Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [genre]

Questions about writing in specific genres, such as science fiction, or about genres in general.

In writing, genre refers to the classification or categorisation given to a type of work often based on content, style or form. Examples of common genres are crime, science fiction, romance, and fantasy, all of which have their own particular conventions, styles, and content. Questions with this tag should be about writing in a specific genre, or about genres in general.

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What is genre, and why should we care?

Here I came upon an argument about whether a particular grouping is a genre, or a marketing term. Which made me wonder - what is genre? How strict is this taxonomy, and what purpose does it serve? I mean, is it for marketing (in which case the…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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Is there an alternative to the common genre-system for classifying books?

When fiction is marketed, I often see them listed by genre, for e.g.: "fantasy", "science fiction", "mystery", "poetry", etc. Most bookstores and Web sites use essentially the same categories to classify their books and use a similar system for…
Village
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In what genre do you categorize a story that starts off normal but takes a very dark turn as it progresses?

I’m not sure if I’d classify the story as full on dark, because there are some light hearted aspects in there. Sometimes it can be very dark when something serious happens, but it never stays that way for too long. Its kind of like real life, you…
Anonymous
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My book doesn't seem to fall into a clear genre

What genre best describes my novel about the life of a character whose entirely fictional history includes many realistically humorous interludes as well as some serious, even tragic incidents? It begins with his birth in 1968 and finishes when he…
topcol
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Writing Across Multiple Genres

My current novel is of the satire/humour genre. Another novel that is currently in the works is still humorous, but is more of a fantasy novel. A third novel that I am currently working on - I like to keep busy - is of the thriller/"morbid" genre…
M.Y. David
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How to avoid promising a romance?

I am struggling with handling reader expectations in my novel. I have clearly telegraphed the genre to the reader so that they know that it's speculative fiction. However, I have a situation where a POV character (let's call them Alice) has a crush…
NeRoboto
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What genre my wife is writing?

In advance: I'm sorry for write so badly in English. I am a Spanish writer. My wife is writing a book about the life of 4 women. This morning she asked me about which genre her novel belongs to. At first, I respond very quickly "literary fiction".…
Hedufigo
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Would this story be classified as Adventure or Religious Fiction?

A pious, benevolent, chaste, vegetarian Catholic monk from America in the 21st Century makes a road-trip to the West Coast from the East Coast to preach the Word of God to non-Christians. He travels in a simple, cheap car, and he is accompanied by a…
Double U
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What genre would this fall under?

Imagine a story in which the criminal is, from the very beginning, already known to the protagonist. Now the task is to find the criminal, but the target evades capture easily. This is clearly different from normal crime stories, in which the…
Den Éna Faskómilos
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What is this Genre?

So I'm starting a story right now that isn't non-fiction but idk if it could be classified as fiction. It's set on Earth in the USA, basically the main thing is that a tsunami occurs. I'm debating on whether or not if I should research about a real…
Paige
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Does this genre/setting have a name?

So, I'm tryng to figure out if there is a name for a specific sort of genre I've seen around. Well, it's more of a setting oriented subgenre, I suppose (probably of fantasy? though it can have sci fi elements I think it's usually closer to fantasy).…
Vilya
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Asking about a possibility of a genre

Can I mix science-fiction and history in a story? I mean a story that is based in historical events with a touch of science fiction, is that possible or am I trying to invent something "ridiculous"
Nour Fourti
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What is the relationship between legend and epic?

My superficial understandings of these terms are quite distinct: a legend is told and retold, exists independently of a particular telling, is often held by some to have some grounding in historical events, and is not particularly constrained in…
Robin Saunders
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