help! What genre am I?

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SDSPNovel

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Hi all,
Im trying to figure out where my writing fits into the world of genres. I am thinking its more of a contemporary story, but since it is a love story I am a bit confused. Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated!

As it stands currently, its a love story from the male perspective (probably taking me out of women's romance?). It is written as kind of a blog if you will. The male character, who is a writer and he falls in love with a married woman. He makes a secret blog for him to write to her on, and they end up writing back and forth to one another as their relationship evolves. The story goes between the blog entries and the real story as they embark on a fairytale romance, falling madly involve like never before as they realize they have found their soulmates, and despite trying to break it off because she is married, she ends up leaving her husband and they end up living happy ever after. The reader is placed in the perspective of the male was he writes to her and battles the choice of letting her go or fighting for true love.

Hope that makes some sort of sense. This is my first time trying to describe it, so if it makes no sense at all I wouldn't be surprised. Please ask questions if you are thoroughly confused. Thanks for any input!

Brett
 

Latina Bunny

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Definitely not "Women's Fiction" (the genre), which is fiction about women's lives.

Hmm...Usually romances have the heroine's POV alongside the hero's POV. There are some exceptions, of course.

I think we had a thread about any romances from just the male character's POV before? (Can't remember.)

I think it could be either a contemporary fiction/mainstream fiction, or maybe a romance. I don't know any m/f stories that stay with just the hero's POV. I usually see that happening with m/m (gay romances).

I'm sure someone else who's read lots more m/f romances than me can provide better info. :)
 

SDSPNovel

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Thanks for the info. I guess I could easily switch the characters. Not sure if that would make it read better and be interesting to a broader audience. I also considered it as maybe a memoir? I really don't know. I guess once i get a few reads on the first chapter I will have a better idea. Thanks again!
 

SDSPNovel

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Thanks for the reply. I began writing this as a kind of memoir if you will, and as it developed seemed to take on quite the love story. Not being a big romance reader, I am not sure where it belongs. I guess I will just wait and get some beta reading to find out where exactly to take it. Thanks again!
 

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My instinct is to not call it a romance novel. Not so much because of the male POV, although having only the male POV is rare in romance, though there are a few examples. (Tangled by Emma Chase, for example.) But as a romance reader, the bigger issue for me is that she is married. And cheating. And not just one isolated incident. I have read romance novels where one or both of the characters cheated in the past. I have read romance novels where at least one of the characters started off in a relationship with someone else, and the hero and heroine kiss before they end their other relationships. But she is cheating for a good part of the book, and a lot of the book is about this decision...and that is just not something I see in the genre--at least not in the stuff I read. Maybe it's just me, but the combination of this, plus the male POV, makes it sound like a tough sell as a romance novel. I would be inclined to say mainstream/contemporary. I don't think you can pitch it as a memoir if it's fictional.
 

TessB

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Yup; as far as I know, cheating is verboten for romance publishers. One the hero and heroine start a relationship, they're not allowed to do the do with anyone else.

(Which works for me; last I heard, the stat was that only 3% of relationships that begin as infidelity survive to long-term partnerships / marriages. That's low odds for a Happily Ever After.)
 
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