I recently read a compelling essay regarding magical realism. Daniel—the author of the piece—described the work of a Bohemian writer named Josef Popper-Lynkeus, and went on to explain that he was categorized as a “fabulist”, someone who writes short fables. I wasn’t bothered by this reductionist categorization, but it definitely sparked a line of inquisitive thought around being categorized as a specific type of writer.
The need to categorize fiction, and its respective writers, is great. A reader wants to know which section to visit in a bookstore. It allows an author to effectively market their story. It’s how we have thoughtful conversations about entertainment. Stephen King is known for Horror, yet he wrote a novella which was later adapted for the screen called “The Shawshank Redemption”, one of the highest rated movies of all time and not considered to be within the Horror genre.
I guess what I’m leading into is, does genre matter to you when you sit down to write a story? What influence does genre have over the formulation of your tale? Can genre lead to derivative storytelling, or is that a part of its appeal? What sort of tropes form out of writing to fit a certain genre?
For readers, when picking up a book in a specific genre, are you seeking something familiar yet original? Do you avoid certain genres based on generalized feelings toward them? Overall, how important is genre when you look for your next book?
Lots of questions this week, but it’s a broad topic. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! ~ WM
I’d say overall genre is helpful as a general guideline in terms of what to more or less expect to some degree. (Could I have made a more vague statement, haha?!) But in the end I think good writing is good writing and a solid story is just that regardless. Personally, I tend to shy away from genre writing for the most part because I think limitations only harm art. That’s why I tend to read (and write) so-called ‘literary’ fiction. It tends to be more open, more reflective of real life (in my opinion), and more character-driven, which I find satisfying. Some genre books are fantastic but others I find feel sort of forced, or like the meat of the story is all plot and the characters and setting and everything else just sort of hangs on that forced plot. I look for good, honest, open writing that feels true.
When I was stranded out in the Houston Bayport shipping channel on a dredge for three months, a friend gave me a book to read in an effort to help the time pass by. It was a Western novel from Louis L’Amour. I really never took the time to read much as a kid growing up in Florida in the 70’s, we spent our time outside playing baseball, sand lot football, fishing and boating. My point is, once I started reading that book I couldn’t set it down. Now since then I still don’t really take the time to read much, but its funny if asked what genre would I enjoy reading I would have to say a good Western short novel would definitely peak my interests. I always enjoyed the old western shows as well, like The Lone Ranger, Riffleman, Maverick, and Gunsmoke were some of my favorites. Now that my son is writing, it would be interesting to see if someone out there could come up with new Fic-Western genre. Just saying, that may peak my interests to start reading again.
So many great questions here, and they could each be their own post... Limiting it to my perspective as a writer and reader these days primarily of historical fiction, I wouldn't say that genre or its tropes have much effect on me as I write, though HF has fewer expectations or conventions associated with it than, say, YA, sci-fi, or romance. The one standard by which most HF operates, however, is authenticity. If not necessarily adhering to encyclopedic facts, it strives to convey a credible sense of past people, places, and events.
However, as a reader of HF, I definitely have some expectations and pet-peeves associated with the genre, so maybe these unconsciously influence my writing? One of the things that drives me nuts is when I'm shopping for a historical book and it ends up being fantasy. I have nothing against fantasy, and enjoy quite a bit of it, but when I want real HF, I don't want the plot to hinge on magic, ghosts, gods, time travel, or whatever. As you say, the categories are mostly there to help readers, and these books probably belong in a sub-genre like historical fantasy, so those looking for an authentic story of the past don't get an unwelcome surprise.
When I was submitting my novel, an editor suggested I use books like "Song of Achilles", "The Silence of the Girls," and "The Lost Queen" as my comparative titles. But these are ALL fantasy! There are gods, centaurs, and magic in them which are elements absent in my naturalistic story. How can they be comparable? Yet, all of these books are billed as straight up historical fiction and appear on HF lists. It feels like a betrayal, either by the authors or the publishers who market the books. Though, in fairness, readers would be hard-pressed to find a recent story set in the ancient world that did not have a supernatural element in it...
And I have to say that I don't look for any particular genre to write in. I also like literary fiction, and tend to write it. I like short stories. I like reading them as much as I do writing them. But I write to entertain myself first. I have a story with a dragon because my son told me I should write a dragon story. Well, there's always more to it than that, isn't there? You can't just write a simple dragon story. I guess that you'd have to label that as a fantasy, but then, it was an obvious King Arthur setting, so what does that make it? And it's long, because I like long stories. I have another story that takes place in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising of the 50s. A tragic love story. Is it a tragedy, or a love story? I like to think of it an an experiment because I structured it on a Shakespearean motif, with 5 acts in place of the chapters. I read JACK REACHER novels because they're quick, easy reads. I like John Grisham as well, but his stories aren't always about lawyers A PAINTED HOUSE is one of the best things he's written. I confess, I don't read Romance novels. But it's the writing that counts for me. That's what I like Alice Munro and Mavis Gallant, Richard Ford and, well, the list is endless, isn't it? Can I put my link up for people to take a look at? https://benwoestenburg.substack.com
As an author, I definitely don't want to be pigeonholed into a specific genre. Many of my ideas fall into the science fiction or horror genres, but I have quite a few other stories at various stages of development that fall well outside those genres. My focus has always been centered on telling a compelling story driven by the characters populating that story. Focusing on the characters and telling their story helps avoid lazy cliches and tropes and truly engages a reader with a story they won't want to put down. You will have realistic actions, reactions, and interactions from your characters related to the world around them.
I’d say overall genre is helpful as a general guideline in terms of what to more or less expect to some degree. (Could I have made a more vague statement, haha?!) But in the end I think good writing is good writing and a solid story is just that regardless. Personally, I tend to shy away from genre writing for the most part because I think limitations only harm art. That’s why I tend to read (and write) so-called ‘literary’ fiction. It tends to be more open, more reflective of real life (in my opinion), and more character-driven, which I find satisfying. Some genre books are fantastic but others I find feel sort of forced, or like the meat of the story is all plot and the characters and setting and everything else just sort of hangs on that forced plot. I look for good, honest, open writing that feels true.
When I was stranded out in the Houston Bayport shipping channel on a dredge for three months, a friend gave me a book to read in an effort to help the time pass by. It was a Western novel from Louis L’Amour. I really never took the time to read much as a kid growing up in Florida in the 70’s, we spent our time outside playing baseball, sand lot football, fishing and boating. My point is, once I started reading that book I couldn’t set it down. Now since then I still don’t really take the time to read much, but its funny if asked what genre would I enjoy reading I would have to say a good Western short novel would definitely peak my interests. I always enjoyed the old western shows as well, like The Lone Ranger, Riffleman, Maverick, and Gunsmoke were some of my favorites. Now that my son is writing, it would be interesting to see if someone out there could come up with new Fic-Western genre. Just saying, that may peak my interests to start reading again.
So many great questions here, and they could each be their own post... Limiting it to my perspective as a writer and reader these days primarily of historical fiction, I wouldn't say that genre or its tropes have much effect on me as I write, though HF has fewer expectations or conventions associated with it than, say, YA, sci-fi, or romance. The one standard by which most HF operates, however, is authenticity. If not necessarily adhering to encyclopedic facts, it strives to convey a credible sense of past people, places, and events.
However, as a reader of HF, I definitely have some expectations and pet-peeves associated with the genre, so maybe these unconsciously influence my writing? One of the things that drives me nuts is when I'm shopping for a historical book and it ends up being fantasy. I have nothing against fantasy, and enjoy quite a bit of it, but when I want real HF, I don't want the plot to hinge on magic, ghosts, gods, time travel, or whatever. As you say, the categories are mostly there to help readers, and these books probably belong in a sub-genre like historical fantasy, so those looking for an authentic story of the past don't get an unwelcome surprise.
When I was submitting my novel, an editor suggested I use books like "Song of Achilles", "The Silence of the Girls," and "The Lost Queen" as my comparative titles. But these are ALL fantasy! There are gods, centaurs, and magic in them which are elements absent in my naturalistic story. How can they be comparable? Yet, all of these books are billed as straight up historical fiction and appear on HF lists. It feels like a betrayal, either by the authors or the publishers who market the books. Though, in fairness, readers would be hard-pressed to find a recent story set in the ancient world that did not have a supernatural element in it...
And I have to say that I don't look for any particular genre to write in. I also like literary fiction, and tend to write it. I like short stories. I like reading them as much as I do writing them. But I write to entertain myself first. I have a story with a dragon because my son told me I should write a dragon story. Well, there's always more to it than that, isn't there? You can't just write a simple dragon story. I guess that you'd have to label that as a fantasy, but then, it was an obvious King Arthur setting, so what does that make it? And it's long, because I like long stories. I have another story that takes place in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising of the 50s. A tragic love story. Is it a tragedy, or a love story? I like to think of it an an experiment because I structured it on a Shakespearean motif, with 5 acts in place of the chapters. I read JACK REACHER novels because they're quick, easy reads. I like John Grisham as well, but his stories aren't always about lawyers A PAINTED HOUSE is one of the best things he's written. I confess, I don't read Romance novels. But it's the writing that counts for me. That's what I like Alice Munro and Mavis Gallant, Richard Ford and, well, the list is endless, isn't it? Can I put my link up for people to take a look at? https://benwoestenburg.substack.com
As an author, I definitely don't want to be pigeonholed into a specific genre. Many of my ideas fall into the science fiction or horror genres, but I have quite a few other stories at various stages of development that fall well outside those genres. My focus has always been centered on telling a compelling story driven by the characters populating that story. Focusing on the characters and telling their story helps avoid lazy cliches and tropes and truly engages a reader with a story they won't want to put down. You will have realistic actions, reactions, and interactions from your characters related to the world around them.