What genre are you working on right now?

Discussion in 'Genre Discussions' started by 123456789, Aug 15, 2013.

?

Genre currently working on?

  1. crime/thriller

    5 vote(s)
    9.3%
  2. fantasy

    16 vote(s)
    29.6%
  3. general fiction

    21 vote(s)
    38.9%
  4. horror

    5 vote(s)
    9.3%
  5. historical fiction

    3 vote(s)
    5.6%
  6. romance

    5 vote(s)
    9.3%
  7. sci fi

    13 vote(s)
    24.1%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2008
    Messages:
    7,851
    Likes Received:
    3,339
    Location:
    Boston
    You know, it might be interesting to look into how many published writers have published something outside their usual genre. I imagine it's not that many.
     
  2. Thomas Kitchen

    Thomas Kitchen Proofreader in the Making Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2012
    Messages:
    1,248
    Likes Received:
    448
    Location:
    I'm Welsh - and proud!
    Would you count "usual genre" as the genre that the writer first sold, or the one that sold the most copies, or something else? But yes, that would be interesting to know.
     
  3. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2010
    Messages:
    729
    Likes Received:
    38
    Location:
    Under your bed.
    I'm working on a YA novel which could be considered romance in a sense and 'general fiction' (What is this category? I only chose it because there was no 'drama' or 'coming of age').
     
  4. Yoshiko

    Yoshiko Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2009
    Messages:
    749
    Likes Received:
    31
    My current main project is a screenplay for a drama about a cancer patient.

    My next planned novel is general fic, I guess. It's more a character study of an awkward and wicked gentleman who doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut.
     
  5. 123456789

    123456789 Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2012
    Messages:
    8,102
    Likes Received:
    4,605
    Drama goes in general fiction.
     
  6. T.Trian

    T.Trian Overly Pompous Bastard Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2013
    Messages:
    2,253
    Likes Received:
    1,470
    Location:
    Mushroom Land
    Aren't they among the most popular, if not the most popular genres among amateur writers? I expected those two genres to win by a landslide just for that reason. Granted, I and KT write in other genres as well and every single book of ours is a mixed bag incorporating romance, horror, adventure, what have you, but sci-fi and fantasy are still the most prominent genres in our current WIPs.
     
  7. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2010
    Messages:
    13,984
    Likes Received:
    8,557
    Location:
    California, US
    They are. But there are a lot of writing forums dedicated specifically to those areas, or even to speculative fiction generally, so I thought there might be a larger cross-section of genres here.
     
  8. archerfenris

    archerfenris Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2013
    Messages:
    217
    Likes Received:
    67
    Location:
    Savannah, GA
    Indeed. Current WIP is fantasy but moving on to what I think will be my main genre: Thrillers/Crime. I'm 1 of 2 polled so far. I find that interesting.
     
  9. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2008
    Messages:
    7,851
    Likes Received:
    3,339
    Location:
    Boston
    Maybe whatever genre most of his/her works fall under.

    Also, placing a book into a genre can be tough at times. Imagine a novel that is categorized as general fiction but that has elements of romance. At what point do we categorize it as romance instead of general fiction? There's a similar sort of problem with magical realism (which a lot of times is shelved under general/literary fiction) and fantasy.
     
  10. alexandriadeloraine

    alexandriadeloraine Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2012
    Messages:
    54
    Likes Received:
    5
    [purged]
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2017
  11. The Peanut Monster

    The Peanut Monster New Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2013
    Messages:
    124
    Likes Received:
    16
    Location:
    New Zealand
    Lots of YA, fantasy and sci fi. I wonder why there are lots of people writing in these genres - they never really appealed to me so much.

    For those writing in these genres: what's the attraction? I'd be interested to hear.
     
  12. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2010
    Messages:
    13,984
    Likes Received:
    8,557
    Location:
    California, US
    I think you just have to look at sales figures, particularly in YA, to see why there is so much going on in that area. Even established authors who haven't never written YA before has started showing up on the YA shelves. If you get a big hit in YA, it can be quite lucrative. Think about Potter (which ended up being YA age range even if it didn't start that way), Twilight, Hunger Games, Beautiful Creatures, House of Night series, and so on. A lot of the most recent huge phenomena (in terms of sales/success) in fiction have been YA in the past decade or more.

    A NY Times article I read pointed out that more than half the people buying YA are adults ( I can't remember which group did the study to make that conclusion).

    So, long story short - there's a lot of money in YA right now.
     
  13. 123456789

    123456789 Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2012
    Messages:
    8,102
    Likes Received:
    4,605
    Why?
     
  14. Jhunter

    Jhunter Mmm, bacon. Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2011
    Messages:
    1,218
    Likes Received:
    45
    Location:
    Southern California
    I read everything, but I am writing YA, and Epic Fantasy satire currently.
     
  15. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2010
    Messages:
    13,984
    Likes Received:
    8,557
    Location:
    California, US
    Why not?

    Chuck Wendig did a post on YA fiction (if you google his name and YA fiction it should come up), and one thing he mentions is not only that it is lucrative but that so many adults read it. He tries to answer the question as to why. In part, he writes:

    People like it.
     
  16. 123456789

    123456789 Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2012
    Messages:
    8,102
    Likes Received:
    4,605
    Well, well, well. General fiction has caught up, and I haven't even cast my vote yet.

    This could be due to several reasons. One, my failure to define "general fiction" and to include other more specific categories.

    It's also interesting that the votes for sci fi and fantasy basically filled up in a day or two, whereas GF and others took a little while longer. Can we assume that in general, people who write fantasy and sci fi spend more time on the net?
     
  17. Flying Geese

    Flying Geese Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2013
    Messages:
    276
    Likes Received:
    67
    I am working on General fiction...A novel for YA and high schoolers... :)
     
  18. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2010
    Messages:
    13,984
    Likes Received:
    8,557
    Location:
    California, US
    Yeah. This is more what I was expecting to see here.
     
  19. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2008
    Messages:
    7,851
    Likes Received:
    3,339
    Location:
    Boston
    Ha, I just realized I hadn't voted. That's one more for general fiction.
     
  20. Thomas Kitchen

    Thomas Kitchen Proofreader in the Making Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2012
    Messages:
    1,248
    Likes Received:
    448
    Location:
    I'm Welsh - and proud!
    My mind simply works that way. Ever since I was young I watched shows about aliens and other planets, and a lot of my "what ifs" were to do with these things. Also, I live on this earth now, so why shouldn't I explore other planets too? I know a lot about this earth; let's find out about others.

    That's my personal reasoning, anyway.
     
  21. DH Hanni

    DH Hanni New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2013
    Messages:
    31
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Pasco, WA
    I put horror because the for fun novella I'm writing will have vampires in it. But the research I'm doing and genre I'm most interested in writing in is historical fiction so I'm wondering if I should have voted for that instead?
     
  22. 123456789

    123456789 Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2012
    Messages:
    8,102
    Likes Received:
    4,605
    No, put what you're writing now.
    But if the vampires aren't scary, don't put down horror ';_;'
     
  23. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2010
    Messages:
    13,984
    Likes Received:
    8,557
    Location:
    California, US
    I have an issue with my local indie bookstore because the horror shelves are full of paranormal romance or urban fantasy, merely because of the fact that there might be a vampire in a story. I'm trying to convince them to put those books where they belong and restrict the horror section (which is already small) to actual horror. I don't hold out much hope - they have limited shelf space as it is.
     
  24. idle

    idle Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2012
    Messages:
    334
    Likes Received:
    36
    Location:
    one of the hearts of Europe
    Because "what if". I always wonder what would happen if something was different. Small changes that result in a totally different society, history, way of thinking. Or maybe not that different. Sci-fi and fantasy allow that, you can make anything happen and then watch what follows from there.
     
  25. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2010
    Messages:
    10,742
    Likes Received:
    9,991
    Location:
    Near Sedro Woolley, Washington
    Writing is not a zero-sum game. The fact that a reader reads your (generic "your," not specifically 123456789's) sci-fi book doesn't mean he won't read mine. In fact, if he likes yours, he's probably more likely to read mine, because he'll be looking for more in the same genre. We get to advertise each other, in a way.

    On the other hand, if he doesn't like yours, he may sour on the sci-fi genre, and be less likely to read mine. So let's all write our stuff really well, people! We only help each other when we do.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice