This week I had the privilege to be part of the faculty at
the Blue Ridge “Autumn in the Mountains” Novel Retreat held at Lifeway’s
Ridgecrest Conference center. Today and next week I will be sharing material
(with permission) from notes I took while listening to several conference speakers.
Eddie Jones, founder and Publisher of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, and award winning author, facilitated a workshop this week on defining genres. Since authors sometimes question what category their title falls under, I thought this list might be helpful.
Romance verses a Love Story
Romance: the
developing love relationship between a boy and girl, facing obstacles, ending
happily. Boy eventually gets the girl.
Examples: An Affair to Remember/ You’ve Got Mail/ The
Caretakers Son by Yvonne Lehman
Love Story: A journey
of falling in love ended by tragic deadly circumstances.
Examples: Love Story/ Romeo and Juliet/ The Notebook/ Titanic/
Gone With the Wind
Mystery verses
Suspense
Mystery: The
solving of a puzzle by an amateur or professional sleuth. The Dead body shows up in the first chapter. Several suspects, all knew
the victim. Often has a surprise ending.
Examples: Murder
She Wrote/ The Cat Who series by Lilian
Jackson Braun/ Castle
Suspense: There
might be a body or not. But there is a crime to solve. The protagonist’s (detective/sleuth)
life is continually threatened. The reader is exposed to information the
protagonist is not yet aware of causing
suspense for the reader.
Examples: No
Where to Turn by Lynette Eason/While You Were Sleeping/ The Fugitive
Speculative/
Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Speculative: Life
the way it could be if…
Examples: E. T./ Enoch
by Alton Gansky/ The Day the Earth Stood Still
Fantasy: The
author creates a new world but brings into it present day rules.
Examples: Lord of the Rings/ Harry Potter/ The Wonderful Wizard
of Oz
Science Fiction:
The writer creates a new world in a different galaxy. Has a lot to do with science or technology.
Examples: The Matrix, Star Wars/ 1984/The War of the Worlds
by H. G. Wells
Impress your friends the next time there is a lull in the conversation. "Hey, did you know Nicolas Sparks is NOT a romance author?"
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3 comments:
Thank you, Diana, for helping me settle the genre question once and for all concerning my manuscript. I needed to read this.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Glad it helped Wendy :-)
Good post that I wish a lot of folks would read!
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