Can't Figure Out Genre

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TMCan

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I have a short story a woman having a rough day at work before going home and killing her husband and his mistress. I have no idea what genre to list it as.
 

TMCan

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It ends with her taking a bath to wash off all the blood. I never really thought about thriller, maybe that's the right place. The rest of the story doesn't really hint that the murders will happen. It's kind of a surprise twist.
 

Cathy C

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It's a short hop from suspense to horror, but tone is going to have a big impact on that. If it's just a story, with no hint the ending is coming, even telling people the genre might not work. You're going to have to get the reader of whatever genre you choose invested and have at least hints of the genre--enough to get to the surprise ending. Maybe reverse the opening to have her scrubbing the bathroom, or watching the interesting patterns as the red swirls with water down the drain, but not why, and tell the actual story in a form of flashback.

:Shrug: Just a thought...
 
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TMCan

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Oh I forgot about the beginning. I guess that was a hint. The first scene is of her stepping into the bath and the water turning pink. The last scene is the same scene but now you know why the water turned pink.
 

Jinsune

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I think it's suspense. Depending on how graphic you were with the killing scene might depend on whether or not the story is horror in my opinion.
 

Eddy Rod-Kubry

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Suspense or drama, depending on the beginning and how it develops, I'd say.
 

gingerwoman

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It sounds like it might be literary depending on how it was written. From Wikipedia "Literary fiction does not focus on plot as much as paraliterary fiction.[6] Usually, the focus is on the "inner story" of the characters who drive the plot with detailed motivations to elicit "emotional involvement" in the reader.[7][8]"
 
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Ride the Pen

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Impossible to say just from your summary. Theoretically, it could even be written as a comedy (you will probably know if it's not a comedy).

The genre doesn't depend on a short summary/logline, it depends on the angle you are approaching your material from.

Of course, in most cases the topic kind of defines the genre - but you can't say for sure, and can't say exactly. Obviously, it seems to be around thriller/drama/suspense in your case.
 
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