What's Your Genre? by Tim Smith

One question I’ve been getting lately is “Why did you choose the genre you write?” For those who don’t know, my focus is contemporary mystery/thrillers and crime fiction, with some romance thrown in. I chose this genre because it’s what I like to read. I originally became a fan of pulp fiction mysteries from watching old film noirs on TV. I’d see something like “Double Indemnity,” “The Maltese Falcon” or “The Big Sleep,” then seek out the book at the library. If I liked it, I’d make my way through everything written by these authors. Came a point where I thought “I’d like to write one of these myself someday.” This was followed by the mental challenge “Then either write the damn thing or stop talking about it!” I decided to add some romance to the mix to create more interesting characters and broaden my audience.

I conducted a survey with members of a local writer’s group I belong to, focusing on why they chose the genre they write. The majority consensus was pretty much the same reason I had—“It’s what I like to read.” Some other responses included “Been dreaming about being a mermaid since I was a kid” (from a fantasy romance author), “I like challenges” (romantic mystery writer), and “After I read and re-read ‘The Mystery of Camp Laughing Water’” (mystery/suspense writer). Some people made an unusual confession—“It chose me!” The participants I polled write contemporary romance, paranormal, young adult, fantasy, poetry, and mystery/suspense.      

Of all the genres on the market, romance seems to have sprouted the most branches. Popular topics include fantasy, gothic, contemporary (defined as post-WWII), inspirational, Christian, historical, paranormal, western, suspense (crime, mystery), and science fiction. Category romances still comprise the biggest portion of the market. They’re usually a pre-determined word count, and fit into specific niches that readers feel comfortable with (medical, billionaire, bodyguard/protector, cop, bounty hunter, military, cowboy, etc.). Category romance lines each have a distinct standard style, involving similar settings, characters, time periods, levels of sensuality, or types of conflict.  

Additionally, there are many sub-genres that have developed loyal followings, such as BDSM, time travel, steampunk, vampire, horror, bizarro, shape-shifter, LGBTQ, Young Adult, Black Love, multicultural, Chick Lit, and erotic. The rise in popularity of e-readers made erotic romance one of the fastest-growing trends. The reason was anonymity—if it’s on your Kindle or phone, it’s easier to conceal what you’re reading when someone walks up on you. This practice also coined the unfortunate term “mommy porn.” These novels are a blend of romance and erotica, characterized by strong sexual content, but they can contain elements of any of the other romance genres. They tend to use more frank language, avoiding many of the euphemisms found in books with milder content (i.e., the dreaded Purple Prose).

Erotic romance novels typically have explicit sex scenes instead of a more sensuous encounter, and may include different acts or fetishes. As opposed to pornography, erotic novels feature well-developed characters and a plot that could exist without the sex, but it generally progresses the plot or furthers the character development in some way that’s critical to the story. A standard requirement from most erotic romance publishers is a happily-ever-after or happy-for-now ending.

Black love and multicultural romances typically feature heroes/heroines who are African-American, although some multicultural lines also include Asian or Hispanic characters, and interracial relationships. The first line of multicultural romance novels, Arabesque, was launched in 1994. It was followed five years later by the first line of Latino romance novels, Encanto. These novels were originally released in two ways – a bilingual Spanish/English version and a Spanish-only version. Two novels were published every month until late 2001, when the line went into hiatus. Despite the demise, some of the Encanto authors continued writing novels with Latino characters. It’s interesting that although romance novels featuring African-American and Latino protagonists are popular, those featuring Asian or Asian-American characters are rare.

The creative writing community is always quick to cash in on current trends or hot-button issues, which explains the rise of some subgenres. I think it’s fair to say that recent political rhetoric is responsible for repositioning the spotlight on certain subjects, along with book banning. These actions have heightened the awareness of so-called “forbidden books” and their topics, and increased the public’s interest in them. LGBTQ has been a fast-growing example, especially with social media opening doors that were previously closed, along with more online discussion. Male/male romance leads the topic list, but lesbian, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer, and asexual fiction are all featured prominently.

It’s tricky when some writers feel the need to follow a new trend when it catches on, especially if it’s outside their comfort zone. I used to review books by competent romance authors who climbed onto the BDSM bandwagon when a certain self-published book became popular years ago. This was a repeat of earlier trends involving vampire romance and teen-focused stories featuring young wizards. For the most part, the results indicated that these folks should’ve stuck with what they did best.

Author Tess Gerritsen has stated "We read romances because we want to feel good about love." To that end, never sacrifice your story to conform to the market, or trade originality to fit a trend. The best stories set new trends, and what matters is that YOU like your story. Experimentation and spreading your creative wings is a good thing, but ultimately you should write what you want. Period.  

Tim Smith is an award-winning, bestselling author of mystery/thrillers and contemporary erotic romance. His novels featuring former CIA agent Nick Seven have garnered several awards and international critical praise. He is also a freelance writer, blogger, editor and photographer. When he isn’t pursuing those interests, he can be found in the Florida Keys, doing research in between parasailing and seeking out the perfect Mojito.

Visit Tim's website at: www.allauthor.com/author/timsmith