Writers should know who they are writing for.
“I’m writing for myself!” many writers say. As best selling author Jodi Ellen Malpas says, “You must write for yourself and not what you think people want to read.”
And that’s important advice.
It’s important to evaluate our personal motives for writing and work toward satisfying them. It’s good to be creating things we enjoy and are proud of.
Yet you know who else we write for?
Our readers.
If we want readers to find and enjoy our writing, it is important to know that. To be intentional keeping that in mind as we craft our work.
One major way this comes into play is through genre.
Who Are We Writing For? Exploring Genre
Genre simply means a type of category. It’s nothing fancy, just a way of organizing things based on their content or style.
Sometimes genre can get a bad wrap among writers when we complain we are being limited by certain genre expectations.
Yet genre isn’t designed to ruin our lives by making up rules that writers have to be hemmed in by.
Instead, genre *helps* by being a marker that enables readers to find more books like the ones they already like.
Much like how story structure can provide a framework for our writing so that it can be stronger overall, genre can also provide a further framework for our stories. We don’t always have to follow the framework *exactly,* but I think there is a lot of room to be creative within its boundaries.
There are a lot of genres including: Romance, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, etc etc etc.
And once we realize we can mix aspects from different genres… there is plenty of room for all.
So why even bother picking a genre? Is this all just marketing?
Partially 😉
But really it’s a tool.
Genre helps us connect our writing with the people who will best enjoy it. It provides a framework that will make our stories more satisfying. And it enables us to be part of a community of like minded writers and readers.
Books that are outliers can still be good and they can still be written. They’ll just be harder to find an audience for.
Quick Genre Overview
Keep in mind there are many (MANY MANY) sub genres and crossovers within all of these categories and more not mentioned here. This is just a quick glance:
Romance
A Romance must include a love plotline and it must end with a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy-for-now (HFN).
Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction is defined by being set in the past..
Thriller
Thrillers tell a story of a hero racing to track down and stop the villain.
Horror
Horror is designed to scare its readers.
Mystery
Mystery is recognizable by a mystery that needs solving and someone trying to solve it.
Sci-Fi
Sci Fi includes elements of advanced technology and frequently takes place in the future or alternate reality.
Fantasy
Fantasy includes elements of magic and myth and is frequently set in an imaginary world.
Further reading from some brilliant minds on genre where they break things down even more:
Genres of Writing: What Are They? What Do They Matter? – Story Grid
What’s Your Genre? A High-Level Overview For Writers – Jane Friedman
Know Your Genre: Tips and Secrets from the Experts for Writing Bestselling Genre Fiction – Anne R. Allen… With Ruth Harris
What about you, what do you find important or useful about genre?
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