For someone starting out in writing, figuring out what to write can be daunting. There are so many different formats and categories that it’s enough to make your head explode. Well don’t fret, because I’m going to make this easy for you.
First, what’s fiction you ask? And on that note, what’s genre fiction?
Fiction – Literature (short stories and novels for example) that describes imaginary events and people.
Genre – A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
Genre Fiction – Stories with with specific settings, roles, events, and values allowing them to be categorized into genres and subgenres.
Sources: Merriam-Webster and Wikipedia.
There are several genre categories that I feel everyone will agree on, and others that some that people will argue over. The categorization is pretty subjective, and a lot of these genres can be broken down further into subgenres where things start to get pretty specific. I’m just going to stick with the main categories for now.
Genres
- Science Fiction or Sci-Fi
- Fantasy
- Romance/Erotica
- Horror
- Western
- Mystery/Crime
- Thriller
So what separates these genres?
Science Fiction – A lot of people will identify this genre as having futuristic elements like advanced technology, but it encompasses a lot more than that. Science fiction poses the question: ‘What if?’ What if the Earth ran out of resources? What if we were invaded by aliens? What if an epidemic broke out? What if we got stuck in a time loop? The genre then goes on to explore how humanity would handle these situations. Science fiction isn’t all about space ships and lasers, but also about the human condition. It often explores complex issues like identity, desire, cultural structure, societal norms, and morality. While this genre may contain some fantastical elements, it differs from fantasy because there’s a chance that these things are scientifically possible. Book examples: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
Fantasy – This genre contains the supernatural and magic; things we can’t explain with science and uses them as primary plot, setting, or character elements. Many fantasy stories take place in imaginary worlds that can be just as complex as the real world. Like science fiction, fantasy also asks: ‘What if?’ What if man had access to magic? What if the world was overtaken by an evil wizard? What if there were dragons? It can often explore real world problems without being tethered to its laws. Many fantasy stories use imaginary races to explore racism, cultural differences, war, politics, religion, class struggles, or that age-old battle between good and evil. Book examples: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin, The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.
Romance/Erotica – With a focus on romantic love, this genre can resonate with a large audience. Traditionally, this genre started out featuring love between a man and a woman but it’s evolved with time to include love in all of its’ forms. These stories tend to focus on the ideals of relationships to make them emotionally satisfying to readers and also tend to have happy endings after some sort of struggle. Are the star-crossed lovers kept apart by families that hate each other? Do they have some sort of major fallout in their relationship and then get back together later? Are the separated by war? Sometimes stories in this genre will emphasize the explicit, sexual side of romantic love. Book examples: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Notebook by Nicolas Sparks, and Outlander by Diana Galbadon.
Horror – Like science fiction and fantasy, this genre also asks the question: ‘What if?’ It is the third genre in a category of literature known as speculative fiction. It’s also sometimes called horror fantasy, because it uses imaginary, sometimes supernatural elements to frighten readers, inducing feelings of dread and terror. The environments it creates are often dark or surreal in some manner, as if something feels out of place. Horror fiction tends to use legends and folklore as a basis, focusing on evil, the afterlife, death, monsters, unsavory religious practices, and anything else found in the dark depths of the human soul. Book examples: At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft (and really anything else by him), IT by Stephen King (most of his novels are also horror), and Dracula by Bram Stoker.
Western – Stories in this genre usually take place in the American Old West. Common themes of the genre involve man’s conquest of nature in the name of progress and civilization. “The Western depicts a society organized around codes of honor and personal, direct or private justice such as the feud, rather than one organized around rationalistic, abstract law, in which social order is maintained predominately through relatively impersonal institutions. The popular perception of the Western is a story that centers on the life of a semi-nomadic wanderer, usually a cowboy or a gunfighter. A showdown or duel at high noon featuring two or more gunfighters is a stereotypical scene in the popular conception of Westerns” (Source). Book examples: True Grit by Charles Portis, The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour, and The Gunslinger by Stephen King.
Mystery/Crime – The traditional genre for detective novels. These stories usually have a cop or a detective wrapped up in a crime that he’s trying to solve. The crime has already happened. It doesn’t necessarily have to be logical either; it can be supernatural. Some of these stories will focus on the suspense or puzzle aspect of the crime while other will focus on the gritty action. Mysteries tend to have many suspects, various clues for the investigator to follow, and a lot of twists and turns. The outcome may not be what the reader expects. Book examples: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and The Nancy Drew Mysteries by Edward L. Stratemeyer.
Thriller – This genre uses suspense, tension, and excitement to heavily stimulate the reader’s mood. The goal is to give a high level of anticipation or heightened expectation, evoking a rush of different emotions by using a quick pace. These stories often utilize certain literary devices like the red herring, plot twists, and cliffhangers to the point where they may seem a bit silly. A thriller usually has a villain-driven plot, where they tend to throw obstacles in the way of the protagonist that must be overcome (Source). A lot of spy stories come out of this genre. Book examples: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, and The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown.
Many of these genres have elements that overlap, and that’s okay. It’s not necessarily important that you stick with all of the conventions of a specific genre. The fun of writing is picking and choosing the elements that you like and using those to create your story.
-Ash
Updated as of 12/6/2018
