When Writing a Story, Do You Know the Genre Already or Does It Develop Along the Way? by Traci Kenworth

When You Start Off Writing a Story, Do You Know the Genre or Does it Develop Along the Way?

Traci Kenworth

When you start off writing a story, do you know the genre, or does it develop along the way? In other words, when you choose the idea from among your other possibilities do you automatically click on what genre that idea will go inside? Or does writing the story clue you in on what genre it will fall into?

Usually, I know what genre I’m going to nudge a story toward. There are times, however, when in the course of writing one emerges. Like I might have thought it sounded like a fantasy, but it ends up being a comedic piece. Sometimes the mechanics and the events push you towards a different genre than you originally thought.

Genres can be tricky things. We might think a story is going to fit into a western genre, but it ends up a combination of that and horror. Yes, combinations can happen. Your sci-fi might also fit into fantasy. When you can forge two genres together, do it. It will make you grow. It will stretch your tools of writing.

Combining has created new genres out there. The popularity of each can be seen in the legion of fans each has today. They all started somewhere: with a thought. You don’t necessarily know the genre you’ll end up in, but you probably have a clue in which one you’ll start.

Sometimes, however, the story shapes the genre. It’s the feeling it gives off, it’s the tropes it entertains, and it’s the lesson or meaning behind the story. I know, I know. You don’t like the word “lesson.” The truth is though that a story often seeks to inform or educate the reader on something.

It’s like the story erupts on the page and forms itself under your fingers. It does what it wants. Well, with the shape of the writer’s direction. Sometimes we take a story deep. Other times, it’s just there on the surface. The story informs us where it should fit in. The characters and the plot point to a certain genre. All we have to do is be open to such.

It might be a genre we’ve never done before. Hopefully, we’ve read in that genre though because that helps to form the story better. Readers can spot when something’s off or weak. You will have to continue to work to make that genre something you’re familiar with to satisfy the stories to come and the readers.

So, when setting out with a story, you may or may not know the genre you’re writing in. It might just be hinted at when you’re starting out. As it develops, it may change genres or even take on more than one, it’s all in how the story shapes up.

Happenings: Well, that first house tour was a nightmare. I kid you not. The place looked like something out of a Michael Meyers horror show. The air choked you with cigarette smoke and wet dog. There was so much junk in the yard, in the garage, everywhere. Asbestos was in the attic which by the way was two loose boards. We opened the basement and ugh–no way were we going down there. Just–no. We’ll keep waiting. The market is slim right now but hopefully somewhere down the line, it’ll open up.

Here’s some links from around the web. Hope you like!

1. Steve Laube Agency https://stevelaube.com/where-do-i-even-start/ I’m often asked, “Where do I even start?” Well, I want to share the same encouragement that was given to me so many years ago and a few practical tips to start your journey into writing professionally. Start writing. I know it sounds oversimplified, but write anywhere and write often. Keep a journal, compose a blog, or beef up your social media captions. Just write. Writing regularly not only keeps you sharp but it helps you stretch your skill in communicating what you want your readers to know. A mentor once shared this nugget of truth with me: “The difference between a writer and someone who wants to be a writer is at least six hours a week and 6,000 words.” Develop your concept. In reviewing multitudes of inquiry letters and skimming proposals, it is evident when an author hasn’t developed their concept or clearly highlighted their core thesis statement. Invest the time in research, theologically setting up the core of your idea. Skipping this step in favor of a fast pitch or catchy hook is a typical mistake made in the beginning. So, dig deep, do the research, and build a case for your core concept. I recently watched David Farland’s “Secret to being a Writer” video and he said that it takes about 2-3 hours to get into the zone. It’s almost a hypnotic state he said. It’s then when your story takes on it’s own life and new discoveries are made.
2. Writers Helping Writers https://writershelpingwriters.net/2023/05/should-you-write-over-the-summer-or-take-a-break/ We’re a month away from the official kickoff to summer, and as someone who gets less of this season than many (Oh, Canada), I’m starting to get giddy. Summer is ahead, ready to unfurl like a warm, sunny rug. I’m talking longer days, less rigid schedules, and more trips to Gong Cha for bubble tea. Let the good times roll. Some writers may be looking to take the next few months off from writing, or shift focus to other writerly tasks. Others have no such plans, and will be full steam ahead as usual. I want to make room to enjoy summer, but I’ll still be working, balancing writing and research with the other things on my plate, and frankly, I’m good with that. I’m the type of person who needs to know I’m furthering the ball when it comes to my goals, even if it’s at a slower pace. Writing over the summer is glorious because… We can move our office wherever we want. I love being able to take my laptop outside and work on the sun-dappled balcony in the morning, or pull a deck chair into the shade during the afternoon. Sometimes I decide it’s a take-your-adult-beverage-to-work-day, because why not? Summer! We can tap into greater creativity. Writing outside, or even with just the windows open, brings us birdsong, the shush of leaves, and perfumed air of flowers and greenery. Color is everywhere, too, visual reminders that everything is growing, coming into its own, just as we are with each word we write. I write as often as I can, no matter the time of year.
3. Life in the Realm of Fantasy https://conniejjasperson.com/2023/05/22/my-writing-life-packing-up-and-moving-on-amwriting/ We who write must also live in the real world. Sometimes things go smoothly, other times not. Let me just say that moving to a new place has really shown me what hoarders my hubby and I are. You can acquire a large pile of cheap Chinese junk if you stay in one place for eighteen years. The movers came on Friday to take what furniture we could gracefully fit into the new apartment. They loaded the van far more quickly than I thought they would. The main hiccup in that day came in the form of the elevator in our building. We are in building C but must go in through the main lobby in building B, take the elevator to our floor, and cross to our building via the sky bridge. It’s a long trek. Worst of all, the elevator for building C is across the hall from our door. Now the real work begins. We must finish emptying the house, so we will travel back and forth for the next week and a half. On Saturday, we began the necessary repairs to the house. Our repairman is a lovely man named Brian. He replaced the fanlight on the back porch. He also mended and repainted the front steps. We sort through the debris of our lives, pick what we know we have room for, and I stuff the car. Greg does as much as he can, and we are exhausted by the day’s end.
4. Nathan Bransford https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2023/05/give-your-protagonist-something-to-do-page-critique Now then. Time for the Page Critique. First I’ll present the page without comment, then I’ll offer my thoughts and a redline. If you choose to offer your own thoughts, please be polite. We aim to be positive and helpful. Random numbers were generated, and thanks to Juner, whose page is below: I would add with this, watch your dialect. It’s hard to get the gist of what’s being said sometimes.
5. Nail Your Novel https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2023/05/25/its-okay-to-be-who-we-are-novelist-cynthia-newberry-martin-catchingdays/
6. It’s okay to be who we are – novelist Cynthia Newberry Martin @catchingdays May 25, 2023Roz Morris @Roz_Morris With three novels releasing in a 12-month period, Cynthia Newberry Martin is at a real turning point in her life. She began the novels in the 1990s and at long last they’re ready for readers. But she’s already a strong presence in the writing world, thanks to a blog series she started in 2009 – How We Spend Our Days – of essays by writers on their daily lives. The guest list is huge and impressive. Everyone will find at least one of their favourite authors in there – here’s just a smattering of mine – Alexander Chee, Cheryl Strayed, Jane Smiley, Dani Shapiro.
7. Life in the Realm of Fantasy https://conniejjasperson.com/2023/05/24/guest-post-five-things-i-learned-while-writing-the-adventures-of-keltin-moore-by-lindsay-schopfer/ It’s been over ten years since I first started writing my series about the adventures of a professional monster hunter. With the release of The Hunter’s Apprentice as the fourth installment in the series, I thought I’d take a little time to reflect on some of the things I’ve learned while writing these stories over the last decade. An Appreciation for Steampunk When I first started writing Keltin’s adventures, I struggled to find a suitable name for the genre I was working in. Despite the stories’ fanciful monsters and subtle magic system, there was something in the technology and aesthetic of the world that suggested something a little different from a standard epic fantasy environment. After some searching, I stumbled on steampunk as a genre and a community and quickly embraced them both. That being said, I’ll admit that my stories are more rural than most of the Victorian, urban settings found in typical steampunk fiction, which is why I’ve taken to calling my stories steampunk-flavored fantasy. Regardless, I am still immensely grateful to have discovered the world of steampunk, and I will always be grateful to have been adopted into this creative and friendly community.
8. Meeka’s Mind https://acflory.wordpress.com/2023/05/28/augmented-reality-laptop/ I do own a laptop, but I haven’t used it in years because it has a tiny screen and a tiny keyboard. In a word, it’s about as comfortable as…porcupine undies. Okay, that’s two words, but it is Sunday morning, and I’m not quite awake yet… Anyway, a little light bulb went off in my head when I read the title of this New Atlas article: ‘Spacetop AR laptop puts the screen on your face‘ Basically, you get special glasses – that’s the ‘on your face’ part – that allow you to see virtual screens in the air, like in the video below: I’ve been waiting for those computer screens that Tony Stark uses in the Avenger movies forever now, lol. Wouldn’t those be nice?
9. Library of Erana https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2023/05/27/author-interview-francis-h-powell/ Name: Francis H Powell Please introduce yourself (250 words or so): I was born in the UK, I spent some time living in Austria, and since 1999 I have lived in France. I live with my wife, my ten-year-old son, and our rescue dog, Bertie. I have spent a lot of time teaching at schools and universities. I went to art school, and I still do lots of creative things, like painting and sculpture. I also do music. We have a really nice house near Fontainebleau. We have a wonderful garden, but I know next to nothing about gardening. I have limited success planting things. Sometimes we travel to Paris. Before, we lived in Brittany, near the sea, but I missed the life I used to have when I lived in Paris, lots of culture and things happening. I also have friends who live in Paris. As well as fiction, I write poetry. I put together a book called “Together Behind Four Walls” which was an anthology to raise money for Marie Curie Nurses. Tell us about your book(s) – title, genre etc (short)
10. Angel Messages https://annetterochelleaben.wordpress.com/2023/05/28/angel-messages-may-28-2023/
11. Syl’s 65 blog https://syl65.wordpress.com/2023/05/28/soulfulmusic-%f0%9f%8e%99%ef%b8%8f-dewayne-woods-let-go/
12. Smorgasbord Magazine https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2023/05/28/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-podcast-rewind-tales-from-the-garden-the-guardians-of-the-magic-garden-by-sally-cronin/ I have been experiencing problems accessing my Anchor account through spotify and there have been a few issues since Anchor moved across. I am going to be recording more material in a few weeks to upload to Soundcloud but in the meantime I hope that new readers to the blog and those who have heard these stories before will enjoy the rewind. Tales from the garden is a collection I wrote in tribute to our home in the mountains to the north of Madrid where we lived from 1999 to 2016. We inherited a number of statues from the previous owners that were too big to take with them, and I also found some discarded around the garden. Perfect characters for stories, some of whom moved on with us to Ireland and appeared in Tales from the Irish Garden. Enchanting!
13. Fiction Favorites https://johnwhowell.com/2023/05/27/stream-of-consciousness-saturday-prompt-sink-sank-sunk/ The soft whirr of beans meeting blades is followed by the olfactory stimulation that only coffee can produce before hitting the cup in a consumable form. The steady flow of the intoxicating liquid is finished with a cap of crema that only a machine with instrument DNA can produce. There it is. My route to survival. A sip confirms the road ahead will be paved with good intentions, a big ole smile, and a few sinkholes. As the chimes awake the heretofore sleeping dogs, my eye goes to the small sign on the counter that reads, PLEASE DO NOT RING THE DOORBELL. Another day of a forgotten install above the doorbell sank the quiet and is rewarded with the sound of a pack of wolves chasing a panicked elk through a forest of aluminum trees. As the Westminster chime drones through its complete cycle, the din of the mayhem reaches the acme of volume somewhere in a decibel range of eardrum bleed. A handful of treats tossed into the next room brings the sound of silence to the entryway. Moving through the security system bypass allows the front door to be thrown open. Standing there is a mob character in a pin-striped suit right out of central casting. The only detail missing is the violin case hiding the Thomson submachine gun. My hopes have sunk to a new low when he mentions the boss would like a conversation. “Who’s the boss?” comes out of my mouth before a reasonable edit. Oh, no! What is up with Louie?
14. Entertaining Stories https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/2023/05/27/trying-to-shift-gears/ I’ve been realistically away from the keyboard since April. I managed to dabble here and there, but really haven’t gotten any quality time since then. Last night I ordered all the interior graphics for the next book in The Hat Series. I’m having to financially parse this stuff out, but can’t release one of those without the little cartoons. They’re part of the shtick, and some of them lead to some fun gags. The series wouldn’t be the same without them. Which brings us to today. I always try to have two books in progress at any given time. The one I dabbled at seemed to move ahead in fits and starts, and has a healthy start considering everything else I was doing. Today, I decided to look in on Percy the Space Chimp. The thralls of figuring out what direction to go and what actions to take to get there. It can take quite a bit of thought to progress.