Writer's Lodge 4: GENRE FICTION or WHAT SHOULD YOU WRITE?

What is genre fiction? Are you writing it?

In this Issue:

• Introduction

• A disclaimer

• “You do know it’s a psychological thriller, don’t you?”

• What even is ‘genre’?

• How about you?

• Over to you…

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Introduction

The other day, on Twitter, @WritesJo mentioned that an agent loved the ‘writing style and the tone’ of her book but told her that ‘horror stories no longer sell.’ He advised her to focus on romance and fantasy because, according to him, ‘that’s what’s in demand.’

There are several things to unpack here, and I thought it was worth taking a look at genre fiction generally, and also the bigger question: What should you be writing?

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First, a disclaimer

I’m a crime writer (so far at least). My first three books were sold as psychological thrillers (notice I wrote ‘sold as’ not ‘written as’ - more on that later!). The writer friends I’ve made have largely been other crime and thriller writers, and the festivals I go to and events I do tend to focus on crime and thriller fiction. Therefore, this is the genre I know most about. It isn’t the only genre, of course, and what I have to say in this issue of The Writers’ Lodge applies to horror, romance, fantasy, LGBTQIA+, sci-fi, historical, memoir, self-help, etc. etc. etc. — all the other genres I haven’t mentioned in fact. (And yes, ‘literary fiction’ too, because what is that if not just another in the list of genres?)

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“You do know it’s a psychological thriller, don’t you?”

Allow me to share my own story, by way of example.