Genre Bending or Breaking?

Walk into any bookstore and you'll find all of the latest books sorted into these perfect little categories. Fiction, Non-Fiction, Biography, Fantasy, Romance are all nicely printed in bold letters on placards scattered about the store. More and more frequently I have been seeing books that merge genres or in some cases encompass elements of so many that I can't quite place where they actually belong. I think of these latter examples as genre breakers. Certainly they will have a little more of one than another ad that's what most bookstores publishers list them as. As a writer I tend to simply write when I get an idea. Nine times out of ten I won't label it until I'm through. I may intend for it to be a romance but it may wind up as a mystery. I suppose that's what comes of be a fly by the seat of your pants type of writer, or  "pantser"as people in NaNoWriMo call it.

As to what happens to those writers that ignore the genres: they get a broader reader base. At least that's what I've witnessed. Bookstores don't know what to do with a sci-fi psychological horror romance. Their solution, in my experience, is to place a few copies of the book in each of the relevant sections. As a reader it's kind of nice. I may be feeling the need for some romance but who's to say that I would mind some excitement thrown in. As a writer I don't think I would mind it either. More sales equals more recognition and more money in my pocket. I suppose deep down I personally have never really held to labeling my work one thing or another. I suppose I'll leave that to the reader or publisher. For me it's always been about writing what ever I have in my head and let me tell you that is a very messy disorganized place!


 Today’s post was inspired by the topic “Genre-bending - what happens when writers ignore the boundaries of bookstore categories” — the opening question in the inaugural cycle of the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour — an ongoing tour where you, the reader, travel around the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. We have all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The next post in the tour will be on the 1st, by Alex Fayle. Be sure to check it out.


If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and find out where they got their latest ideas, check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. You can find links to all of the posts on the tour by checking out the group site. Read and enjoy!