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Wednesday 27 June 2012

Genre Bending


At a writer's conference I attended earlier this year, there was some discussion about genres. Both agents and publishers made it quite clear that if you are a newly established or aspiring writer you have to commit to one genre of writing. To skip from one genre to another or even worse lay claim to a cross-genre piece of work is a sure way to get the reject stamp across your manuscript before the title page has been turned.
On the face of it, it seems fair comment. To clinch that publishing deal or get yourself a good agent, it's quite reasonable for them to identify exactly where your writing is at.
It seems that even quite established writers have to remain committed throughout their careers.  For instance, if an established sci fi writer decided he wanted to skip the light fandango, turning cartwheels cross the floor to turn his hand to say a good swashbuckling pirate adventure, would this leave his sci fi readers feeling kinda seasick? Or would he get new swashbuckling pirate readers, a crowd calling out for more?

Okay I'll stop waxing lyrical before we all turn A Whiter Shade of Pale.

There are, of course, exceptions to any rule, which exempts a writer from genre specific creativity. Alas, this is beyond the reach of most of us. If, however, you happen to find yourself at the  top of the literary food chain, then maybe, just maybe, (not guaranteed) your name can be put to anything. You have become canonized as a BRAND.

Yes Ms JKR has made her departure on the Hogwart's Express into the world of adult fiction. Adult fiction is about as genre specific as she needs to get. She is not just 'a' brand, she is 'the' brand, or is she?
I'm sure her new novel The Casual Vacancy will be an amazing piece of work. JK's talent is indisputable. The magic of Harry Potter enchanted both children and adults alike in books and on the silver screen. I think she succeeded in finding the child within us all.
I'm sure she will sell squillions of copies on the day that her new novel is released, but what are her follower's expectations? Will her readers miss the incredible fantasy world that she created for Harry P? Will adult themes such as sex, murder, or heaven forbid she may even say the 'f' word, sit well with her readers? Or will she retain the distinctive ebullience and jolly hockey sticks flavour that has served her so well, and can be quite refreshing?

I like to think I can write comedy. But I've said this before and I'll keep saying it, I don't think comedy necessarily is a genre. For me it is a style. Comedy is a voice, it is refers to the delivery of a good story. It governs narrative, characterization and plot, true. I need to deliver it in a particular manner. The characters either need to be either comic or find themselves in comic situations. The plot must take at least one character way out of his or her comfort zone to create the right level of absurdity necessary to please the reader. It must have a happy ending. However, the story needs to be believable and captivating and take the reader through more emotions than merely rib-tickling laughter.  
I think next time I pitch my work; I'm not going to say its comedy or humour. I'll come up with as broad a genre as I can like adult fiction something like chic lit or choc lit (whatever that is) but for both genders.

I don't know if the demand for genre is a modern thing. Dickens, Hardy and even Shakespeare were not confined to genres. But during those days before they became immortal, were they branded as brands?


In two weeks I will be going to Theakstons Old Peculiar Crimewriting Festival. I'm going to have an amazing time rubbing shoulders with some of the worlds best crimewriters and attending some workshops to hopefully improve the way I write. But hold on, I'm not a crimewriter. But I write and I may want to write  a crime story  in  a comedic style. And I may find I have an affinity with some of the crimewriters , because they are writers. But that is not my main reason for attending.  
I read most genres from non-fiction through to biography and most genres of fiction. But I'm a hopeless crime fiction addict when it comes to reading. I used to read Hank Jansen and Mickey Spillane as a boy, so I suppose it has stayed with me.
I love classic literature, Thomas Hardy and Dickens being my favourites but also went through a phase when I couldn't absorb enough Russian literature.

On my Facebook, Twitter and indeed this blog I have made connections with all manner of different writers. I recently purchased a 'YOUNG ADULT' novel Kiera's Quest: Awakenings by Kristy Brown. (Do buy it on Amazon, she has a second book out soon) I only bought it because I socially networked with the author, or I would never have given it a second look had I seen it online or in a book shop. I don't read much fantasy. However, I must admit this book intended for youngsters was a guilty pleasure for me as a reader and it was an amazing piece of work. I don't think I could do it. I can write about the world around me and even about how the world was before me. But to create a whole new world with a different civilisation with a unique eco system and mode of government is far beyond my capability.



What's your genre of writing and does it run parallel with your reading? Or do you think that a writer is a writer regardless of genre and shouldn't have to commit to just one?  





8 comments:

  1. I would like to go with the "writer is a writer regardless of genre" idea but people do like to pigeon hole creativity and to have a tiny flavour of what your work is about before they engage with it - I guess that is why we have such concepts as genre and age banding.

    I take your point about JKR but even just to say it is "adult fiction" begins to position her book and give it identity. Also she seems to have taken care to make this a gradual move, the book being spoken about long before its release. Perhaps she is aware of the difficulties, for her readership, of her making a sudden jump into a different genre and is trying to soften the shock?

    A lot of JKR's HP readers grew up with her stories and might now be a ready adult market. In fact the HP series was designed around the idea of HP and his stories becoming more adult as the series progressed so perhaps this move is a natural one for her.

    (I am an illustrator who creates problems for herself by working in way too many styles.)

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  2. Thank you for commenting Amanda, you have made a good point that a fair number of HP's readership have grown up with him.
    Sue Townsend's character, Adrian Mole is now 45 years old with his most recent book being 'The Prostrate Years.' Readers will have followed him from the age of thirteen and three quarters,some of whom will have grown up with him and some will have maintained a generation gap and will see him slightly differently.
    I for one, will be buying JKR's new book. She is pure genius, and I'm confident it's going to be a great read.

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  3. We do pigeon-hole our writers, just as we pigeon-hole our artists but if a writer wishes to swap genre, and writes well in that genre it would be a shame not to explore it. I have written in several genres but over the years my style had developed into something that I hope would be recognisable throughout any published work. Even so, I am careful to be aware of the genre I am writing in if you catch my drift.

    My largest work is a fantasy novel set in its own landscape - I enjoyed writing it just as much as I enjoyed writing a contemporary, modern 'women's fiction' story. The former is the one I had an offer of publication for that I deemed to be dubious, a few years ago. I was quite fond of fantasy books at the time as 'light reads'. What I read definitely influences me. Mind you, how I feel, what is going on in my life, influences what I read so it is a "chicken and the egg" scenario.

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    1. I whole-heartedly agree with your point about developing a style. For me it is style that defines a writer. Genre is just a label, and says very little about the writer, in much the same way that an actor may find himself 'typecast' if he or she is only remembered, for example, period drama.

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  4. I think it is a shame sometimes when we expect certain writers to write certain things. Because a writer can have a certain style or voice across genres.
    I've been wondering about this a lot, actually, as I am currently writing my first fantasy novel, which is not a genre I have tried before. I read a lot of fantasy, but it's not all I read, and it's not all I write. I have a previous YA novel still in progress also, and I have wondered if such a leap across genres is 'acceptable'.
    Nari X

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    1. Publishers are driven by the booksellers who determine the market in terms of genre. When Stephanie Myers books were number one best sellers, publishers were falling over themselves looking for vampire books. At the time I heard a publisher say give me vampires or if you can't do that I'll consider werewolves.
      Currently I'm told that Historical Fiction is really doing well.
      As you have said, Nari, about voice and style across genres is how it should be. A writer's biggest selling point should be style first and genre or cross genre capability second.

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  5. If you really are a good writer, you can transcend any genre. Genre is just a "box" that attempts to limit the artistic boundaries of a writer in order for the other writers to capitalize on that limit (i.e. kill the competition and monopolize the desired genre). But it should never be like that in the world of literature. If you love to cross genres and if your work is good, sooner or later the reading public will notice it.

    Dan Simmons is well known for his horror fiction work in Song of Kali(earning the WFA in 1986). Years after that he wrote the sci fi Hyperion and earned the Hugo Award for best novel in 1989. Stephen King is popular for his horror novels but his non fiction work On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is highly referenced not just by fans but by other writers and readers of mainstream literature.

    I just got curious after seeing your blank image on my Google Followers widget, and after seeing this post, I felt the urge of commenting. Good luck on your future projects.

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    1. Narj, you are a good writer, you summed up my genre debate most eloquently. I have Stephen King's 'On Writing.' I recommend the audio version to hear the great man reading it himself. I play it in the car every now and then and never tire of listening to it.
      Thanks for the comment. I liked your blog so I 'followed it' http://booktripper.blogspot.co.uk/

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