The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic. It’s supposed to be every day except Sundays during the month of April but I did this last year, found it way to busy for the likes of me, and decided to post mine ‘about’ once a month. Yes, it’ll take me a couple of years. Sigh.
My topic, like the last two times I did the conventional approach, will be writing genres.
This genre:
Genre Fiction
Definition
Fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre (like one of these genres) in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre; also referred to as Category Fiction.
Tips
- Choose one of the dozens (scores–or hundreds) of genres and subgenres that revolve around a theme, research its characteristics, and write about it.
- Write fiction that escapes reality.
- Don’t require deep thinking, soul analysis, or challenging of deeply-held beliefs. You may include it but don’t make it central.
- Do not aim for transcendency. Your story is not about ideas; it’s about action, plot, characters.
- Don’t try to write after thinking deep thoughts. You’ll get your novel confused with literary fiction.
- Themes may be big—Good vs. evil? Individual vs. Big Government? Human forgiveness. It may be central to your novel but it’s not the driving force. Every page doesn’t remind your reader that they are flawed, nasty, or small-minded.
- Think country music, not classical. Your genre fiction will be fun, entertaining, and escape from the world.
- Share opinions, but don’t get preachy.
- Don’t worry if your writing isn’t described as ‘elegant’, ‘lyrical’, ‘thought-provoking’, or ‘high-brow’. If it is, and you like that, you are probably a literary fiction writer.
Popular Books
I won’t even try to list popular genre fiction. Think of your favorites mysteries, thrillers, sci-fi, romantic, fantasy, historical, vampire, or another–that’s on this list!
Click for complete list of these 26 genres
Click for a complete list of all genres I’ve written about
More G Genres:
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, The Quest for Home, Fall 2019. You can find her tech ed books at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning
I would have thought genre fiction was an overarching category rather than a genre. There you go.
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And you’d be right! I included this one because so many people don’t know about “genre fiction” and “literary fiction”.
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Unbelievable how. Right Madeline to be 😃
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Yep.
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How bee work
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Nice job on this. I think you made it very clear!!
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Thanks! It only took me about a decade to figure out.
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That’s a nice broad one. And I can pronounce it! 😉
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Yes to both! I realized there was a lot of confusion about ‘genre fiction’. I’m not sure I cleared anything up!
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I’d heard the term before but didn’t know for sure what it was. You cleared it up for me! Thank you. 🙂
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I missed this post the other day, Jacqui. Wonderful tips as always and very informative!
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Many of us write genre fiction, not sure how many do literary fiction though I do think most of us thought that’s what we would write–big meaningful inciteful tomes!
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Great information about genre fiction. A list would be long for sure. 🙂
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I should have referred everyone to my Goodreads list!
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I never considered that genre fiction and literary fiction were categorically different. I guess because many unique genre fiction novels fall into the Canonicly ‘litereray’ (Dracula, Wuthering Heights, Catch 22 etc) it kind of blinds you to the general rule that they are there for fun? Haha, that rocks my world because honestly I think what I write automatically combines both, I can’t willingly give up either one for the other.
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There is definitely crossover between genres, including literary and any of the popular genre fictions. I indulge in a lot of introspection with the westerns I read but it’s through the ‘show not tell’ sort of approach. They show why I should rethink my attitudes rather than lecturing me (well, that’s how I see some of the literary fiction)!
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Yeah, I definitely agree with you there. A lot of literary fiction does try to control your reading of it, especially through an omniscient narrator. I tend to agree with them on principle and make my own decisions about characters and situations. ‘Show not tell’ brings me back to my undergraduate degree, and that works as a really good general way to separate the two in my mind. I’ve never read a Western however, I feel like I might be missing out.
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I didn’t know this was a genre either! Interesting!
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It is interesting. I do like escapism in my reading!
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Elegantly expressed, Jacqui.
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Being a genre writer myself, I wanted to organize exactly what readers should expect of me!
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Very informative! Thanks, Jacqui. Sharing…
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There was a time I didn’t understand what ‘genre fiction’ meant. Then I got educated!
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Didn’t have a clue… Now I do–thanks to you! ❤
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Excellent post! As always!
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Thanks, Ed. I like this tidbit of information.
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I didn’t know this was a genre, Jacqui. Good to know.
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Well, I got a little tricky here. I realized at a conference I attended that a lot of people don’t know that genre fiction is a type of writing that includes lots of themes. So, I decided to push that out there!
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I love the country music vs. classical comparison. Nice post, Jacqui.
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I like country music. It deals with common people persevering with a smile. Classical–well, I like that too but more because it touches my soul.
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I used to hate country music. I wouldn’t even call it music for a time. Then we moved to Arkansas and that seemed to be all my kids listened to. Now, I love the modern stuff. (I still don’t like the twangy old stuff, though.)
Classical? I’ve always adored that and listen to it almost daily.
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Sigh. I think I might be a literary fiction author after all… 3,4,5 and 9. I can’t help myself!
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You mean in your heart of hearts? Well, we genre fiction writers will never win a Pullitzer either!
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Ah, I fit there! haha. But I was looking forward to see which books you’d list, hoping, fingers crossed, that I was going to see a title I read.
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There are so many! Yours and mine would be on the list for sure!
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Some very useful tips, Jacqui, especially number 4. It’s so easy to get sidetracked on a big project.
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It is. Genre fiction does touch on big topics but it doesn’t obsess about it. More like, throws ideas out and leaves if up to the reader.
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Jacqui,
Unless you know the purrson above me, then it sounds a bit like a spammer.
Am I understanding that right that genre fiction is kinda meant to be fun stuff purely for your entertainment? If so, then I’d have say, that sounds purrfect for me!
Happy Monday and have a boogietastic week, dearie!
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Yes–fun and entertaining. It doesn’t mean you don’t come away changed but it’s with a smile on your face, not a frown that you wish you were a better person.
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I wouldn’t have tried to make a list either, Jacqui.
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Hehee. It would have been longer than anyone wants to read.
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