Blogger: Rachel Kent (formerly Rachel Zurakowski)
Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Hi, everyone! I’m back. 🙂 Last month Michelle (who is awesome) took over my week of blogging for me while I was on my honeymoon.
This week, I’d like to discuss genre. Have you ever imagined what a bookstore would look like if books weren’t organized by genre? I imagine the books would be alphabetized by authors’ last names all around the store. The store would need little arrows on the ground to point out how to get from A to Z!
Beyond the organization of the bookstore or library, what is the purpose of genre?
Genre allows the reader to find the book he or she is interested in reading. It’s a way of cataloging books so a reader knows what to expect. If you’ve read a romantic suspense and enjoyed it, you’re likely to be interested in more romantic suspense books and so on.
However, genres go beyond just categorizing books; they actually establish rules for the books under the genre. We’ll be discussing those rules this week. A writer and publishing house must follow the unspoken rules to best reach the audience with the book. Breaking the genre rules can have interesting results, and I look forward to discussing the consequences of rule breaking with you as well. Genre is so ingrained in us that, as writers, following many of the rules comes naturally; as readers we’re practically programed to recognize genre.
Here’s an example of how readers are programmed to recognize genre:
This is a romance novel:
After looking at that cover, who guessed that I was lying? The genre (horror) was instantly recognizable to you. I’m looking forward to discussing this with you more tomorrow!
For now, what’s your favorite genre to read? What’s your favorite to write? If your answers to those two questions are different, why is that?
Rachel,
So happy for you both! Kent is quite nice (I don’t think I ever really pronounced your maiden name right:) Beautiful, beautiful picture!
As for genres, historical fiction is first with me though I read a lot of history and bios.
Welcome back, Rachel!
Favorite to read in CBA: thrillers, mystery, suspense, a little “horror”.
Favorite to write: love stories, heavy on the romance
Difference in reading/writing because the majority of CBA romance is/has become too formulaic, too much “fluff”, too un-challenging.
That’s a beautiful love story in that picture, Rachel. Gorgeous bride. Congratulations! May the Lord bless the many years to come with His presence and glory in your lives.
I love to read historicals and sci-fi. I write historicals, I guess because I find the research easier than the “imagineering” required for fantasy and science fiction…but I’d love to try my hand at them one day, even if just for fun.
Oh! I forgot to say congratulations on your marriage. You made a beautiful bride! 🙂
Best wishes and congratulations on your marriage, Rachel! That is a beautiful picture of you and your husband.
I love to read and write romantic suspense, but I would say I equally love to read in several other genres. I absolutely love to escape into a great fantasy book, but I wasn’t very good at writing it in my one miserable attempt to do so.
I’m very thankful that bookstores are organized by different genres. Otherwise it would be difficult to browse and find new authors to read in the genre you enjoy.
(The CBA bookstores where I’ve shopped organize their fiction alphabetically. It doesn’t work well. I’ve often thought I’d organize the novels by their genres in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names like the Borders’, etc., do. When done alphabetically [like the secular stores do for CBA fiction, too] all you see are the Amish/historicals/Tedd Dekker/Karen Kingsbury books overwhelming anything else on the shelf.)
Nicole, how interesting! The stores around here are a little more organized. I wonder if it has to do with the size of the Christian bookstore. The smaller stores might combine genres on the shelves more often.
Thank you all for the congrats!
I prefer reading and writing historicals. For some reason, things in the past hold more intrigue for me – probably the imagery. Even in comparing the words “vintage” and “contemporary” there is such a contrast in imagery.
Come to think of it, all Christian bookstores I’ve been in don’t separate fiction by genre either. And in the “big” stores (B&N, BAM, and Borders), Christian fiction is a genre in itself.
I think that’s why a cover is so important. As in your example, it is easy to recognize the genre. The most frustrating thing is to pick up a book that looks like a romance but it ends up being women’s fiction with zero romance. Or visa versa.
For me, I tend to prefer romance and romantic suspense novels. Historical or contemporary are both fine, although it seems like there is a LARGE amount of historical lately and most of the contemporaries out there are WF.
To write, contemporary romance all the way. Although I have a romantic suspense brewing in here somewhere:-)
Congrats, Mrs. Kent! Beautiful bride! Headbands are always a good idea, in my opinion… Favorite genre to write and read is romance–with some fantasy or sci-fi thrown into the mix. 🙂
Congratulations! I’m sure your real life romance has been a much better story than any horror book. 😉
I love to read historical and fantasy. The genre I love to write in is fantasy. I love “imagineering” my own history, cultures, and people.
And speaking of love… Congratulations! Wahoo!
Congratulations, Rachel. The photo is beautiful and your dress is stunning.
I read historical fiction, suspense, and some contemporary fiction (Charles Martin, Ann Tatlock). I recently read two “biographical fiction” novels by Jane Kirkpatrick which I really enjoyed. Up next: Healing Stones by Nancy Rue.
My recently completed novel is historical fiction framed by contemporary events to add tension to the narrative. My next two projects are also historicals. (And I really need to get to work on one of them!)
I read a little bit of everything and have tried my hand at writing several genres during the last few years. I’m currently in love with writing juvenile/middle grades fiction, and read a lot of those books with my kids (3rd and 6th grades). I read YA to keep up with things and find good books for my girls at church — love a good historical romance — jump into some suspense or WF occasionally. For me, it’s more about loving an author’s storytelling than settling in too deeply with one genre or another.
Congrats on your marriage! I’ll echo that you were a beautiful bride. 🙂
Looking forward to your thoughts on genre this week.
I love to read and write romantic suspense. I do read in other genres, but this is my favorite.
Congratulations on your marriage!
First, congratulations!
Second, my favorite genre is–you know, I don’t think I have one. I love all books, except horror. I have been writing Christian fantasy because of Tolkien and CS Lewis and Bryan Davis. But I also love to write romance, chick lit, suspense. I am focusing all of my energies on my fantasy though for now.
I love to read Terri Blackstock, Jerry Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, Joel Rosenberg, Beverly Lewis, etc.
The photo looks great, Rachel. Congratulations.
I’m a little confused when it comes to genres so really looking forward to you going in more detail this week.
Beautiful bride and groom–many blessings on your marriage, Rachel!
I love a romance–whether it is historical, romantic suspense or contemporary. I also love speculative fiction and thrillers–but I’m most likely to choose some sort of romance.
Congratulations!! I hope your honeymoon was great.
Haha, I got a kick out of your “romance” book cover. I think I prefer YA contemporary for the most part, and although I write mostly that as well, I’ve lately been having the most fun with a YA dystopian project. I guess I’ll blame that on The Hunger Games 🙂
I have discovered that I enjoy reading military/copy thrillers and some pirate stories. I prefer to write Christian children’s sci-fi/fantasy. If I’m going to lose myself in a book, I want a strong male protagonist. I hope some of the exciting style in those books influences my writing. In my writing I want to show kids how to deal with everyday stuff, but I add the sci-fi/fantasy so that it doesn’t get boring. I also prefer the realism of the military thrillers to some of the outlandish and unpronouncable things in some of the fantasy that is out there.
Rachel, I’m in love with your dress. Gorgeous!! Many blessings to you!
I like to write fantasy, though I get the biggest kick out of writing the romance subplot in my current series. If I had more time, I’d probably read in every genre. As it is, I read a lot of historical fiction while homeschooling my little ones. That, and theology text books. That’s the standard answer for YA fantasy authors, right? 😉
Wow, Rachel. Congratulations. You look gorgeous. And you now have quite a British surname!
All the best
Liz
Thank you, again, for all of the congrats!