NaNoWriMo Day 26 - Categorising and Genres

Tuesday 26th November - Categorising and Genres

Books have, and always will be, categorised into types. It helps writers and readers succeed.

It's important for readers and writers to understand a little bit about genres. It means that a writer can tailor their work to readers, and it means that a reader can have a good guess of whether they'll enjoy a certain book.

There are certain tropes that people expect from certain genres, so make sure you know what they are before categorising your book. For example, if you're writing Romance then you need to make sure that the couple get together at the end of the book. Oh, and they've got to have some troubles along the way too, of course!

By all means, kick back against the trend and defy stereotypes, but if you don't stick to certain tropes then you may end up with disgruntled readers.

Important Notes

A book can be more than one genres. I categorise Taking Wing as Fantasy Adventure, therefore combining the genres of Fantasy and Adventure.
Middle grade, young adult or new adult are not genres. They're age categories. There are still different genres inside these categories.

I have recently been teaching my class of P4/5 about different genres, and it has really helped me peel back the genres to the bare bones. This is how I described some of the main genres to the kids:

Fantasy is something that cannot happen
Science Fiction is something that cannot happen...yet
Comedy is a funny story
Adventure is an exciting story, often involving a quest
Horror is a story that's designed to be scary
Fairytale is a magical story, often with a happily-ever-after ending
Romance is a story about a couple with a happily-ever-after ending

Of course, this is only a smallish list of a few genres. The literary world is full of fascinating genres.

Comments

"Through Time to London" by Brindy Wilcox

What started as a normal day for Brandy & Brinkley changed beyond anything they dreamed of when Jed visited. The two spaniels were used to having little adventures every time they left the house, but nothing prepared them for that morning.
1665 London was a dangerous place for dogs, so when the two brothers found themselves suddenly in the middle of the plague-ridden city it was a race against time to escape the clutches of the street dogs, the perils of the rats and the dangers of the dogcatchers.
Would they be able to survive in their new surroundings and would they be able to find their way back to the safety of their own home?
Through Time to London is the first in a series that follows the adventures of Brandy and Brinkley, two time-travelling Cavalier Spaniels, who are met with new challenges in their search for the way home.

Firstly, I love dogs! I have a spaniel - a cheeky Sprocker by name of Orlando - so I love reading and hearing about the adventures of other dogs, fiction…

Book Tour - Total Blueprint for World Domination by Jolene Stockman

It's great to part of this book's journey!

When my parents bought me my sewing machine many years ago, the gift tag read "believe in your ability and this will become your best friend" or something to that ilk. This book reminded me a little of that - it gives you the matter-of-fact motivational speech needed by some many youngsters.

"Total Blueprint for World Domination" is an inspirational book for young people. Young people need to think big, and believe in themselves, and this book certainly helps with that!

There are motivational speeches and activities gallore. Some of the activities have been seen before, but others are new to me. Occasionally, books heap activities onto the reader like nobody's business, but this book gets it just right. Not too many, and not too few. The reader is left feeling like they can take part without worrying about the time!

And did I mention the graphics? The design of the book is eye catching and, in itself, inspirat…

NANOWRIMO - Beginnings

Friday 1st November 2019 - Beginnings
No matter what anyone tells you, your beginning is spectacularly important. No pressure or anything, but if a reader doesn’t gel with your first line, your second must be amazing.The general rule of thumb is, the further a reader is expected to go to find the story, the easier it will be to lose them.
Starting a book can seem a bit like a rocky, uphill struggle - but it's worth it!

One of the most well-known beginnings:
In the beginning was the word
It’s difficult to rival that one!
But it’s a statement of truth (let’s leave fact out of it, as most of use NaNoWriMo writers are in the business of fiction), and that’s what most of my first lines are.
Petrovia Lodge was all that could be expected of a country house for a family of a not inconsiderable income.
Day’s Dying Glory
In a country at peace, men of war are confined to their homes and families.
Beneath Black Clouds and White
The springy heather underfoot was the only thing which coaxed on the falte…

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