Writing Markets & Genres

In today's writing market there are a variety of genres that writers tend to write. Knowing what readers expect from these genres will help you as a writer give your audience what it wants. So let's learn about these audiences and what they expect! Let's read that handout/chapter first.

• General fiction: chick-lit, domestic drama, sports, vampire lit, LGBT, humor, war, urban/black or minority literature, literary (melange)
• Historical fiction: romance, detective thriller, adventure, family saga, drama, multi-volume, African-American/urban
• Romance: paranormal, historical, regency, horror/gothic, LGBT, inspirational, contemporary, African-American/urban
• Mysteries and Thrillers: detectives, cozy, Christian, noir, forensic, police procedural, courtroom/legal, LGBT, historical, thriller, ghost story/paranormal, horror, spy, action
• Science Fiction: soft, hard, apocalypse, cyberpunk, feminist, comic/humor, first contact, colonization, military, time travel, steampunk, space opera, dystopian, speculative
• Fantasy: heroic, Arthurian, dark, urban, alternate history, RPG, high, science fantasy, speculative, magical-realism, fable
• Horror: gothic, paranormal, paranormal romance, occult, Lovecraftian (cosmic horror), vampire fiction, dark fantasy, survival, science fiction, zombie fiction, thrillers
• Autobiography & Memoir: bootstrap, political, family, celebrity, travel, survival, extraordinary lives, confession/conversion, spiritual memoir, writer's memoir, new journalism
• Children's/Young Adult: any of the above, usually with more fantasy or realist elements; often involving a young protagonist coming of age, bildungsroman, picture books, etc.
• New Journalism: memoirs, science, travel, history, writing about writing, creative non-fiction, etc.
• Comedy: romantic comedy, parody, burlesque, farce, dark comedy, satire, non-fiction/memoir (observational), absurdist comedy, [comedy is often combined with other literary genres]
• Literary Fiction: any of the above, but with better writing quality, skill, and attention to craft 

After reading today, take a couple minutes to complete the Genre Wars survey. See Google Classroom for details! Then...

Classroom Project: Genre Slideshow

• Find a partner or choose to work alone. Together, agree upon and sign up for one of the writing markets.
• Choose one of the genres in bold above--check the subcategories so that you know what you're getting into--more details can be found in the article you should have read...
• Together, you will be expected to create a slideshow for your chosen genre to promote the genre to a fantasist, realist, or pragmatist reader.
• Take a look at the questions bulleted below. You will want to be able to answer these questions in your presentation.
• Use Google SLIDES to set up your slideshow. Share your file with your partner (if you have one)
• Create a slideshow detailing your chosen genre by following the steps below. Be creative. Play around with the design and how you present the information in a clear and creative way. You may use graphics and lists to provide answers to these questions:

1. Create a title slide. 

2. Describe this genre. What is it? 

3. Who is the target reader (a fantasist, a realist, a pragmatist, or what combination?)

3. What are some expectations a reader of this genre might expect? 

4. What are some categories of this genre? AND what are the expectations a reader might expect from this genre? 

5. Examples of some popular or famous books or films that fit this genre; and some examples of authors who write in this type of genre.

NOTE: Slideshows should not have too much text--they should use graphics and pictures to get information across. Big concepts (like subgenres) can be listed, as opposed to painstakingly explained. Write your notes in your journal (double-dipping!) and organize your notes to select only the most important information about your chosen genre in the brochure! Use your handout chapter to help you! More tips on the way. The project is not due yet.

Finally, before you leave today, please make sure you completed the short survey regarding genre units for this course. Every vote matters!

HOMEWORK: None.