What's in a Genre?

[mr mistook]

I'm new here, and I'm new to novel writing. The story I'm working on is one that's been brewing in my brain for over ten years, and now that I've finally got a handle on it, I'm trying to have fun with it.

My question is: Is it wrong to incorporate elements of many different genre's into the same story?

Mine is rather like a very long episode of the "Twilight Zone" with elements of romance, paranormal, PI type mystery, and even a bona-fide superhero - all being played off as a work of generic realism. It's farcical, but there's some real drama to it as well.

Is all this genre-jumping just a sign that I'm a crappy writer?

[pianoman5]

I don't think the technical term for what you're doing is genre-jumping.

That term is generally applied to a writer who switches genre between successive books. I gather it's regarded in some circles as 'courageous', because when you look at the 'T' chart of fors-and-againsts it runs like this:

For:
Shows what a damn fine writer you are - flexible as all get out.

Against:
(1) Pisses off those of your readers who are genre-specific.
(2) Splits your books up on bookshop shelves, which is bad, because the more titles of yours there are together in a row, the more you sell.
(3) Your publisher hates the consequences of (1) and (2) and hates you for it.
(4) Makes it hard for critics, the poor darlings, to pigeonhole you.

That's why some writers use pseudonyms when they jump genres.

No, what you're doing is genre-mixing. Does that make you a crap writer? Possibly, but hey, you're among friends.

You're unpublished now, and you may be unpublished when you've finished, so what have you got to lose?

<a href="http://crustyworld.blogspot.com" target="_new">crustyworld.blogspot.com</a>

[veingloree]

It sounds rather like fantasy noir to me, which is a genre, albeit a small one.

[sc211]

Sounds like Douglas Adams's "Long, Dark, Tea-Time of the Soul."

[HConn]

Frankly, I think this is dangerous stuff. You shouldn't think of your story as a genre or a mixing of genres. Only as a mixing of characters and other story elements.

It's possible to distract yourself from the difficult work at hand by pondering over the abstract and theoretical aspects of your writing. That stuff can really hamstring you.

I say don't worry about it. Just write your best possible story and let other people tell you the genre.

Good luck.

[ChunkyC]

I'm with HConn here. Obviously, the thought has occurred to you, so you need to consider it, but only long enough to be able to put it aside and get on with the writing. Let the story grow freely, there'll be time enough to pigeonhole it later once it's finished.

Good luck!

[maestrowork]

Just write your story, then figure out the genre/sub-genre once it's done. Chances are it will fit into something (many books have some type of suspense, romance, fantasy, mystery, violence, etc. -- but what is the MAIN story? A love story? A murder mystery? A thriller? A space opera? A paranormal fantasy?)

[SRHowen]

Story Time,

After my agent and I had spent a good amount of time on editing the time had come to market the book. He called and the question of genre came up--he asked me Well, Shawn, when you were writing this what genre did you have in mind?

My answer was, I have no idea, I just wrote it.

We figured it out. LOL

The point?

Just write the thing, then figure out where it fits.

Shawn

[aka eraser]

Yep, just write it and let the publisher figure out what shelf it belongs in.

[Gala]

Good advice all around.

Dean Koontz.

I read his early books and they were a mix of horror, suspense, romance, fantasy, spirituality and sci-fi.

[Flawed Creation]

genre mixing has been done many times, and is frequently very interesting. just follow these simple rules:

don't mix dragons and starships (oh wait! anne mccaffrey did!)

or elves and steam trains (wait, i've seen that!)

or, god forbid, romance and action! (wait, i think i've seen that somewhere....)

and of course, there are never mysteries on other planets. (caves of steel.)

to me, the key to successful mixing of genres is that they two be really integrated.

for example, a bad action and romance may have the hero fighting a war and falling in love in between battles. two stories.

a good one might have the hero figthing to win the respect of his loved one. or fighting against a woman he's growing to love. or fighting alongside his loved one at the least.

similarly, i don't want to see wizards and robots in the same bok unless either the wizards are really using high-tech devices, the robots are powered by magical energy, or something like that.

my 2 cents

[mr mistook]

Thank you all for your comments! I suppose my story is something in the family of "fantasy" but it's presented in modern terms. There is a wizard, but he isn't called that, and he doesn't realize that this is what he is, because it's not mideval times - it's a run-down suburb in the 1990's. There's a princess, but she looks for all the world like a Manhattan pop-idol. There is a Knight, whose magical armor is an enchanted leather jacket, and he seems like a superhero, but he dresses like a hub-cap theif.

The private detective pulls all the strands of romance, intrigue, and action together, but it's not a "whodunnit" It's more of a "whatthehellisgoingon?"

I liked the Douglas Adams reference! He has definitely been a big inspiration to my writing. No Sci-fi in this novel, but plenty of paranormal activity as seen from the "rational" perspective...

in other words... while metaphysics rules the plot, none of the characters can accept that such things are possible.

Anyway, as you've all suggested, I'll keep writing and worry about the genre when it's finished. :)

[vstrauss]

Sounds like urban fantasy to me. There's plenty of that about (check out, for instance, Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden books--a paranormal PI series).

- Victoria

[mr mistook]

Urban fantasy! Ooh! I like the sound of that! Thanks:)

[novelator]

Why don't you just call it carving your own niche? That's what I do.

Mari

[Writing Again]

I think that is a good thing, Mari.

[mr mistook]

I worry a little about Genre because of my experience as a musician for 10 years. In the Music Biz, you darn well better stick to a genre formula, or you won't even be allowed to play at cousin martha's birthday party.

Is the publishing industry as bad as music these days? Will I be laughed out of every office simply because the manuscript doesn't follow a formula?

[HConn]

Will I be laughed out of every office simply because the manuscript doesn't follow a formula?

When you buy books at the bookstore, do all of them follow a formula?