I'm slowly learning to appreciate poetry. If I ever do write it, it'll be for me alone. I seriously doubt I'll ever share it with anyone.

[yoshitsune]

The genre I write at the moment could be summed up as historical-fantasy-slice-of-life. But the slice-of-life part could be because I'm trying to find my bearing and character-voices through short fragments and drabbles.

I'd actually like to try writing something in the gangster, techno-thriller or wuxia genre because I love movies in those genres. But writing thrilling action and intrigue is so different from what I'm used to writing. XD;

[sterling]

A lot of my stories start out as fragments, or scenes. And as I start to put them together in a cohesive fashion, the plot then starts to develop and form into something that resembles a complete project. Sometimes I can follow an outline from the beginning, but other times, it's just as you mention. Bits and pieces, until I know my characters and their sub-plots and eventually, their main point for existing. Sometimes I'm surprised when those final stories finally come to me -- I've mistaken sub-plots for main plots for awhile until they appear!

From what I know, action scenes can be pretty tough for some people to write. Movies have the luxury of being visual, but the writer must be very clear about what's happening so that the reader can envision it properly. Ever seen those stories where you're like, "What's going on in here? Where did his arm move across to?" that completely lose you? Yeah, those are people learning to craft action scenes. It's fun though -- some of the things I work on take on an action element at time, but usually that's not the focus of what I'm writing.

[ilthit]

My original fiction is almost exclusively speculative fiction. *thinks for a moment* Yeah, I think I've written only one or two non-SF original stories. I've written plenty of non-SF fanfiction though. To be more specific, I've done some high fantasy, but it's more often magical realism or sci-fi with a psychological slant.

[sterling]

Interesting! Sounds like we might write about some of the same things... Sometimes my fanfiction takes on more of a suspense/mystery feel, but it always originates in worlds that would be soundly placed in the speculative fiction areas of interest.

When you say high fantasy, what aspect do you usually focus on? Do you tend to wade into the lands of fantastic and/or alien creatures?

[ilthit]

I'm finding it difficult to classify my fanfic - there's some that's clearly erotica, but a lot of it is family dramas or character portraits. For example, I wrote a story that suggested a number of things about the life of Lotho Sackville-Baggins, all tied to Bag End and other homes, and the way it featured in his family's lives and desires. I have no idea what genre to call that - the fact that they're hobbits is not remotely important to the story. I have to say I kind of like it that fanfic can be more about the point you want to make or reach than about structure or character/world building. You already start with an idea that has been introduced to the reader elsewhere - Lotho's family is greedy and he ends up doing terrible things because he longs for power - and bring up the complications, and a new viewpoint on the issue.

I haven't written high fantasy in ages, and by that I meant a story set in a wholly different world to ours, where magic is real and there are non-human talking sentient species around - though that's not the only definition of high fantasy, that's what I wrote. I had a huge original world teeming with non-human species, all of which I made up myself, save for dragons and loosely basing one species on elves and one on fairies. I had so much fun creating the world, though, that I never wrote the epic that would've been needed to explore it, and ended up with scattered stand-alone stories instead. Oodles of fun, though.

As I'm better with short stories, magical realism bypasses the need to build the world up - it'll be our world, only with the addition of magic. Sci-fi can also be a projection into a potential not-so-distant future which makes it easier for readers to grog it. You need some shorthand with short stories.

You know what would be awesome? If a group of writers conceived of and agreed upon a fantasy world with certain realities, restrictions and possibilities, and all wrote short stories within that world - maybe also with a certain theme, like dragons or telepaths or royal intrigue. I seem to recall a short story collection somewhat like that called "Thieves' World", where all the stories were set in the same city. The stories would have to be checked against each other if they intersect, but this might not even come up if people only wrote fully stand-alone stories that just happened to be set in the same world. The advantage would be that the reader could explore a complicated alternate world without reading an epic novel series about it, but if they wanted more there would be more. Also then the same world could be seen through several viewpoints and writing styles. I guess it'd also be sort of like forum/email role-playing except it would produce readable stories that aren't just fun for the writers.

[nerakrose]

in my fanfic i've usually written character driven stuff. i screw with my characters' heads, basically... and they don't always have happy endings. i refuse to get influenced by readers who hope for happily ever after and follow my characters completely. some of the stuff has been pretty weird and post modern too, but not too badly...

at the moment i'm writing an allegorical short story and a fantasy novel. first proper non-fanfic stuff for years.

[sterling]

I've always said that in writing, you can't please everybody, so you better at least please yourself. Otherwise, why bother doing something that even you don't like? So I definitely agree with your methods!

Readers have their own expectations (even more so with fanfiction) but it largely shouldn't influence a writer when it boils down to exactly what sort of story they're going to write. That said, if a writer deviates too unexpectedly, they should be prepared to deal with possible fan-fallout and outrage afterwards. Some people I know, actually try to infuriate fans by tricking them or making characters do unexpected things (which seems disingenuous on the writer's part to me, but I digress).

Isn't the transitioning to and from fanfic/original fic fun? XD Such different mindsets at times...

[nerakrose]

yes, exactly. i like when i take two characters and use them in a completely different way than fanon prescribes - sometimes because it's closer to canon and sometimes because that's just how i see the character in this particular plot - and then people get all "wtf he's not like that at all" to which my answer usually is "perhaps not, but neither is he a prostituted drug addict junkie of a dungbag like everybody else likes to think".


i'm liking the transit! it's just a tad bit difficult not getting feedback. with fanfic i usually don't post wips until i'm at least halfway through, but then i get continuous feedback while working on the rest... with original fic i'm a lot less inclined to post the stuff up for everyone to see. but at least i can do whatever i want. :D

[sweet_sparrow]

I'm a fantasy writer all the way. ^-^ Mostly fantasy of manners or romantic fantasy at that, if you want more specifics, but I'll tackle anything that doesn't veer off into horror or scifi. I Fail at both. Currently I'm having a "Let's retell folktales!" phase. They're loads of fun (and keep going crooked on me, but that's neither here nor there).

I've tried writing a few real-world settings and... it just doesn't work. You could also ask a fish to breathe on land. That kind of situation. I'm quite happy in my genre bubble. ^-^ I'm trying to branch out a little in my reading, but in my writing the fantasy just comes creeping back in when I'm not looking and sometimes even when I am.

If I wanted to try something new, though, I might take a stab at a mystery book. No particular reason behind that except that it seems like a fun challenge to do and mystery books aren't very high on my list of 'things I've written about'. ^-^ It'd probably be a la Elizabeth Bear's New Amsterdam, though, in its setting.

[sincere]

Are you me?

[sweet_sparrow]

Pretty sure I'm not. ^-^ But I do so hear you on your concerns! Mine are eerily similar indeed!

One of the things I'm trying, sort of, is writing urban fantasy in a completely made-up setting. That way I don't have to worry something is wrong about the setting. I figure it'll ease me into the two urban fantasy tales with real world settings that are knocking about my head and refusing to cooperate. >>

[sincere]

So an urban setting that just isn't on Earth. That's a good idea! I was also thinking about making a completely alternate Earth -- like, something historically distinct happens in the 1600s that essentially builds a completely different modern world, thereby making it okay if I don't know much about what districts are in Chicago, etc.

[sweet_sparrow]

...

I'm pretty sure several of my stories follow that idea of making an alternate earth like that. I just haven't figured out how. I have a few friends who're really, really good at that kind of world-building, but I... I wish I could bottle their talent and use it, basically.

[sterling]

A friend of mine is also heavily into folk tales and fairy tales. She's been sort of re-writing them with a dark, horrific, and sometimes erotic slant (which has disturbed me greatly on a few levels). I don't like the style, but it's interesting anyway. I think I'd probably like them better from the POV that you're doing it, as "crooked" appeals to me on some level. For an occasional horror writer, it amuses me that I tend to draw the line in the sand and don't like crossing over into hardcore horror when actually reading things. I think this preference keeps me from going there myself... and that said, I don't really mind. But my work never appeals to the hardcore horror fans.

Real world settings are definitely a challenge. For me, I don't really like setting stories in real world settings, which is why I lean toward fantasy themes, unless of course, we're talking about horror. In the case of horror, I want modern-day people (especially) to think that this scary lurking thing could actually be living next door to them... otherwise the idea might actually lose some of it's intended impact.

Mysteries are fun. When I first started experimenting with them, I started adding small mystery elements to my otherwise straightforward story. It's a good way to practice writing up an outline of what your characters discover and how they interpret it (and also how the reader interprets it). I have to admit, this is definitely fun for me. ^_^

[sweet_sparrow]

's how the stories started life out as, really. Lots of writers that rework the tales are going back to what they were, or might have been, before people decided to relegate them to the nursery and sanitise them to be suitable. I'm no good at giving the stories twists, so I'd rather focus on other things to make them interesting and their own little piece. People just have to look a little harder for it.

Does it matter that it doesn't appeal to them, though? Since it doesn't seem/sound like you're writing for them.

Real world settings are hard. I admire people who can do it well. I tried setting a story in my home town once (the times conveniently being about the 90s). I've lived most of my life here, know the place pretty well and all. Just to try and ease my way into the idea. You'd think that would make it easier to write a story setting, but nope.

Wouldn't psychological horror work in any setting, though, provided the writing's up to scratch? (I'm not a horror fan of any description, though I've read a little in the genre.)

Oooh, that sounds like a good idea! ^-^ Thank you! (Or it would if I could outline, anyway... Might learn that from mystery writing. ^-^ Hmm...)

[sincere]

I write fantasy, but I find it's kind of a box situation for me -- unless I'm writing high fantasy, taking place in an original world, I find myself writers-blocked. I've tried writing modern urban fantasy, but I get bogged down and nervous and distract myself with stupid concerns like "BUT WHAT IF I GET SOMETHING WRONG ABOUT THE SETTING???" even if I make up a new town or city. And I've tried writing sci-fi stuff, but I've never been able to manage what I feel is the proper "tone" of sci-fi writing, the grit and the realism and the hardness, and that just kills my creativity.

I get inspiration for sci-fi and urban fantasy. But I can't write it. I wish I could. orz

[sterling]

I've been known to worry about messing up setting details, as well. That's largely why I haven't attempted any alternate history fic yet. It just seems like a daunting bit of research, and then once you know the real history, you then have to alter it in a believable way that doesn't make people think... "This could never happen, foolish writer!" XD

After reading your conversation with shanra up there, for some reason, you both triggered my mental image of the Fallout (game) world. It's basically an alternate reality earth, where the world was destroyed by nuclear war. But the reality of the future, isn't based on current Earth present. Before the world was destroyed, the setting started out as the 1950's, and then modern tech went a different way then it actually did. So the "earth" that was destroyed by war, looked similar, but was vastly different than our actual earth.

I do wonder why they did the story like this... maybe they wanted to distance things from reality a bit more, so that it wouldn't predict actual nuclear war. Nothing like a post apocalyptic story that ends up being unintentionally ironic, right?

Something you might try, to avoid the grit and realism of things, is be scant on details unless it's actually relevant to the story. That way, you would skip over having to fill in details that seem too hard or real, and still get your point across, by letting people mostly auto-fill those details in themselves. I do that on occasion... sometimes I barely even describe what my characters look like, and so far, people largely don't even notice that I'm leaving details like that out, because they make up what the character looks like themselves as they read.....

[revolutemind]

Alternate history, eh? I'm sure I don't need to point you in the direction of Harry Turtledove (and if so, well; I'll write the rest of this taking a couple of liberties).

Turtledove writes excellent alternate history precisely because he is so well-versed in the eras he chooses to write in (even where he veers off the track of realistic history and into fanciful journeys). That you note research is key is very apt on your part; I imagine one could write speculative fiction while simply letting the imagination run off; however, it grabs the mental meat so much more when it's well-researched. I happen to fancy history, and the simple act of reading Turtledove's works taught me things (especially second-hand, where if I found a particularly appealing character or event; or even an analog of some historical event, I researched it later out of curiosity, and Turtledove's alternative treatment of it really punched up the colors of the real-life event).

---

I don't like genre so much. Though it's handy when talking sword-and-sandal, or the rivets of science fiction, genre goes to a good story as a costume, or physical description might go to an individual. What lies beneath is only ever barely hinted at by its appearance.

Genre: Hell, me, I'm trying to write me a love story, mostly to see if I can execute in fiction what I think could happen in fact, if I could just get the scene and dialogue right.

Trying new things: If I wasn't writing the urban myth I was attempting to now; I think I'd write something dystopian myself. Perhaps comically dystopian.

Going back to research: Research for one's World ain't too hard. A little concentrated study does the trick. Studying characters; now that requires living, either out in the street or in-between the ears, with both being equally exhausting.

[sterling]

I've not actually read anything from Turtledove, so thanks for the recommendation. I will have to check his work out. I've mostly been intrigued by the Tales of Alvin Maker series by Orson Scott Card. The first book, Seventh Son, is particularly engaging (the subsequent novels not as much, as almost all books in a series suffer unfortunate quality degradation as the series goes on) and worth a read if you're interested in the "magic is real" sort of thing coupled with alternate history of the United States in the expansion periods. It's very solidly planted in the fantasy/alternate history realm of things.

Yes, genre does seem like a woefully inadequate way to refer to stories sometimes. But, like all labels, it's really all we have to try and explain what style we have to other people. It's like being labeled a "hippie" because your hair is long. Nothing works quite well enough to be perfect, but people can sort of get the general idea.

What is it about dialog that gives you the most trouble? I ask, mostly as a curiosity, because I tend not to have many dialog issues. I'm wondering what sort of road blocks you run into... Maybe I can make a topic on that in the future in this community. ^_^

[revolutemind]

I actually liked all the way through the third book of the Maker series; and also found the latter books a bit thin; I could have done without Calvin Maker on the whole as The Accidental Villain.

---

The biggest trouble I'm having right this second is writing the female voice. I can write masculine dialogue all day, chop it up, leave half the words out, banter it back and forth without missing a cue; but when I go to write women, I either make them self-referential to the point of pain, sullen, or snotty. I imagine it's less trouble with dialogue than it is mechanical bias.


You should absolutely write up something on dialogue. I'd like to see the many different takes on it. I've found in my time it tends to sift folks; they either can write it all day and labor on everything else, or they can render the World in pretty poetics, but turn their characters into purpled monologue spouting bricks.

[snowynight]

I am really into speculative fiction too. I wrote steampunk and scifi though the stories should never see the light. I would like to try detective action comedy but I am too intimidated now to try.