Archive | July 24, 2015

Genres of the Ages


There many genres people work with. Some reading classics, while others like some of the young adult books of today. Many books are written with a medieval air, while others may be futuristic. Whatever the setting is, it’s important to be aware of what kind of book you are writing as well as reading.

Similar to setting up a certain playlist for your music, (See ‘A Musical Writer’s Remedy’.) genre lets your imagination flow with the setting of things. Consider my book, set in a post-apocalyptic world. It’s very futuristic, set in a time when technology can pretty much do anything anytime, but with a certain historical air, where the people of the day can hardly afford such items. Books such as The Hunger Games and Divergent are set up in similar ways, allowing much technology but little use for it by the poor.


Unless it’s some random time jump, most books tend to keep into their designated environment. Most books mainly focus on the mannerisms, language, and philosophy of the time. Historical books, such as Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and Withering Heights, do not have computers or any sort of device, but instead, they have to walk or ride a carriage if they wish to communicate with someone. The mannerisms of that time were quiet different as well, which is why sometimes it’s hard to understand a classical book’s style of writing.

If, however, you don’t want to stick to a certain time period, there are always options such as steampunk. Many times have I been asked what steampunk is, and my reply is,”A fiction, futuristic world with a style much like the Victorian age.” Steampunk allows writing the book to be futuristic while adding a touch of old age, as odd as that sounds.


So how do you figure out what sort of genre you are reading? Many genres have a typical air to them. Does you book have dragons and knights in it? Chances are it might be fantasy. Or how about a book where a man and a woman meet against all odds? That could be considered romance. As my friend and I have found out, many books seem to be a bit too cliche, especially in the young adult genre. Vampires falling in love with mortals, girls falling in love with the most popular boy in school, and love triangles all over the place are rather typical, and those books can get rather tiresome after you read a number of them.

So, hopefully that helped a bit. Genres have developed much over the years, some for better, some for worst, and some have even been created only in the last few years. They help readers know what kind of book they are reading as well as providing information on what style they prefer.