Genre 101
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GENRE 101 – Mystery
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles Do you ever dream of being the bad guy, vanishing people who annoy you, robbing their fortunes and forcing their decisions by imposing fear? Or would you rather be the good guy, the one to observe strange event, collect evidence and draw conclusions, a seeker of truth? How about you could be both? The Mystery genre is a relatively young contestant in the fight for the best position on the bestseller lists. It has proven enormously successful and versatile. Mystery stories come in all shapes and forms,…
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GENRE 101 – Horror
“My revenge has just begun! I spread it over centuries and time is on my side.” Bram Stoker, Dracula Imagine for a moment, how it must have impressed the prehistoric humans, after having mastered the ability to conjure and control fire, to realize that they were unable to carry a torch into the mountains. Despite making sure it was potent enough to last the way, the flame was still snuffed out if they went deep enough into the cave. They would be left disoriented, blind, confused, dizzy. Did they panic and faint, see strange visions and feel, as if someone or something was strangling them in the dark? They could…
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GENRE 101 – Historical Fiction
“I saw death come for you, and I had no philosophy.” Mary Renault, The Last Of The Wine Historical Fiction is one of the most represented genres on the bestseller shelves and it often manifests in combination with the other real world-genres such as Romance, Drama, Family Saga and Adventure. It is also particularly well liked in the Mystery sections for reasons I will discuss in the related chapter. It is a very popular genre to attach to a broader spectrum of interests and that is only one reason why it is sometimes hard to identify, even if it seems obvious. Contemporary or Historical Fiction? It may come as a…
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GENRE 101 – Fantasy
“I can not carry it for you, but I can carry you.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord Of The Rings A good number of Fantasy authors draw their inspiration from ancient tales, legends and myths and about as many base their framework on the universe that J.R.R. Tolkien has created with The Lord Of The Rings and related stories. Regarding the richness and mythological universality of his tales, it often feels impossible for any Fantasy Writer to crawl out from under Tolkien’s large shadow. He has defined roles and races for a modern audience, which have been popular since before the time literature became an art form. He has placed…
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GENRE 101 – Romance
“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.” William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet It is not disadvantageous to read a lot of related material if you wish to write a romantic novel, because there are not only so many different ways to approach the subject, it is also a cross-genre phenomenon. Almost every story from ancient times to Hollywood has at least one flirtatious moment and those are often remembered the longest. Therefore, even if you do not aspire to become a Romance novelist, the understanding of the concept is vital for writers of all genres. There is always a love story attached, even if it is…
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GENRE 101 – Family Saga
“We are all dying of life.” John Jakes, North and South There is a long lasting debate about the term Family Saga. Originally the term Saga referred to the old Icelandic family and hero chronicles that had a lot in common with the modern literary fiction genre, but were considered historical records. The first family novels were probably inspired by the genealogical structure of the old Icelandic Sagas until Family Saga became a genre of its own. The term is also great for advertising the quality and importance of the literary work. Not unlike the term epic which is becoming synonymous with exciting, the term has been adjusted in its…
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GENRE 101 – Juvenile Literature
“My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes.” L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables The Curse Of Youth As we become adolescents, we enter the fast track to full development of our young brains. This means we are capable of understanding very complex concepts that were only visible to the adults before, we begin to be interested in deeper connections and do not merely ask how things work, but why they do in one way but not the other. Adolescence comes with its own rules. A world of astounding variety and opportunity is unlocked and at the same time everything seems so much darker then before. We may…
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GENRE 101 – Folklore
“Scylla was not born for death: she is a thing of terror, intractable, ferocious and impossible to fight.” Homer’s Odyssey Folklore is this wonderful monster that lurks in all the well lit corners of your entire world. It is like the Matrix – everywhere, you see it but you do not recognize it. It is in your clothes, in your food, in your house, in your songs, in your books and under your Christmas tree. It has been there forever and it is there to stay. Rarely questioned but constantly compelling generation after generation to observe it, it is a show-off, it needs to be seen to survive. You honour…
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GENRE 101 – Children’s Books
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” A. A. Milne, The Adventures of Winnie The Pooh Many writers and writing experts put children’s books and juvenile literature into the same category, arguing that the only difference between the genres is the recommended age. I respectfully disagree with this view. In my opinion, there are some significant differences between the genres and the age recommendations are simply the result of that. For that reason I will handle these two genres separately as far as possible. We are still far from telling stories when we buy the first book for a child. These books are likely…
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GENRE 101 – Adventures
“Never fear quarrels, but seek hazardous adventures.” Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers Setting The term adventure originates from Latin and means in a broader sense, that something is happening, something has come up. Even if the adventure was initiated by choice, the events that follow are always uncommon and unexpected and they bring everyday life to a halt. The whole point is to create a digression that keeps the protagonist and the reader from anything that is regulated and normal. An adventure is what you seek, when you are fed up with the daily grind, which can be anything at this point, as long as the adventure is a completely…