Blending Genres Together: Creative Writing Mastery

1. Introduction - Blending Genres Together: Imagine you are writing a story. You are talking to your family or friends, and you attempt to explain what kind of story it is. Your mind goes blank. You can't possibly describe what your intentions are with the story and how it fits in with literary history. Don't worry. I'm here to help. It's a common misconception that books belong to a single category, and authors must assimilate perfectly to the standards and genre rules put by publishers and readers. Whilst it's true, there are genre conventions and nearly all books, whether non fiction or fiction. We'll have an overarching genre. It's important to not view genres as islands all isolated from one another. My name is Madelyn Rose Jones, and I've taught creative writing for two years on Skillshare. I'm also a published journalist who runs the Humanities Inspired blog and YouTube Channel Snowy Fictions. Beyond writing novels myself, I'm a keen reader, and I've noticed the different ways genres blend together. In this short course, you'll learn the many ways genres interact with one another and how authors can blend them together. There's also a class project at the end. It's certainly ideal for authors who are excited by the prospect of blending genres and never feel comfortable in one box. I am here to help and hopefully provide a useful roadmap to blending genres successfully together. But for now, let's begin. 2. Read Widely: Best way to blend genres is knowing what they are. That's why I suggest a good reading habit, where you read wide and across genres. But that's a bit vague and unhelpful. I implore you to develop your grasp on chronology and literary history. Having an understanding of how literature has evolved over time will activate your creativity. Beyond reading the classics, try reading, a variety of contemporary and modern literature. Whether it is short stories, creative nonfiction, or a novel. You can find suggestions on social media and from blogs. I also suggest reading reviews and commentary on certain novels. When you buy a classic novel from say Oxford University Press, or the penguin classics collection, there is usually a critical commentary like an afterward. These are fantastic ways to understand how others perceive and think about genre and classical literature. This will hopefully give you a sophisticated grasp on what genres are suitable for blending and the many ways you can appeal to contemporary and future readers. Chronology, meanwhile, develops your comprehension on how literary texts, whether poetry, fiction, or memoir have influenced one another over time. Thus, it is prudent to develop your understanding about literary history or at least in the English language. Knowing certain movements and periods from old English to magical realism can truly enhance your perspective towards language and storytelling. I also suggest learning about the theory and structure behind storytelling. Skillshare offers many terrific classes on creative writing, but I'm also fond of John Tbi's books about genre and plotting. There's also Save the Cat writes a novel by Jessica Brodie, based office green writing book by Blake Snyder. You may not agree with all of their tips, and that's okay. Don't think you have to follow all of their advice. The point here is to sharpen your thinking, and therefore, your approach to how you conceptualized stories. Therefore, having an awareness for your creative process is quite crucial. If non fiction books and craft don't work for you, there are some YouTubes and podcasts run by professional editors, which I highly recommend. Like Ellen Brock's content about the four types of writers, there are many opportunities available to you, so it's best to seize them, best of luck. 3. Genre Conventions: Genre rules and conventions have certainly shaped contemporary anglope publishing. There are many examples of literary agents, publishers, and readers outlining their expectations for a story. A murder mystery, for instance, must have a body revealed in the first third of the story. Romance novels must surround and create conflict from circumstances related to love. These are just two examples. Many genre conventions exist, and some are unfortunately unsaid or never talked about. It is certainly hard for writers who blend genres together as the conventions become unclear, and even confusing. I certainly have sympathy for the Dona tarts and David Mitchells of literature. Yet, there is a way for these writers, which could mean you to navigate the fusion of genres. First, you must understand that readers will always have expectations, to be honest, much of it is out of your control. You are the writer. It's not your fault or responsibility that bookstores and publishers follow certain trends or lump random books together. So go easy on yourself. Whilst you won't please everyone, it's certainly fine to challenge genre norms and conventions. But do think about the reader, who they are, and what sort of books they enjoy. If your target reader loved the bury giants by Kasir Ishiguru, and machines like me by In McKeen, understand. You will probably need to have a strong focus on characters and incorporate some philosophical elements. Part of the fun of genre building, however, is creating something new. I suggest following some conventions, but not all of the genres you are sampling. Writers will typically have their own methods in figuring out which genre conventions they seek to follow. It's also important to know that your ideas will develop as you write more drafts of a single story. So don't feel you need to have figured everything out from the get go. That's really not necessary. A tip for genre blending, however, is to make note of how other authors approach genre in their own work. Here's certain activity. Grab a piece of paper or open a word document and go to your bookshelf and write down a few books you see. Then try to list the genre and ask yourself, whether these authors subverted or followed aspects of it. Afterwards, consider whether the novel has a secondary or third genre. You can repeat this exercise as many times as needed, and I have made a model sheet to help you out. This will develop your understanding and how genres blend together. So perhaps you can also blend unique genres together, which I encourage you to do best of. 4. Art History: A book exists in a wide web of other artistic works. You cannot discuss the history of literature without mentioning cinema, television, theater, digital art, painting, sculpture, and architecture. The art world has always prided itself on its ability to work among many mediums and tools. That's why I believe intellectual movements, such as romanticism and futurism took place across literature, music, and art. In particular, different art mediums influence one another. Take Richard Wagner. The rings quartet was born from opera, medieval literature, romantic music, and German painting. Today, contemporary writers such as Dona Tart get inspiration from a variety of media. Her award winning novel, the Goldfinch, took hues from early modern Flemish painting. The end result was a unique and spell binding story. This is particularly because art, cinema, music, and other forms of media have wielded a significant influence on literature throughout time. Novels and non fiction books truly exist in the wide web of art history. To understand this, I suggest learning art history and particular trends, movements, and formats. There are many documentaries available on YouTube, but also there are general reference books published by DK. I've created a list of starting points and I've linked them to this class. But most importantly, it will take time to understand and appreciate the impact art has had on literature and vice versa. I suggest immersing yourself within the art world and take special consideration in how artists have depicted literary subjects. A good starting point, which I recommend is folklore and Fairytale. For instance, Edmund Dulac has produced gorgeous illustrations based on Arabian Nights and Hans Christian Andersen Fables. Yet there are others, and it's certainly exciting for you to discover. Take this prompt, however you wish. 5. Fusing Non-Fiction And Fiction Together: Want to stand out from other books and do something truly interesting. Welcome to this lesson on fusing fiction and non fiction. There are many wonderful examples of both. For fiction, readers enjoy fantasy, mystery, drama, and more, whereas nonfiction covers memoir, travel writing, and history writing. You can also incorporate aspects of non fiction in your novel or add genre fiction elements to a work of non fiction. Some of the most creative writers in the last century have done this with a personal favorite being Joan Didion, whose personal essays feel like psychological investigations. Heck. The true crime genre draws much of its potency from mysteries and crime fiction created by visionaries like Agatha Christie. Just as art history doesn't exist in isolation from literature, neither do the boundaries of nonfiction and fiction. While in the class project, consider a non fiction genre, if your chosen project is a novel or vice versa. This is a wonderful opportunity to truly make an original and thought provoking story. Not only does fusing fiction and non fiction together allow you, the writer, to illuminate something new, but also the potential to surprise and enrich the reading experience. One of my favorite historical non fiction writers, Tom Holland, recently released the blockbuster account of ancient Rome from Emperor Nero to Hadrian, called x. This is classic blockbuster history at its best. But Hunt also takes narrative cues from fiction, like psychological drama, thriller, and tragedy. Novelists can do this too. I'm quite fond of Elizabeth C Kostopa. The Shadow learns and the historian are terrific reads. Here, C Kostoper Blends history writing and travel journalism, both crucial parts of non fiction to her mysterious and enchanting settings. The end result is fantastic. Of course, I must mention Jonathan Strange and Mr. Noel, by Susanna Clark, the dazzling fantasy novel set in Britain during the Napoleonic wars in the 19th century. It's a long novel a's over 300,000 words long. But read closer and you'll observe the influences from scientific, historical and philosophical writings throughout modern history. Clark's use of footnotes is a clear nod to the academic monographs found in universities. By doing this, Clark gives a studious and historical tone to a fantasy novel. The end result is sheer brilliance. This is also why I recommend a fusion of nonfiction and fiction. There are many opportunities to delight your readers and to offer something original and fresh. In a crowded publishing marketplace, that's certainly a valuable asset to have. 6. Primary, Secondary, And Third Genres: In the world of design, there is a terrific concept regarding color theory. This argues that certain colors go well together, whether they complement are opposite from one another or form a shape. Typically, color theory involves two to four combinations of color. Artists may also adjust the saturation, hue and lightness of various shades. Colors are, of course, crucial to branding and visual communication. But what if genre, the tool used by authors can also communicate a particular tone, idea, or story? I suggest when blending genres to pick a primary, secondary, or third genre, if that applies. By allowing one genre to dominate, something like value theory. You give your novel a clear place among the literary landscape and some much needed direction. Readers and viewers, as John Truby tells us, are attracted to certain genres and styles. As this course is about blending genres together, the key is to find unexpected combinations and mixing lesser known or older genres with more popular ones. A good example comes from historical non fiction, the wonderful book the SS Offices armchair. On first glance, this is a work of history, but dig deeper, and you'll discover aspects of true crime, memoir, mystery, and biography. This fusion certainly makes the book stand out. I'll also suggest considering genres, which are a bit antiquated, all less common for the secondary and third genres. One of my favorite novels, possession by AS Bye fuses Victorian romance with a contemporary mystery. This one, the booker price, and is a spell binding and original story. There is a difference, however, between color theory and blending genres. The former warns us that not all colors go together or create the desired effect. Here, genre blending is a bit different. As there is no genre mismatch or anything like that. But it's also true that some genres convey different tones and expectations than others. Romance, for example, is associated with sensual love and the inner desires behind each human being. Horror, meanwhile, explores our fears. Understand the psychological structures behind each genre, will help you with blending them together. It may help to do research into how readers approach their preferred genres and what specific emotions attract them to certain books. For example, Harry Potter was widely famous due to the unconscious desires among young people for escapism and adventure, but also friendship and a heroic quest. This is certainly a tip that can elevate your story to a new level. Good luck, and I'm sure you'll come up with something creative. 7. Class Project: Welcome to the class project, The exciting stage where you get to put the previous lessons into practice. Here, you'll make a chart about the various genres which feature in your work in progress. There are many ways you can approach this. You could make a pie chart, use bars, or draw a pyramid. I suggest using a program like Canva to create the chart. There's also an opportunity to consider comparative titles, which are recent releases in anglophone publishing, which mirror your own work. But as I stated in the lesson about art history, you should broaden your mind to other genres and formats of art and literature. But poem has shaped your work. I'd also suggest writing a short paragraph about why you chose these genres and what your overall vision for the work in progress is. Clarifying your goals always helps. I've attached various examples for inspiration. But again, let your creativity flourish because many readers are drawn to genre blending novels precisely to take their imagination into exciting new places. If you don't have a current work in progress, that's okay. I suggest doing this exercise anyway, but for a genre blending novel that you like. Afterwards, make sure to post your work in the class project section. I can't wait to see what you've come up with. Remember, originality is most welcome here. Don't worry. If your genre blending seems unconventional or strange or a bit different. That's all fine and welcome here. Great writing comes from creativity, all the best, and you can do it. 8. Conclusion: Congratulations on finishing this course. With the class project. You've now got a roadmap inter fusing genres together. You can repeat this exercise as many times as you wish or make adjustments as your writing progresses. Often, writers embark on fresh ideas and perspectives while getting into the second and third drafts. This sheet may also help with comparative titles when querying agents or in self publishing. You should also consider how your favorite novels have blended genres together. Thank you for watching the short course on blending genres together. I hope it has helped, and I encourage you to leave feedback and a review. I also have other courses on Skillshare on creative writing, covering a variety of topics relating to genre fiction and the best practices while outlining. Of course, my goal is to create more classes on Skillshare and to help you become a stronger writer. I look forward to doing that. Thanks again for watching and I will see you soon.