Help

It isn't that people don't want to help, it's that this is probably in the wrong thread. The FAQ thread is for Frequently Asked Questions about the forum itself and not writing (which the entire rest of the forum is devoted to) Why not post the question in the "Writing Novels" section or even the "AW Roundtable". Also it is hard to answer your question when you don't specify details about what you write.

Don't be sad, Eskimo1990! Help will come to you!

Do you have a sample of your work to share with us?

Hi, Eskimo! It might be a lot easier for you if you start here. Take a look at the little icons to the left of the page and find the ones with locks on them - those will be the best start for you. There's lots of info there that will make the rest of your stay more comfortable and you'll be able to navigate the site much more easily.

Then, if you have questions and don't know where to turn, send a nice friendly member (and we're all friendly members) a private message and ask! 99.9% of us are happy to help and the other .01% you'll be able to easily avoid!

To send a private message (or PM), just click on the person's name and it will offer you the option of sending a private message. Click on that and you're on your way.

Good luck! I'm sure one or more of us will be able to help you!

There are definitions of many genres here: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18764

And you might find it helpful to explore the whole Genres area of AW here: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=7

You could certainly post in the main share your work subforum and see what people think.

I think you're worrying about it waaaaay too much. Find other stories or novels that are similar to it, and call it that. If nothing else, someone's going to go "Hey. That's not Comedy/Historical Romance. That's actually True Crime!" and then you know where you go.

Hi, Eskimo.

Just from you telling us that you don't know what genre your story is doesn't help us help you narrow it down. What's it about? What's the setting? What other stories is it similar to? (This is not assuming that your working isn't original, btw, but every story is like some other story. They just are. The similarities and differences are what help define genres.) Does it have spaceships? Wizards or mages? Monsters? Is it about the relationship between two people?

There is also something called cross-genre, where a story actually fits two or more genres or contains elements of multiple genres.

As for whether or not to stick to one genre or branch out, it is better to tell the story(ies) that you have to tell. Don't worry about genre unless you are writing to target a specific market, which it doesn't sound like you are at this point. The best thing to do is write.

We do have a forum here called Share Your Work (often abbreviated as SYW) where people can post their work for critique. It can be brutal in there, so make certain you are ready for honest feedback before you post. (The password is VISTA.)

I'm not certain what you mean by if every genre has a sub-genre of romance? Like you, I'm probably over-thinking things, but there are two literary meanings to the term romance. One is the modern-day term for the romance genre. The other goes back to ancient days when the genres as we know them didn't exist.

Hi Eskimo, welcome to the board. I think you will be able to find some honest feedback here and if you're able to channel the advice given into your writing I am sure you will feel as I do about the people here. That they've been extremely helpful and kind offering of their time to help newbie/inexperienced writers. It is a vulnerable time sharing your work, for both the writer and the reader.

I say that because they are taking people at their word and actually giving you an excellent critique, I mean I think that the advice given to me here is good enough to have paid for it via editing services, but that's just me. I am really appreciative of the time it takes someone to read a chapter or a series of scenes, whatever you choose to put up in Share You Work so if you put something up I will be interested in checking it out and letting you know what I think.

I hope you enjoy the board Eskimo, welcome to the AW Water Cooler!

Eskimo - I am a short story writer - no, wait, I am of average height and write short stories. Welcome to the Cooler - this is a great place. Cruise through as much of it as you can, then come back and cruise some more - there's a lot of good writing stuff to be had here.

And we all started with just that one story...