Storyworld Tip: Three Reasons to Embrace a Genre

Some creators shun genre labels. “Just because there’s elves in the story doesn’t mean it’s a fantasy world. They’re cyborg vampire elves! It’s totally different!” This, in my humble opinion, is dumb.

When creating a new storyworld, it’s in your best interest to choose what genre you want to be in, and claim it. Embrace it. Wrap your sweaty arms around it and drag it home to live with you. It’s your new best friend.

Here are three reasons why:

Reason One: Accessibility

Genres exist for a reason. Labels are handles; they let us take hold of things. I might have the coolest storyworld this side of Westeros, but if it doesn’t belong to a specific genre (“It’s kind of fantasy, but with some horror elements — oh, and lizard politicians”) it’s hard for people to describe. And the harder it is to describe, the harder it is to talk about it or tell their friends about it.

Genre also establishes certain expectations. If the audience goes in expecting fantasy, they won’t balk when the elves solve a problem with magic; a space opera audience isn’t going to worry if the Flux Terminocity FTL drive is scientifically accurate; a mystery audience won’t think twice if there’s a murder in town every week.

Reason Two: Discoverability

Audiences who like a certain genre actively seek out more stories in that genre. If you storyworld doesn’t have a genre, those audiences are more unlikely to stumble across your stories. Yes, this means that people who don’t like that genre may actually avoid it, but it’s better to grab one segment of the audience while alienating another than to ignore them all and hope they show up anyway.

Reason Three: Owning It.

If you don’t pick a genre, someone will pick a genre for you. Guess what? Your storyworld of cyborg-vampire elves is now “urban fantasy” because an influential blogger said so. Maybe that’s okay. Or maybe the “urban fantasy” purists will be up in arms because your world is full of cyborgs, flying cars, and 60 foot-tall robots.

Perhaps your storyworld really does defy genre labels. That’s fine. Make up your own genre! Create a unique niche within a larger genre. (“Dystopian techno-fantasy” is the perfect world for undead elves with robotic limbs.) Just make sure whatever sub-genre you come up with is distinct enough that the audience knows what it’s getting into, and can easily share it with others.