I’m working hard on a novel, and someone asked me what genre it is. I don’t know! How do I figure that out? I want it to be a romantic suspense, but I don’t know if it has enough romance to be romantic or suspense to be a suspense. So then, what is it?
I wrote a middle-grade novel about a girl who takes off to find her grandpa who disappeared. She has all kinds of experiences as she treks across the country. On top of that, some strangers are after her. So, is it an adventure? Or is it a mystery since she doesn’t know where her grandpa is, why he disappeared, or who is after her?
Then I wrote a YA novel set in the 60s about a girl with a bunch of brothers and a dad with a double standard. She runs away to join a hippy commune. I don’t think it’s an adventure. It isn’t a mystery or suspense. Not romance. Not paranormal or thriller. A character is in the Vietnam war and there are hippy characters, but I don’t think it has enough history to call it historical fiction. Drama? I guess. I don’t know what else.
I read articles about how to identify the genre of a book, and most books are easy it seems. People write fantasy, thrillers, horror, and romance. They write cozy mysteries, paranormal, crime, and historical romance. So, I’ll just call my books realistic fiction. That’s what they are. Maybe someday I’ll write a romance or mystery, but for now, I’ll work to make my story more suspenseful and more romantic.
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