What's your genre?

[aruna]

Poll coming up.
Multiple answers allowed; your votes are visible.

[aruna]

Ooops! I forgot Orlando Bloom.

[CaroGirl]

Personally, I strive for literary, but end up falling into mainstream/contemporary, often with one of a couple of twists: mystery, crime or women's. So I ticked off a few genres. I write short stories and like to experiment so they come out all sorts of ways.

Good poll. I'm interested to see the results.

[aruna]

I ticked five!

[glutton]

Tough chicks beating up big men and giant monsters.

I ticked fantasy and action-adventure.

[Shadow_Ferret]

What's the difference between fantasy and paranormal?

And I still wondeer about the difference between mystery and thriller/suspence.

And couldn't something that's fantasy also be action/adventure?

[aruna]

What's the difference between fantasy and paranormal?

No idea. I've been told there is one.

And I still wondeer about the difference between mystery and thriller/suspence.

I know that one. In a mystery, you don't know who the bad guy is; the point is to find out. Thriller/suspense, you DO know, and the point is to escape his clutches or defeat his diabolic plans.

And couldn't something that's fantasy also be action/adventure?

That's why we have multiple choices. If you write cross-genre, then tick both. I have a suspense story that is also women's and mainstream, so I ticked all three for that book. I have historical mixed with women's - same thing.

[aadams73]

What's the difference between fantasy and paranormal?


To me, Fantasy encompasses the Lord of the Rings type stuff, while Paranormal covers vampires, werewolves, ghosts and things that go *bump*.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Not to be a pain, but that genre is "urban fantasy." No?

I'll just tick everything that I think applies, even though in my mind a lot of it is subgenre's of fantasy.

[vrabinec]

What? No smut? You're gonna make some poor slob explain "other"?

[ChaosTitan]

What's the difference between fantasy and paranormal?

Fantasy is a larger, blanket genre that includes paranormal. Paranormal uses elements of the unknown, such as ghosts, vampires, were-beasts, Psi-powers, shapeshifters, etc...

It seems for the purpose of this poll, Fantasy is being used as a catch-all for High Fantasy. That is, your more traditional Narnia or LOTR-type novels. Magic, sword-and-sorcery, dragons, etc...


And couldn't something that's fantasy also be action/adventure?

Yes, so if you write both, check both. However, you can have action/adventure without fantasy.

[ChaosTitan]

Urban fantasy and paranormal are somewhat interchangeable. Both are a sub-genre of Fantasy. I call what I write both, depending on the mood I'm in. ;)

[aruna]

What? No smut? You're gonna make some poor slob explain "other"?

Well, you can anyway see who voted what. Just click on the number of voters for any one of the genres.

[TrainofThought]

My WIP is Romance though I want to attempt humor/quirky. I checked Romance since I haven’t written humor unless you consider some of my posts humorous. At least they make me laugh, so I found an audience. :)

[Pamster]

I write mainstream/contemporary mostly, but also write children's and young adult. :) Great poll Aruna! :D

[finch]

Tossed in fantasy, sci fi and paranormal for myself, which is consistently true, even though in some cases those elements might be buried fairly deep. Might have put in action/adventure, but I don't do the pulse-pounding Crichton pace. Might have put in literary, but aspirations are not always equivalent to output.

[HConn]

I'm surprised there aren't more romance writers. That's the most popular genre.

[BardSkye]

Perhaps they're busy writing?

[aruna]

I'm surprised there aren't more romance writers. That's the most popular genre.

That's what I thought.

[swvaughn]

Great poll, Aruna! I hope everyone on AW takes it. It'll be fascinating to see the genre spread here.

I had to pick two. I like that paranormal is separate. Also, where can I find the Orlando Bloom genre? :D

(Of course, in general I describe what I do thusly: I make stuff up.)

[aruna]

And as we suspected, Fantasy is way out front. I'm sure we have more romance writers here. And I'm surprised at the lack of thriller/suspense writers considering this is such a big-selling genre.

[aruna]

Great poll, Aruna! I hope everyone on AW takes it. It'll be fascinating to see the genre spread here.



Well, not all Awers write fiction but it is really nice to see what everyone DOES write. The poll tuns for a month; I think I shoud have left it open forever.

[Pamster]

I was wondering one thing though, where was Non-Fiction? Is it not it's own genre? :)

[Shadow_Ferret]

This is a novel forum though.

[maddythemad]

*Clears throat*

I notice chick-lit isn't an option there.

Even dead genres deserve recognition!

*Holds up sign in protest*

[Pamster]

This is a novel forum though.

Still I would have ticked the non-fiction tag had it been offered. ;) :D :ROFL:

[Del]

Okay, so do we look at the results as popularity or competition?

:Wha:

[Pamster]

LOL!!! I don't know, maybe a little of both? ;) :roll:

[IrishScribbler]

Interesting mix. Makes for great discussion on the boards!

[Gabriel]

I tie together many elements in a single story though only if they are beasts from the same family. Like humourous fantasy or action urban fantasy, etc.

[J.S Greer]

Fantasy and horror predominantly. My current WIP is a mix of both.

[Marlys]

You forgot Gay/Lesbian as a category--that would be what my "other" vote stands for.

[Jenan Mac]

I wondered if GLBT should be up there. I almost checked "other"-- but technically, though my MC is lesbian, it's not about her being lesbian. So I just went for paranormal suspense.

[jodiodi]

My base genre is romance, but in actuality I spend much more time on the action/adventure/thriller/horror/fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi elemants than the actual romance parts. But for marketing purposes, I'm calling myself 'romance'. With bloodshed. And spooky stuff.

[Sean D. Schaffer]

I put Fantasy, SF, and Romance/Erotica, because, well, that's generally what I write.

Interesting poll, and I thank you, Aruna, for making it so we can put in multiple choices.

:)

[Alan Yee]

Urban fantasy and paranormal are somewhat interchangeable. Both are a sub-genre of Fantasy. I call what I write both, depending on the mood I'm in. ;)

As I said in the other thread (I should have looked for this one first), my book could be considered dark urban fantasy, or paranormal, or supernatural horror (the psychic powers, the demonic characteristics, and the overall mood and what's happening is a bit dark, though the intention isn't to scare the reader).

I usually write fantasy, particularly with darker elements. I purposely don't write the Tolkien-esque type of fantasy.

So I guess I'll check off Fantasy, Paranormal, and Horror.

[farfromfearless]

Fantasy primarily, Urban Fantasy if the whim strikes.

[Alan Yee]

I wondered if GLBT should be up there. I almost checked "other"-- but technically, though my MC is lesbian, it's not about her being lesbian. So I just went for paranormal suspense.

I forgot to mention that. My novel's characters (humans, demons, witches, and/or mixes of all the above) are predominantly either gay or bisexual, and the various relationships are important to the story... but it isn't really about being gay or bi, except as part of the overall demonic characteristics in their blood.

[Dave.C.Robinson]

I've got one SF and one Fantasy novel written, so I put those down. I also really like Pulp, so that's my third option. Not sure what the next novel will be.

[Drew T.]

*Clears throat*

I notice chick-lit isn't an option there.

Even dead genres deserve recognition!

*Holds up sign in protest*

You know, not long ago, someone told me they were trying to sell "Chick-lit" and I heard "chiclet" and couldn't quite figure out why an author needed to make a living selling gum. Maybe that's why it's dead. People like me want writing, not gum.

Anyway, I ticked YA/Humor/Mainstream. I tried many other of those when I was really young. Not so good with them.

[Akuma]

Fantasy/sci-fi/literary.



At least, I'm trying to make it literary. I still have lots to learn. And even then... :tongue

[aruna]

Sorry about the chick-lit non-option - I thought of it too late, same with gay/lesbian. But to my defense, I did post up a list before making the poll asking for suggestions! http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1072217&postcount=69
But I guess not everyone was reading that thread.
And we now have almost 90 voters! Wonderful!

[Chasing the Horizon]

I checked fantasy (naturally), paranormal (this is the genre of my second WIP, which I really haven't done much with yet, but am going to work on when I can drag myself away from my fantasy), romance (since everything I write has strong romance plots), Literary (I have a number of shorts that I've written in literary, not that any are publishable, but hey, I wrote them), Mainstream (also wrote shorts in this), Horror (shorts and a heavy element in my current WIP), Action/Adventure (major element of my WIP, plus a few other things I've outlined).

I also checked 'other' because indecipherable crap wasn't an option and I have a number of shorts that most definitely fall into this category. :D

Wow, that's 8 genres. But a lot of what I write crosses genres.

[benbradley]

FWIW, I voted SF because I want to write it, and Mainstream and Thriller/Suspence because I think I could write those, and they're more popular (I.E. pay more!) than SF. I would have selected Romance if I thought I could write it.

What's the difference between fantasy and paranormal?
I think with Fantasy, everyone knows it's fiction, and ain't none of it ever going to happen in Real Life. Or if anyone believes that it could happen, they've probably taken too many mind-altering drugs or have other severe mental problems.

Paranormal is a bit like Science Fiction in that there are (generally sane) people who believe it COULD happen: There are a substantial number of people who believe in ghosts and the spiritual world, and that we in the "physical world" can communicate with them.

Does that sound like a reasonable definition?

[lfraser]

Phooey. I flubbed my selections. I was going to pick horror/fantasy/sf but I forgot the sf. Although I probably shouldn't lay claim to that one anyway, since I've only ever written one sf story, and it was a bit heavy on the f and pretty lightweight on the s.

[aruna]

Anyway, it has now been confirmed: 50% of us write fantasy!

[williemeikle]

I grew up with comic books (my favorites being Spiderman and Green Lantern), pulp fiction (Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, Sax Rohmer, A. E. Merritt, etc) and Hammer movies. Also, my Gran was always telling stories, both fact and fiction, about the strangeness of life in Scotland. I think my writing grew out of a strange amalgam of all these.

I'm not a big fan of excessive gore, but I love the weird and fantastic, so I guess my work, if I had to categorize it, would be supernatural fantasy, rather than horror itself.

Willie

[Raphee]

Great Poll.
I put in literary/ mainstream. I have read different people give different definitions of literary and contemporary writing and its left me confused.

[Cathy C]

What's the difference between fantasy and paranormal?

And I still wondeer about the difference between mystery and thriller/suspence.

And couldn't something that's fantasy also be action/adventure?

Paranormal is BASED on known Earth legends of beings or fantastical creatures. Being "para," or resembling, normal. So, creatures such as vampires, shapeshifters, faeries, doxies, unicorns, leprechauns, etc., etc. It follows the basic premise of those legends and extrapolates stories based on them. Fantasy extends PAST the known legends into something new that has never before existed (even in legend). BUT, paranormal is still shelved in fantasy, so it hardly matters. :)

Oh, and maddythemad--chick-lit isn't really a genre in itself. It's a TONE of novel that's hip and funny. You can have chick-lit mystery, or romance or even paranormal (such as the Mary Janice Davidson vampire novels). Chick-lit DESCRIBES some other genre. But there's no shelf for chick-lit and, sadly, probably never will be. :(

[aruna]

Great Poll.
I put in literary/ mainstream. I have read different people give different definitions of literary and contemporary writing and its left me confused.

Don't worry, you're not the only one! My work tends to fall midway betwene the two so I checked both.

[HorrorWriter]

I write mostly horror, then fantasy. I also dabble in science fiction, thrillers, mystery, etc. It just depends. I don't really worry about the category, just my characters and story. If someone else feels comfortable lumping my work into a category, they can. I just want to write great stuff!:)

[DragonHeart]

I only put in for fantasy and action/adventure because that's what I intend to write...unfortunately my stories have a tendency of going off in some other direction.

For example, my current WIP is fantasy/humor, and I've never written humor before in my life. I don't know where it came from or why it's there, but I'm not about to argue.

The short story I wrote before that ended up being paranormal, which is also something I've never intentionally written before.

I'm either really confused about my writing or I forgot to take my stories to obediance class this week. XD

~DragonHeart~

[Aeryn]

Fantasy, SF, Literary, horror.

But at the moment the genre is more: Gotta do it. Gotta keep doing it. Gotta get it finished. ;)

[victoria.goddard]

Fantasy, because it the almost-almost-almost-done WIP is that, whatever else it is. Quirky/humour, because that is where the new WIP is going, I hope. Literary, because what else do I call something that has an awful lot of allusions and clever structural thingummies for their own sake and for the sake of the story? Pretentious, I suppose, would be the other word, but I'm doing my best to avoid that. I feel that so long as I keep in mind that the Story comes first (with characters a very close second)--well, it'll probably stay in Fantasy.

I was wondering what people would have to say, but I enjoy hearing the analyses of what people are writing. Or think they are writing. Thanks for the idea!

[veinglory]

It makes me happy to see romance and erotica in the same category. It means my evil plans are working.

[Ms.Write]

Terrific subject! We're all curious to know what the rest of us does (at least novel wise).

I write romance but my current WIP is a paranormal romance (I checked romance). Interesting how a lot of writers here cover a few genres.

[ink wench]

This is fascinating. Great idea, Aruna. I checked fantasy, mystery, and mainstream. My WIP is fantasy/mystery and my novel-in planning is also. I haven't written mainstream in a few years, but my short stories for some reason almost always are. Hmm... guess I could have checked paranormal too since the couple flash pieces I've written were both paranormal.

[aruna]

Folks, in case you missed it you can see what everyone voted for by clicking on one of the numbers on the right. Interesting!