Story Plan Checklist: Genre

[ladyseishou]

Horror fans not only like this genre, they are passionate about it.

- Diane Robina



And what will you be writing?

What Karen Wiesner writes about today's topic:

While you don't want to lock in your genre too early (stories evolve in unpredictable ways), get started with genre specification. For now, list all the genres this story could fit into.

For a quick review of genre, check out these earlier Nano Writer posts:

Genre?

Genre part 2 - Retread or Subversion?

Back in May, we looked at Nano Writers' genre preferences which showed a strong interest in speculative fiction. What will you be writing this November?

Poll #1383 Name that Genre

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 19

View Respondents

What Genre Will Your Novel Be This Year?

View Answers

Adventure
0 (0.0%)

Chick Lit
0 (0.0%)

Erotic Fiction
0 (0.0%)

Fantasy
6 (31.6%)

Historical Fiction
0 (0.0%)

Horror & Thriller
3 (15.8%)

Literary Fiction
0 (0.0%)

Mainstream Fiction
1 (5.3%)

Mystery & Suspense
0 (0.0%)

Religious, Spiritual & New Age
1 (5.3%)

Romance
2 (10.5%)

Satire, Humor & Parody
0 (0.0%)

Science Fiction
3 (15.8%)

Young Adult & Youth
0 (0.0%)

Other Genres
3 (15.8%)

My novel this time around will be mostly fantasy with a dash of sci-fi and a generous sprinkling of mystery/thriller. Or at least that's my "working" genre(s)!

Next week, we'll be accepting submissions for the Cover Up! contest! I can't wait to see what everyone's put together! Until then Nano Writer, keep writing!



Also a quick note: the NaNoWriMo website has been reset so previous links to the forums won't work. But on the positive side, the forums are all shiny and new and everything seems to be working great!

Comments

[cheyinka]

Mine will definitely be science fiction, with sprinkles of historical fiction interspersed. :D

[ladyseishou]

This is the Mars novel, right? That sounds like a great mix!

[dragonscrawl]

I tried to break out of my favorite genre, but no dice. Another round of fantasy for me this year, but this time with a dash of steampunk.

[ladyseishou]

Sometimes it's helpful to try something new (esp. if you're dealing with writer's block) but maybe you still have more to say with your favorite genre if you're having a hard time writing in a different genre. Mixing it up is a fun thing to try and steampunk is gaining (has?) popularity with the fantasy community so you'll be in good company!

[curiosity]

I almost always go for 'urban fantasy'. Charles de Lint has been a very bad influence. :P

[ladyseishou]

Urban fantasy is very cool! And yielding to your inspiration is always for your writing!

[twistingthetale]

I'm going for horror again, although as with last year's novel there'll be a few historical flashbacks.

Sorry I haven't been keeping up to date with the community :(

[ladyseishou]

That sounds like a very neat mix!

And October's a good time to catch up! We're basically just starting to put together enough stuff so that we're primed and ready for November 1 (title, synopsis, basic outline, etc.)

[angryoldhag]

I'm going to go for fantasy this year, but a lot less seriously and with loads of weirdness (like characters inspired by songs like The Devil Went Down to Georgia). I'm hoping to take a playful jab at the feared 'normal girl ends up in fantasy world.' Sort of like a road trip in a world where ninja lemmings are not even considered the weirdest part of it.

[ladyseishou]

Sounds like a great take on the genre! Humor is always appreciated by the reader, even in small doses in a serious work. Bet it will be fun to write as well to read!

BTW, love your dw username!

[angryoldhag]

Thank you and thank you. And wow, you're really involved in this community. You've got something nice to say to everyone. Awesome!

[ladyseishou]

^___^

[lassarina]

Fantasy this year, as per usual, with probably a few bits of horror (my world's environmental effects make people crazy).

[ladyseishou]

Very cool! Or should I say scary!

[boredsilly]

I'm doing romance with a large dose of parody.