I’ve never been that author who can stick to one genre for every project she does. Every story brings a new genre, and it’s caused me to experiment and discover these types of storytelling!
So, I thought, why not rank them?
In this post, I’m going to be counting down the top 6 genres that I’ve written in. Now, these are going to be very generalized – for example, I’ve written a historical science fiction novel, but I’m counting historical fiction and science fiction as two different genres in this list.
And I do want to clarify this: just because a genre is at the bottom of the list, doesn’t mean I don’t like that genre! There are aspects to each genre that enjoy, I just prefer certain genres over others.
With each ranking, I’ll (1) give a brief description of the genre, (2) mention the stories that I’ve written in the genre, (3) say my likes and dislikes for the genre, and (4) explain why the genre is ranked the way it is!
I’m really excited to do this. I hope you enjoy seeing my perspective on the main genres I’ve written in!
Now, on to the actual ranking!
6. Historical Fiction
Historical fiction is one of the most fascinating ways to ever learn about history! It includes a main character (usually fictional) that’s experiencing an event that actually happened in history. Whether it’s the Irish potato famine, the home life during World War 1, or a soldier’s life in the War of 1812, historical fiction gives us a unique and exciting glimpse into what life was like during that period.
The historical fiction novel that I wrote is actually one of my current projects, Interdimensional Blood – it’s a historical science fiction novel that involves two Nazis who are trying to escape a new dimension while trying to handle the terrible actions they’ve done. In this case, I’m working with multiple worlds as the characters travel through them – I have 1943 France that’s plunged into war, and then I have 2044 Canada which also involves my villain’s horde of advanced technology. They’re two very different worlds. 1943 France and my Nazi MCs were the historical fiction, and 2044 Canada and my villain’s fancy tech were the science fiction. It was a really interesting and fun blend.
Now, what were my likes and dislikes for writing historical fiction?
Likes:
I got to learn a lot of history. I’ll admit, it was thrilling to find out all these small details and be able to weave them into my story.
1943 France was a very different setting than what I was used to, so it was exciting to discover that.
Dislikes:
I was really slow at writing the historical parts that I was unsure about. I wrote an interrogation scene and that went by quickly because I knew how typical interrogations went, but with everything else I was obsessed at getting every detail absolutely right. Even the tiny details. And research didn’t answer all my questions.
There’s a lot of research. I can’t just write my rough draft without thinking, I need to dig in deeper and take notes and all that jazz. Learning the information was super exciting and I loved that, but the actual process of researching and sifting through information was pretty tiring.
More thought has to go into it. I touched on this briefly in my last point, but I can’t just blindly write my historical fiction rough draft. I need to have the details right, I can’t stand having a potential historical inaccuracy in my novel. Yes, these things can be fixed in the second draft, but it doesn’t stop me from being slow in my rough draft.
Overall, historical fiction was a great experience for me, but I don’t think I’d write in it again. I’ll be editing Interdimensional Blood through this spring and summer, but once I finish it, I doubt that another historical fiction novel will show up. That’s why I’ve ranked this genre as sixth.
You never know, though. If I know a ton about a specific historical event, then I might want to write a story on that because I wouldn’t be fussing so much about the details. We shall see.
5. Fantasy
Fantasy is a very broad genre. I googled “fantasy subgenres” yesterday, and the first link that showed up mentioned 50 fantasy subgenres. 50!
So, in terms of this ranking, I’ll focus on the two fantasy subgenres I have written in – medieval fantasy and dystopian fantasy. Medieval fantasy is pretty self-explanatory. It’s set in a place with castles, knights, queens, and horses, and it occasionally has magic (I didn’t include magic in my medieval fantasy). The novel I wrote in this genre is called The Guiding Star, and if you read my previous post, then you’ll recognize the title. It was my first official novel, and it’s about a spunky princess who goes to find her missing older sister.
Dystopian fantasy is a little different. It’s typically set in a society that has gone bad and/or has a corrupt government, and it includes fantasy elements such as creatures or an entirely new world. In the dystopian fantasy I wrote, Stranded Sight, I had a small village surrounded by a forest. The forest itself had fantasy-like monsters and creatures – my favourite is the warpin, which is basically a white, extra-fluffy fox with purple eyes.
But, overall, the two genres share one core aspect: they are set in a world different than ours that may or may not contain mystical elements.
Here are my likes and dislikes for writing fantasy!
Likes:
There’s so much freedom to it. You can create pretty much anything you want in fantasy. You want winged cats? Absolutely. Blue-skinned people with eight thousand eyes? Why not? Fantasy is a place where you can let your brain run wild. You can even try and bend the laws of physics if you want, but that might require some more logistical thinking.
It’s such a fun genre to explore. I love reading fantasy and seeing the different parts of each author’s world, and I love writing fantasy and adding different elements to my world.
Since I’ve read a lot of fantasy books, I already have a general idea of what the genre entails. This encourages me and helps me know that I can write a fantasy novel “right.” (I say “right” in quotes, just because there are almost no limits in fantasy. No wonder so many people write it!)
Dislikes:
There’s a lot of worldbuilding. Now, I do like worldbuilding, but I don’t like it as much as I love character development. If I’m writing a modern-day story, I don’t need to do any worldbuilding, I just need to do some quick research on the place my story’s taking place (which is pretty easy, especially since we have so much information on modern times).
It’s a lot to keep track of, sometimes. There can be multiple locations to keep track of, multiple species, maybe even multiple languages (I applaud your dedication). It requires a lot of development – J. R. R. Tolkien spent over 10 years working on The Lord of the Rings, and he has books and books of just worldbuilding! You don’t have to go that far, but the more you develop your world, the more fleshed-out and real it will seem.
I do like to write fantasy. But it’s a lot of work. You could argue that any genre has its fair share of work, but fantasy is one of those genres I’m just “meh” about. I love reading it, but when I write it the stories just tend to fall flat. I never went back and edited the second draft of Stranded Sight (but I do have notes for if I ever decide to!). I just prefer other genres.
4. Science Fiction
Science fiction! The other half of my historical science fiction novel!
Science fiction is all about advancements, usually in technology. Typical science fiction novels can include spaceships, time travel, dimensions, teleportation, and flying cars. But there are many possibilities to this genre.
When I wrote Interdimensional Blood, my science fiction aspects included dimension hopping and technology such as age changers and handheld teleporters. The setting itself was more modern, but my dimension-hopping villain had brought in a bunch of gadgets that he’d created himself. I loved figuring out the logistics behind the gadgets. Finding out how things worked was exciting, because then I knew I could explain my science fiction gadgets in a manner that made sense.
As well as this, my quintet Targeted is a contemporary science fiction. This series includes superpowers which are caused by a recessive gene (of my creation), and it also includes some technological advancements such as compacting helmets and micro-trackers.
But what are my likes and dislikes for writing science fiction?
Likes:
Gadgets! I love gadgets! Figuring out how they worked, their effects, and how they could impact the plot… it was really fun. I found it less overwhelming than fantasy because I could make something more concrete and seem more realistic.
I also really love that I could have dimensions in science fiction. All my stories are now connected through dimensions! Most of my stories take place in the same world, but other stories such as The Guiding Star are in a different dimension… the same dimension that one of the Interdimensional Blood characters lives in. Don’t you love Easter eggs?
Playing around with technology and ways that current devices could be improved was also pretty fun.
SUPERPOWERS! I think that superpowers are my favourite thing to write (besides characters). I love figuring out the superpowers and their side effects, as well as how the superpowers work. Not to mention it’s very fun to have characters with really cool powers. It can also cause conflict, especially when the character gets the superpower via an injection they didn’t want!
Dislikes:
It’s hard to come up with something original. It seems like whatever I’m doing, it’s already been done in some form.
I have trouble writing a world that is not modern, apparently (with the one exception being my dystopian fantasy world). I struggled with coming up with a world that could fit a science fiction bill, so I ended up with just going modern. When I’m editing, I might try and put more thought into the world so it can seem more science fiction-y.
It can seem very confusing to the reader, who doesn’t know as much about the story as me the author. So, then, I have to try and incorporate more details into the story without info-dumping. It’s a struggle.
Science fiction is a really fun genre to play with, especially with superpowers (if my screaming didn’t convey that fact). However, I consistently shy away from a hard science fiction novel. It just seems too much for me. I prefer writing it as a complement to another genre, such as historical fiction or contemporary. That’s why this genre isn’t as high as it could be – I wouldn’t want to write a novel that’s purely science fiction.
3. Dystopian
If you’ve read The Hunger Games or the Divergent series, then you’ve read a dystopian novel. Dystopian’s root is a society that has crumbling. That’s the very definition of the world dystopia – “an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid, because they are not treated fairly” (from the Merriam-Webster dictionary). Often the reason for this is a corrupt government or a corrupt rule in society.
I have two projects which involve the dystopian genre. The first one is Stranded Sight, which I touched on back in the fantasy section. The second one is titled Bulletproof Kin, a novel which I’m in the process of developing and planning out. In it, a mother has to protect her 12-year-old daughter from the government population control group that’s trying to kill the child. The population control is the main reason for the dystopia – who in their right mind would ever want their child to be killed by the government?
Here are my likes and dislikes for writing dystopian.
Likes:
So much conflict potential! A dystopian society already has potential antagonists/villains via the corruption, people may be living in fear because of the dystopia, there are just so many things that could go wrong. And as an author, I love it.
This genre can be applied to many other genres, as well. Stranded Sight is a dystopian fantasy, while Bulletproof Kin is more of a dystopian thriller. There can also be dystopian science fiction novels, dystopian mysteries, and dystopian steampunk novels! It can be tacked onto almost any genre.
This relates to my previous points, but the flexibility. There are so many directions you could take a dystopian novel. Different settings, different main characters, different conflicts… it’s awesome!
Dislikes:
Dystopian can deal with some heavy topics, so I don’t recommend spending several months just on a dystopian novel. It can be very easy for those heavy topics to seep into your mind, so be careful. I haven’t had to deal with this yet, but I have a feeling that I’m going to need to be cautious when writing Bulletproof Kin. (and if you’re still skeptical and/or want to learn more, we did a podcast episode on how villains can influence us as the authors.)
Relating to that, it’s very difficult for dystopian to have a happy ending. Fair warning. Bittersweet endings are usually how it goes. I guess this isn’t necessarily a dislike because I like writing bittersweet endings, but it can be hard to find the positive in it.
Dystopian has always been a genre I’ve loved reading and writing. There can definitely be some hard spots in it, which is why I recommend having a happier side project that you can work on alongside the dystopian novel. We all need some positivity in our lives!
2. Contemporary
I know, I know. Contemporary’s a boring genre! Nothing interesting can happen! It’s just like normal life!
Allow me to disagree, because contemporary is one of my favourite genres to write.
Contemporary’s definition is literally “being in the same time.” In other words, it’s modern-day. At first thought, it can sound boring. It’s modern-day, so therefore we know everything that can happen in it! How can it be interesting?
I could write an entire post on this (hm, maybe I will! Thank you, myself, for giving me the idea!), but for now I’ll just say that the secret to making contemporary interesting is to add an element that isn’t “normal.”
For example, in my quintet Targeted, I have a modern-day setting and modern-day main characters. However, one of my villain groups is an organization of people with superpowers. Another one is a large, military/scientific-style group that works on giving people superpowers. My main characters get caught in the middle of all of this. It can sound very sci-fi, but the setting is all contemporary! There aren’t any flying cars, the year is set as 2021 (you could argue that that technically makes it historical fiction, but I digress), and everything in the world around them is normal.
Except for the two superpower-focused groups which not everyone knows about. These groups are what make Targeted a contemporary science fiction quintet.
Without further ado, here are my likes and dislikes for writing contemporary!
Likes:
My setting is already planned out for me! All I have to do is decide where the story is taking place, then take a look on Google Maps and some other sites to see what the location looks like, as well as the culture there. Some might say that they wouldn’t like that because they wouldn’t be able to worldbuild, but I prefer having a simpler setting.
Having a simpler setting means that I can focus more on the characters and the plot! The readers won’t be overwhelmed by the setting because they’re familiar with most of it, and then they’d be able to gain deeper insight on the characters and conflict.
I can insert Easter eggs that involve places I’ve been to! Okay, maybe this one isn’t super important, but I still really like it.
The readers will be able to identify with the characters, because it’s more likely that the characters will experience situations that the readers have been in themselves.
Dislikes:
Admittedly, it can be harder to come up with conflict ideas that don’t sound cliché or boring. That’s why I have a second genre that complements contemporary.
The characters can also seem boring.
I’ve been writing contemporary for a while (the mini-stories I wrote when I was 7 were set in modern-day times), and it’s always been a genre that I’ve enjoyed. The simplicity is fun for me to experiment and have fun with, and it’s also not very overwhelming for me.
However, there’s one genre that I like even better than contemporary, and you’re about to see that in the number one position!
1. Mystery
When I see the word “mystery,” the first image that comes to mind is an old, rustic, tavern. A sleuth is going around investigating a case – whether that be a murder or a missing object. The entire setting seems very historical.
Mysteries don’t have to be set in the past, though! The mystery genre is pretty simple: a detective/sleuth (or team of detectives/sleuths) is faced with a mystery, and they have to find the clues in order to solve the mystery. The clues are often scattered through the novel, but they can also be hidden right at the start of the novel without the reader’s knowledge. Plot twists are a huge part of the mystery genre.
I’ve written two mystery novels. The first one, An Unconventional Con, was a comedic murder mystery where a bunch of characters had to get out of their Author’s crazy convention while someone was gradually killing them all off (I enjoyed writing that novel. Specifically, I enjoyed writing myself as a villain because I was hilarious). The second one, Start Over, is a contemporary mystery where a man and a woman get amnesia at the same time and have to work together to find the person who did it to them. Both novels were an absolute wild ride and I loved writing them both! (I start editing Start Over’s second draft at the end of February, and I’m very excited.)
This is my favourite genre to write in. It may require a lot of planning, but it’s so much fun.
Likes:
Plot twists are amazing. It’s really awesome to be able to weave in some hidden foreshadowing, then surprise your readers at the end of a chapter. I loved reading/hearing my critiquer’s reactions.
I can surprise myself, too! A mystery does take a lot of planning beforehand, especially if you want it to flow smoothly, but I have had many “aha” moments in the developing stage. When I was planning Start Over, I had no idea who my villain was going to be. Then that night as I was brushing my teeth, the idea came to me. And I loved it. I immediately wrote it down and got very excited. (Before you ask, it’s spoilers. Most mystery plot points are.)
Similarly to dystopian, it’s flexible. I wrote a contemporary setting for Start Over because I wanted to focus on the character dynamics rather than the setting, but maybe your mystery could have something to do with a magical element in an epic fantasy! Mysteries exist in all stories. You can incorporate them into any genre.
There’s a lot of tension and stakes as more clues are discovered and more questions are raised. Those are vital things for a story, and the mystery genre makes it a lot easier to pull off!
Dislikes:
It’s hard to discovery write a mystery because, as mentioned before, mysteries involve a lot of planning. I tend to write with a mix of planning and pantsing (aka, plantsing) because I like discovering new things as I write (that’s how a house explosion in one of my novels came to be). I can’t really do that in a mystery unless I want to go back and rewrite a bunch of scenes in the rough draft.
They’re hard to write. There are so many aspects of them and in order to write them well, you need to plan very carefully. But if you want to write them well, first you need to write them badly! Practice will help you improve in anything.
Mystery is one of my favourite genres to read as well as write, so I’m not surprised that the two are linked. Start Over is one of my favourite novels that I’ve ever written, and I loved releasing clues throughout the story as my main characters worked on finding out who stole their memories. I hope that I’ll be able to write another mystery in the future, because I’ve really enjoyed writing the two that I already have.
Conclusion
First of all, I want to say that there’s no such thing as a “bad” genre! My ranking in this post was only by what I preferred to write, not what the universal standard is for genres. Every author is different, and I do appreciate those authors who write in the genres I struggle in. It only makes them even more amazing and dedicated!
These six genres that I’ve ranked today (historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, dystopian, contemporary, mystery) are the basic genres I’ve written novels in. I could go even further and rank them by subgenre (historical science fiction, medieval fantasy, dystopian thriller, etc), but I figured that that would be too confusing for this post.
I definitely plan on continuing to experiment in different genres and see where that leads me. Maybe I’ll even discover a new genre that I really like! We’ll see where my writing takes me.
What's your favourite genre to write? Have you ever wanted to try writing a new genre? Let me know down below!
Alyssa
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