Blue Topic: Genre?

[ladyseishou]

With story idea (or two) in hand, we next consider genre, Nano Writer. Wikipedia defines genre as: a term for fictional works (novels, short stories) written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre.

NaNoWriMo hosts an entire subforum of "lounges" for genre writers yet the idea of genre fiction is rejected by many writers as being too restrictive and formulaic.



So Nano Writer, the question this week:
Aristotle, says Robert McKee in his insightful text, Story, “gave us the first genres.” He explains:

A story, [Aristotle] noted, could end on either a positive or a negative charge. Then each of these two types could be either a Simple design (ending flat with no turning point or surprise) or a Complex design (climaxing around a major reversal in the protagonist’s life). The result is his four basic genres: Simple Tragic, Simple Fortunate, Complex Tragic, Complex Fortunate.

Over the centuries, however, the lucidity of Aristotle was lost as genre systems became more and more blurred... Genres are not static or rigid, but evolving and flexible, yet firm and stable enough to be identified and worked with..."

Many are familiar with the basic genre categories recognized by NaNoWriMo:

• Speculative fiction that includes works of Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror
  
• Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense fiction
  
• Adventure and Historical fiction
  
• Romance fiction and Chick Lit
  
• Literary and Mainstream fiction
  
• Erotica
  
• Religious, Spiritual and New Age works
  
• Satire, Humor and works of Parody
  
• Young Adult novels
  

Interesting enough, looking at genre types identified by many Nano Writers (both as genre they had written in the past or would like to try in the future), preference is heavily given to speculative work as seen in the chart below:

Nano Writers' Genre Interests



source: nano_writers community intro posts 5/22/09


Whatever the writer's preference, McKee advises that “each writer’s homework is first to identify his genre, then research its governing practices… [as] each genre imposes conventions on story design… conventional events such as boy-meets-girl in the Love Story [or] conventional roles such as the criminal in a Crime Story.” These Genre Conventions consist of “specific settings, roles, events, and values” that addresses reader expectations and at the same time, inspires creativity as the writer strives “to keep convention but avoid cliché.

Later we'll look at what genre can do for you and a mini challenge!

Bibliography

McKee, Robert. Story substance, structure, style and the principles of screenwriting. New York: ReganBooks, 1997.

Comments

[lassarina]

Do tell, did you by chance attend Northwestern U? It sounds so familiar. -_-;

See, that was my thought on an intro course also. But what do I know? Nothing, clearly.

[everchangingmuse]

No, I went to a women's college in the south. It's disturbing to think this could be a trend in creative writing departments.

We're foolish together, it seems.

[lassarina]

I think the explanation for ours was that it was run by a poet. Mary Kinzie, to be exact. If you've ever read her A Poet's Guide to Poetry, you'll probably understand the root of the problem. If you haven't, well. Pretentious doesn't begin to describe it.

[everchangingmuse]

Ours was run by a fiction author, John Gregory Brown. His wife, Carrie, was my intro professor, and she's a fiction writer as well. I haven't read the book you mention, but pretentious...yeah. It ran in our department too.

[lassarina]

I maintain that I learned more about writing, and how to recognize when I'm doing it wrong, from three months in fandom than I did from four years in university.

[everchangingmuse]

I hear you on that.