The 21 Genres

“There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy.”

–MARK TWAIN

Since Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote the first novel The Tale of Genji, around 1000 A.D., literature has been classified into Genres that have consistently changed with the times.

The number of ways in which to classify literature is still growing, so there are no set rules or even categories of Genre that everyone agrees upon. For some, Genre is merely Prose, Poetry, and Drama. For those in Shakespeare’s day there was Tragedy, History, Comedy, Pastoral, Pastoral-Comical, Historical-Pastoral, Tragical-Historical, and Tragical-Comical-Historical-Pastoral.

Today, film has greatly influenced how we think about Genre, modifying and creating new genres according to this new medium. The mere mention of a “Western” story evokes images of John Wayne and men on horseback. It is likely that in the future there will be a new set of Genres according to the influence of video games, interactive fiction, and independent filmmakers.

Daniel Chandler in Introduction to Genre Theory states:

How we define a genre depends on our purposes. For instance if we are studying the way in which genre frames the reader’s interpretation of a text then we would do well to focus on how readers identify genres rather than on theoretical distinctions. Defining genres may be problematic, but even if theorists were to abandon the concept, in everyday life people would continue to categorize texts.

When selecting a Genre for your story, think about what it is you want to say or what it is you want your reader to feel. Also think about what you like to read yourself. Is there a specific Genre you love and know very well? Go with what you know if you are just starting out; otherwise, challenge yourself a little and try a new Genre.

Try your story idea in several different Genres and see if one gives you more excitement or more possibilities than another one does. After all, any of these Genres can be used with any of the structures. If you have experience writing Westerns, for example, you may want to try your hand at a mystery instead. In a typical Western, the hero’s goal is to protect his land and family and seek revenge against those who take it away from him. What if the hero becomes a detective instead, searching for the whereabouts of his loved ones? The focus has switched from revenge to discovery.

If you want to combine Genres, by all means do so. Genre is subjective and open for revision and reclassification at any time. You could, in fact, create a mystery set in the West, combining the two Genres above. In this case, the hero above searches for his loved ones’ whereabouts while also seeking revenge.

Now that you have selected a Dramatic Throughline and Conflict Type, you need to think about the type of Genre you want to work in.

The following are the main contemporary Genres:

ACTION. Action stories have a lot of activity, effects, and, well, action. They are fast paced and designed for pure audience escapism. They are primarily plot driven. Some subcategories are:

• SUPERHERO: The hero has exceptional power or prowess.

• UNDERDOG: The hero is misjudged and not thought to have power.

• REVENGE: The hero wants revenge against those who have wronged him.

• SAVIOR: The hero must save everyone.

ADVENTURE. Adventure stories are just that—adventurous, but they are also filled with risk and the unknown. When someone skydives, he is taking a chance, and that is what creates a thrill. Adventure stories are all about seeking something outside of ordinary experience that can be hazardous. Some subcategories are:

• EXPEDITIONS: The hero is venturing into the unknow.n

• TREASURE HUNTS: The hero is searching for something, usually fortune.

• DISCOVERY: The hero finds something thought impossible to find or something thought impossible to prove the existence of.

CHILDREN. Children’s books are the same as adult books when it comes to Genre. For example, there are mystery children’s stories (“What is that monster in the woods?”). And there are journey children’s stories (“Will Billy find his way home?”). The difference is that you are writing for a specific audience at a specific reading and comprehension level. Children see the world much differently than adults. Some subcategories are:

• SPECIAL BEINGS: The hero meets a wolf, the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, or any other type of unusual character you can come up with.

• LESSONS TO LEARN: The hero learns a moral or other type of lesson.

• ACCOMPLISHMENT: The hero did something all by herself.

• ANIMALS: All the characters can be animals as in an animal fantasy story.

COMEDY. Comedies are subjective and as varied as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Seinfeld. What one person thinks of as funny may be completely different from what another person thinks is funny. The writer of this Genre must be willing to take risks because, as most stand-up comics will attest, it is a tough business. The audience may not laugh at all. Comedies usually exaggerate situations, language, and characters for effect. Some subcategories are:

• SATIRE: Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose.

• PARODY: A mockery or work that imitates the style of another for comic effect or ridicule.

• FARCE: A work in which improbable plot situations and exaggerated characters are used for humorous effect.

• DARK COMEDY: A story with disturbing elements and morbid or grimly satiric humor.

• SLAPSTICK: Comedy of physical action; i.e., hero steps on the end of a rake and gets hit in the head.

• SCREWBALL: Impulsively whimsical or foolish or a totally unsound crazy scheme.

CREATIVE NONFICTION. This is a hybrid of literature and nonfiction that is based on true-life events. A true story is dramatized, especially when there are gaps in the story that need to be filled. The nonfiction elements are based on facts, and the fiction elements are based on setting, scene, place, and bringing out characterization. Some subcategories are:

• TRUE CRIME: Narrative follows the criminal’s or the detective’s perspective.

• JOURNALISM: Narrative reports the news through creatively telling the events as they happened rather than giving just the facts; a more personal look into the events.

• AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Narrative is the history of your life and accomplishments.

• BIOGRAPHY: Narrative is the history of another person’s life or accomplishments.

CRIME.Crime stories are centered on characters that have done something wrong or are at least accused of doing so as the real criminal gets away. The criminals feel they operate outside the law and are entitled to what they have stolen or justified in what they have done.

DIARY/JOURNAL. These stories have first-person point of view accounts given in diary entries written by the main character. These accounts are presented as being the true thoughts of the main character. Think Robinson Crusoe and Bridget Jones’s Diary. The main character talks to the reader firsthand through her diary. The diary can take up the entire story or just be small entries sprinkled throughout the story.

DRAMA. Dramas are serious stories that portray realistic characters in realistic settings. They can also be very over-the-top, exaggerating the seriousness of the problem and the character’s reactions to those problems. Some subcategories are:

• REALISTIC: The drama is a very real and everyday type.

• OVER-THE-TOP: Exaggerated problems and reactions to them are presented; characters may be “drama queens.”

FANTASY. Fantasies transcend the bounds of human possibility and physical laws. Magic, myth, and impossibilities abound. Other worlds are explored, characters can have supernatural powers, and the laws of physics are challenged. Anything is possible. Just be careful to define the laws of the world you are creating and stick to them. The reader will believe the hero can fly faster than a speeding bullet if you define why and how he does this. Never contradict that explanation or you will lose your reader.

HISTORICAL/EPIC. Historical fiction mixes detailed historical research with imagined characters. Think Gone With the Wind. This fiction may be turned upside down if the author wishes to imagine an alternate series of events that change history. Epics are often historical in nature and cover a large expanse of time set against a rich, vast setting.

HORROR. Horror stories are meant to frighten the audience. Challenging common fears works best here because everyone can relate to them, such as being left all alone in the dark, having a car break down in the middle of the night on a deserted street, or getting into an elevator with a scary-looking man. Some subcategories are:

• VIOLENCE: Many horror stories have violence or the threat of violence.

• DARK ASPECTS OF LIFE: Other types of horror expose the darker, more sinister aspects of human nature.

• PSYCHOLOGICAL: This type of horror plays with the reader’s mind. Think Dial M for Murder. It is the helpless situation that evokes fear.

INSPIRATIONAL. Inspirational writing is meant to inspire readers into a new way of thinking, acting, or feeling. The goal is to teach the reader something positive about life and leave her feeling inspired by the end of the story. Some subcategories are:

• RELIGIOUS: This supports a particular faith and the teachings of that faith when inspiring others. Think A Course in Miracles.

• SPIRITUAL: This is a neutral support of a person’s spirituality without the use of religious elements. Spirituality is an individual way of being and living without dogma. Think Chicken Soup for the Soul.

• MOTIVATIONAL: This motivates a reader without religious or spiritual elements; it just uses facts. Think Personal Power by Tony Robbins.

MUSICAL. Musicals are usually films and plays that use song and dance to convey significant parts of the story. This has yet to be explored by novelists but perhaps some metafictional authors will one day try this. (See section on Metafictional Structure in Part 2.)

Stuart Ostrow states, “The greatest question musical dramatists must answer is: Does the story I am telling sing? Is the subject sufficiently off the ground to compel the heightened emotion of bursting into song? Will a song add a deeper understanding of character or situation?”

MYSTERY. In a Mystery, a character needs to answer a question that solves something that is unknown—Where is the missing child? Who killed the CEO? Who stole the money? This Genre is heavy on the rewriting stage, as once the answer is found, you have to go back and make sure clues are planted. Some subcategories are:

• HARD-BOILED: These are gritty “noir” stories with grim details and tough, hard-nosed detectives.

• COZY: Country houses and villages, with peaceful and genteel exteriors, are usually the setting. There is minimal violence and everything is nicely wrapped up by the conclusion.

• POLICE: The protagonist is usually on the police force and the crime is solved by using the forces’ resources and procedures.

• DETECTIVE: The protagonist is usually a licensed private investigator or ex-cop who works alone or with a larger agency.

• AMATEUR DETECTIVE: Nosy neighbors and inquisitive civilians get involved in an Amateur Detective story. Sometimes they are meddlers.

SUSPENSE/THRILLERS. Thrillers contain intense excitement and anticipation. The audience is left in the dark most of the time, figuring things out as the characters do. Who is just around the corner? Will the hero get caught? Who is lying? Will the car keep running long enough for the hero to make it home?

GOTHIC. These are stories of the macabre that invoke terror. Gothic stories feature terrifying experiences in ancient locations such as castles, crypts, and dungeons.

Gothic tales have tended to examine gender roles. In many Gothic stories there are very powerful male characters (such as Dracula) that “liberate” female characters, taking them out of the domestic sphere. In other Gothic tales the female lead has to deal with a very dangerous, alpha-male type of character. Contemporary Gothic tales place the female character in a more powerful role.

POLITICAL. Also considered social writing, political stories make a statement regarding social or political views or ways of being. The primary focus of the work supports a social or political view or critiques it. There is an element of exploration within them, as the writer is not trying to force-feed the reader an agenda. Herman Melville, Jack London, Norman Mailer, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and Margaret Atwood have grappled with this type of Genre, balancing radicalism and art.

PERSUASIVE. This type of story is aimed at converting the reader to a certain belief or idea. All that does not support the belief or idea is discarded. Often these works are one-sided and do not have any element of exploration within them. If a certain type of person is disliked, the characters that represent that type are stereotypical and undeveloped.

ROMANCE. Romances deal with love and affairs of the heart. The characters are often passionate, with unfulfilled desires and dreams. Two characters meet, fall in love, and try to form a bond against all odds. Some subcategories are:

• CONTEMPORARY: Stories are set in the present day.

• FANTASY: Stories deal with supernatural themes.

• HISTORICAL: Stories take place during a specific time period with all the clothing, mores, and events of that period.

• INSPIRATIONAL: Stories inspire the reader and evoke hope for love.

• REGENCY: Monarchs, rulers, and kings abound.

• ROMANTIC SUSPENSE: Elements of suspense drive the romance forward.

• TIME TRAVEL: One character travels across time to meet the other one.

• PARANORMAL: One character lives in regular reality while the other character has paranormal abilities of some sort.

• RELIGIOUS: The love story is governed by religious rules and customs.

• MULTICULTURAL: Characters of different cultures are brought together, or characters from a nondominant culture are explored in depth.

SCIENCE FICTION. Science Fiction stories are based on new or futuristic technological or biological advancements. Inventions abound, whether it’s a new type of law, as in Minority Report, or a new way to travel through space. This Genre has the most fun with the “What if?” question writers love to ask. Anything is possible here. It just has to be made believable or at least probable. Set up the rules of the world you are creating and stick to them. Some subcategories are:

• SUPERNATURAL: Stories include gods/goddesses, ghosts, miracles, aliens, vampires, monsters, demons, psychics, angels, fairies, unusual powers and abilities.

• REALISTIC: Stories take normal everyday situations and twist them into a shocking conclusion.

WESTERN. Westerns come mainly from American writers and the American film industry. They involve settings in the Wild West, with a feeling of the open range. Westerns have themes of honor, redemption, revenge, and finding one’s identity or place in life.

Questions to Consider When Choosing Genres:

• What Genres do you enjoy reading?

• Will you try writing in different Genres once you are familiar with one?

• Are there any Genres you don’t like? Why?

• Are there other Genres not covered here that you would like to write about? (Look up information on the on the Internet at www.dogpile.com, a great resource for writers.)

• Will you combine Genres once you have a story or two under your belt?