Questions tagged [genre]
Questions about writing in specific genres, such as science fiction, or about genres in general.
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Is it so bad to end up with a "done before" plot?
I'm not delusional about the nature of the science fiction novel I'm (very) slowly working on. A brief run down might be as follows:
Set 10's of millennia in Human's future but in a neighbouring ...
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What Genre Category for a Semi-Fictional Memoir?
What genre do these types of Memoirs fall under? "Inspired by true events?" ... Is Semi-Fictional Memoir a "thing"? I definitely don't feel that "fictional autobiography" fits.
I have been ...
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What is Literary Fiction?
I keep hearing about literary fiction, and how it is so much better than genre fiction. What exactly is literary fiction?
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Can You Mix Readers of Fantasy and Sci-Fi?
In his book How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Orson Scott Card mentions the differences between fantasy and sci-fi readers, and even says that an author should stick to only one genre, as the ...
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Writing different genres
I like to write many different genres in my fiction writing but I think that this would be confusing as an author's name becomes somewhat of a brand. Is it therefore a good idea to invent pen names ...
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The role of inexplicable events in hard science fiction
The modern world has few true mysteries, among them the fate of the Roanoke colonists and the crew of the Mary Celeste but do such happenings have a place in futuristic settings?
In settings with ...
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Is my serial-killer novel horror or crime?
I'm writing a novel which centers around a serial killer and his victims. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding whether it belongs in the horror genre (it's a disturbing, horrific slasher, and a lot of ...
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What are most common tropes of a paranormal book and dark fantasy book?
I'm trying to decide what genre my novel should be. I wanna be more generic so the answers can help other people, so my question is: How to know if a story is a dark fantasy or a paranormal story? ...
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What makes a poem a poem?
Warning: long question. To start it off lightheartedly, here is the topic as doggerel.
There are plenty of questions with titles like these:
"What is this form?" — "Can I do this in poems?"
— "How ...
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Mixing humour with horror in fiction
I got into trouble last year for submitting an assignment (Masters in Creative Writing) that included a story that sprinkled elements of humour (think Despicable Me) into a gritty and frankly ...
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What is the most important characteristic of New Weird as a genre?
Recently I've stumbled across China Miéville's novels. Apparently, they fit in a genre called Weird Fiction, or to be even more specific New Weird, where the "new" is used to distinguish new ...
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Should you read your own genre?
In terms of novel writing, I tend to avoid my own genre, at least for the most part. Some of the reasons why:
Genre Blindness / Genre Trap:
Too much reading of your own genre blinds you to the ...
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Monsters of psychological horror
According to Wikipedia, psychological horror is
Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction that relies on mental, emotional and psychological states to frighten, disturb,...
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How little "fantasy" can be in a story and it still be recognizably fantasy?
How little "fantasy" can be in a story and it still be recognizably fantasy, and not mainstream fiction?
The "recognizable fantasy" question is one I struggle with all the time. Fantasy exists on a ...
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How to distinguish if a novel is science fiction or fantasy?
Through the process of writing my novel, I've found that I really don't know where it fits in the written realm. I believe I should have a clear understanding to identify what genre my book belongs in....
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At what point can a story be considered "erotic"?
I would like to ask for any guidelines that could help to determine when a story can be considered "erotic". Is it based on the words, the number of scenes or on how detailed they are? Shortly, if I ...
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Is it easy to change genre?
I read somewhere that one should choose ones genre carefully, as it is hard to change later. Although there are exceptions, most writers, even established ones, find it hard to change genre, and have ...
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Avoiding episodic writing
I'm working on a novel that will have at least three distinct sections in three distinct locations (the two main characters start in the first location, travel through the second location, and one ...
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To what extent 'Reality' be included while writing 'Realistic' Fiction literature?
According to wiki,
Realistic fiction typically involves a story whose basic setting (time and location in the world) is real and whose events could
feasibly happen in that real-world setting.
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What is genre, and why should we care?
Here I came upon an argument about whether a particular grouping is a genre, or a marketing term. Which made me wonder - what is genre? How strict is this taxonomy, and what purpose does it serve? I ...
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What is the opposite of parody?
What I mean is a parody/spoof is a comical adaptation.
The opposite would be a dramatic adaptation.
For examples, both Batman: the Movie (1966, Leslie H. Martinson, Disney/20th Century Studios) and ...
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Under which genre to publish?
I am developing a story about a spiritual journey. The book could be marketed under several guises such as magic realism, fantasy, religious, adventure...
I was thinking that the best approach ...
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Is it the right call to title my romance a 'legend'?
I am writing a book and I plan to call it "Legend of (name of the protagonist)". But I'm writing in first person (protagonist). Searching the meaning of the word "legend" in google I get: "a ...
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Is blending genres well received by readers?
My writings tend to be a blend of multiple genre's. I know some can work well together, like sci-fi and fantasy, but are there genre's that should not be blended? Also, is it confusing to reader's ...
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What are the Criteria that Distinguish a Thriller from Horror?
The criteria that come to mind are not exclusive to horror novels, so I'm a little confused and annoyed (annoyed because I find horror novels scary, and yet just cannot define it logically when I try ...
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What genre my wife is writing?
In advance: I'm sorry for write so badly in English. I am a Spanish writer.
My wife is writing a book about the life of 4 women. This morning she asked me about which genre her novel belongs to.
At ...
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Writing Across Multiple Genres
My current novel is of the satire/humour genre. Another novel that is currently in the works is still humorous, but is more of a fantasy novel. A third novel that I am currently working on - I like ...
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