Readers read a book or short story because they’re seeking a particular mood and journey. Genre gets them most of the way there, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Most of our classics were genre fiction in their time, like Poe (horror), Mark Twain (adventure-satire), and even Dickens (paranormal-drama). Any kind of genre writing can carry a message (as long as it’s not being shoved down a reader’s throat), or take a reader on a profound journey. It’s all up to the writer.
From StoryMind:
“Many writers have a misconception that genre is something you “write in” – like a box. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Genre is the overall mood of a story, created through structural and storytelling elements and approaches.
This mood isn’t simply set at the beginning of the story and then continued through the conclusion. Rather, the elements of genre are sprinkled into the story, establishing an initial mood, and then developing it over the course of the entire story.”
(Read the rest of this article HERE.)
Even better, the right match of genre writing is incredibly fun for readers and author, alike. Plus, publishers love them because they can not only more soundly market genre fiction, they know there is a market for them.
Even if you’re writing literature, consider adding a genre to the book’s structure. Multi-million dollar best seller, The Secret Life of Bees, with its 4.5* rating and 7,500 reviews was tagged as a Southern Gothic novel. If it’s good enough for Sue Monk Kidd….
From Writers Write:
“Genres are great because they fulfill reader expectations. We buy certain books because we have enjoyed similar stories in the past. Reading these novels gives us a sense of belonging, of sitting down with an old friend and knowing we’re on familiar ground. There is also a camaraderie between readers who follow the same genres.
Writers can use this to their advantage because their boundaries are models on which to base stories. Genres reflect trends in society and they evolve when writers push the boundaries. Readers ultimately decide if the experiment has worked by buying these books.”
(Read the rest of this article HERE.)
Something to think about.
See you on the bestsellers list
Rockstar Novelist 
Good advice, Judy. Especially liked the image of sitting down with an old friend and enjoying being part of a community of a particular genre’s fans. The meeting was very lively and fun today, btw.
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It really was, wasn’t it? 🙂
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