Well, I am in the process of writing a novel. I was asked what genre I was using for my novel. I myself do not know what it is, and I was wondering if there is a way we can identify the type of genre for the stories we are writing. My novel is about a 17-year old teenager living a miserable life. When he moves from California to Kentucky to live with his mom, he seeks to find peace from his friends and neighbor. When his brother saw him, his brother then realizes that people have been mistreating him when he oversees him being bullied by his archenemy and his other friends (his archenemy moved to the same neighbor the main character moved in). Therefore, his brother decides to protect him while he lives with him and his mother. Then, at the end, the main character discovers that his brother is dead, and that he has been posting to him as his guardian angel every since the main first entered the neighborhood in Kentucky. I am not sure in which kind of bookthis would be categorized. It could be Young Adult Mysteries, or Fantasy, or any. I would like to know how I could go out defining my genre for the book I am writing.
Up until the end it sounded like it would just be Fiction or Young Adult Fiction. With the addition of a guardian angel it you might be able to add fantasy, but I don't see any point unless it spans long sections of the book. And I don't know why it would be mystery. I'm not seeing that in your description. Could just be me.
No offense, but I didn't even read the description. Didn't need to. Just write, and let any potential agent figure out the genre, as it's more a construct of marketing than writing. I've even seen agents who are dubious of people who charge into a query declaring what genre their novel is, as it's often either not actually that genre at all (especially people who think they're writing literary, and really aren't), or worse it's condescending to the fact the agent won't know their job well enough to determine the genre, or the best way to market the novel. Just write, and then when the time comes describe what you've written. Not what shelf you think it deserves to be on, but what you've written. If anything, genre these days has become a string of borderline comical cliches: well, my novel is a YA paranormal, urban romance with Gothic inspiration and a touch of steampunk realism! Ummm, okay, we'll be in touch! No, no, don't call us, we'll call you. Just write. If it's good, you'll get the interest of an agent based on your descriptions of the story and characters, not what genre you proclaim it to be, which in my opinion is never your job as a writer, and is solely the job of agents, publishers and readers to determine genre.
I would thumbs up the upward thumbing thumbs that are up thumbing up! Wow, thumb is really a weird word.... especially as a verb.
why do we always feel the need to label or define everything?! Eventually it might have to be pigeon-holed for whatever reason, but i dont think you need to label it, just have faith in it. Some labels can have negative connotations, so maybe its best to just let it be free. If others want to label it then thats their need for compartmentalisation, not yours!
