# is it best for a writer to stick to one or two genres?



## Alex (Jan 16, 2012)

So I was just wondering, is it best for a writer to stick to one, maybe 2 genres or does it not usually make a difference?


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## Taytortots (Jan 16, 2012)

I think it depends on the writer.
Some people are content sticking in a select genre (or a select few). Others like to create in everything.
I say, it wouldn't be best to stick to one genre if you want to branch into another, and the opposite as well. Don't write in more than one genre because you feel you need diversity (I don't mean you particularly, just a general thing)
So what's best is relative, I think.


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## sashamerideth (Jan 16, 2012)

I know some people that write many genres, but use a different pen name for each genre. It can be done, just not something I want to do.

Sent from my Blade using Forum Runner


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## Dakkle (Jan 16, 2012)

I think it depends on the writer, if they have the inspiration to write in the completely different genres and they can make it work then all the power to them. I'm not sure if I could. But I would agree that if they were going to get them published definately consider a different pen name.


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## Xanados (Jan 16, 2012)

I think you have to be fairly confident in your abilities before you can write in two or more genres. It all depends, like the others have said, on the writer him/herself.


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## Anders Ã„mting (Jan 16, 2012)

Most likely, it makes a differance for publishers, because books that mix genres a lot may be more difficult to market.

It absolutely doesn't matter to us writers in a practical sense, though.


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## Lord Darkstorm (Jan 17, 2012)

Why can't someone write in however many they have an interest in?  If I choose to do a scifi story I can't do a fantasy story?  Are we all to limited in capability we can't create stories in more than one type of story?

That's crap.  I can jump between fantasy and scifi without any difficulty at all because I love them both.  Where is the law that says I can only write in one, so I have to choose one and forget the other?  

I think if anything has happened it's that people can't seem to accept that people can do so very easily.  If you look at most of the authors who have used a pen name you can find them all on their wikipedia site.  It's like pretending to be someone else on the off chance no one will ever look up the name online and realize who the person really is.

No, there are no limits, other than what types of genre's and stories you love.


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## Graham Irwin (Jan 17, 2012)

Anders Ã„mting said:


> Most likely, it makes a differance for publishers, because books that mix genres a lot may be more difficult to market.
> 
> It absolutely doesn't matter to us writers in a practical sense, though.



I agree completely. "Genres" only exist as a box that writing can be placed in to make it easier for publishers and the public to know what a book, generally, is about. As the internet makes locating books easier, I predict a proliferation of genres, much in the same was of what has happened to music. People will get exactly what they are looking for, be it alien-young adult-comedy, or post-apocalyptic vampire romance.

 Write what you love. You should be writing for yourself, not for a genre.


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## Anders Ã„mting (Jan 17, 2012)

...I had this great post written down, but it now occurs to me that we are probably talking about altering between writing different genres, yes? Not mixing them, as I presumed.

So, yeah. Then it's mostly a matter of being skilled at multiple genres. There may still be an issue of marketing, though. I mean, even if your name is a successful fantasy brand, that may not really help you sell romance novels or whatever. I think that's the real reason people use pseodonyms.


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## Devor (Jan 17, 2012)

Writers can write cross-genre, but I imagine there would still be common elements or themes which the author takes into the new genre.  It's all up to what you want to write about and your strengths or weaknesses as a writer.

Individual books will end up sitting in one spot on the shelf, so a single, consistent label would be helpful in selling it.  But you won't have to justify that choice with a literary essay, so don't worry too much about what genres you might be in.

To be honest, I think I'm personally stuck in Fantasy.  If I couldn't shape and destroy the world in my writing, I don't know what I'd write about.  I guess I could write Sci-Fi, but I'd have trouble describing "scientific phenomenon" that I know are unrealistic.  Probably I'd have to write about heists and spies, but I don't know what that would look like for me.  I think movies are the better fit for that genre.


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## JCFarnham (Jan 17, 2012)

I would say it most definitely isn't best for a writer to stick to one or two genres. Why? Because how ever will you grow as a writer? I strongly believe that one can benefit greatly from writing in as many genres as they can manage. Something about eggs and baskets...

Would try and work out a better argument but honestly I don't think I need to. Nothing wrong with being good at one thing, nothing wrong with being good across the board. Of course, thats if you take things from a purely "craft" point of view. 

If we're talking business however, then regularly writing in different genres is called diversification and even I guess risk aversion. As writers of some times fairly obscure stuff we speculative fiction writers could stand to branch out for sure. If you know you can publish some I don't know reviews or self help or articles as well as your "main" then you'll always have something to fall back on.

So yeah ... uh, why would you _want_ to stick to one genre? What are the pros if any?


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## Anders Ã„mting (Jan 17, 2012)

JCFarnham said:


> I would say it most definitely isn't best for a writer to stick to one or two genres. Why? Because how ever will you grow as a writer?
> 
> [-]
> 
> So yeah ... uh, why would you want to stick to one genre? What are the pros if any?



Well, playing Devil's Advocate here: Growth doesn't have to mean versatility. You can also grow via specialization.

And there's a reason polymaths are rare in this world, while specialists are aplenty. It takes time and effort to master virtually anything, including writing, and becoming extremely skilled at one thing is hard enough. You usually don't get to be extremely skilled at multiple things unless you are already a genius. So, one might argue that you are better off seeking ever deeper mastery of your one genre of choice.

Put another way: Would you rather be an okay writer in many genres, or _the _best fantasy author in the world?


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## Steerpike (Jan 17, 2012)

Another reason to stay in one genre is simply interest. That is, if as an author you have no interest in writing outside of one genre, you should not force yourself to do so merely for the sake of diversity. If you don't have a passion for what your are writing, it is doubtful a reader will, either.

Write in one genre or many, as your own preferences dictate. There is nothing wrong with either path.


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## JCFarnham (Jan 17, 2012)

Steerpike said:


> Another reason to stay in one genre is simply interest. That is, if as an author you have no interest in writing outside of one genre, you should not force yourself to do so merely for the sake of diversity. If you don't have a passion for what your are writing, it is doubtful a reader will, either.
> 
> Write in one genre or many, as your own preferences dictate. There is nothing wrong with either path.



I'm with you 100% 

Though sometime I can't help but think.. if you don't try at least one or twice how will you know you don't have passion for that genre?


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## Devor (Jan 17, 2012)

JCFarnham said:


> I would say it most definitely isn't best for a writer to stick to one or two genres. Why? Because how ever will you grow as a writer? I strongly believe that one can benefit greatly from writing in as many genres as they can manage. Something about eggs and baskets...



Don't get me wrong, I read other genres much more than I read fantasy.  And the first story I posted/wrote on this site was a non-fantasy challenge entry.  And you make some great points.  But there are other ways to grow as a writer, and you can easily risk over-extending yourself as a writer as well.  To me, it's more important to figure out how to incorporate, for instance, the deep and normal characters you see in regular fiction into the fantasy worlds I want to write in.  I even consider nonfiction, such as the decision making strategies JFK used during the missile crisis.  Knowing elements of those genres helps me grow within the confines of what I want to achieve as a writer.  But spending too much time with them can hinder my primary focus.


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## Xanados (Jan 17, 2012)

I personally don't seem myself writing anything other than fantasy. I could try another genre, but I find it hard to even summon the energy to do so. It's strange.


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## JCFarnham (Jan 17, 2012)

Devor said:


> Don't get me wrong, I read other genres much more than I read fantasy.  And the first story I posted/wrote on this site was a non-fantasy challenge entry.  And you make some great points.  But there are other ways to grow as a writer, and you can easily risk over-extending yourself as a writer as well.  To me, it's more important to figure out how to incorporate, for instance, the deep and normal characters you see in regular fiction into the fantasy worlds I want to write in.  I even consider nonfiction, such as the decision making strategies JFK used during the missile crisis.  Knowing elements of those genres helps me grow within the confines of what I want to achieve as a writer.  But spending too much time with them can hinder my primary focus.



I think we may have to disagree on the over-extention part. Maybe it's just me (and my over analytical mind perhaps haha), but I can't think that way, isn't over extention just an excuse for not wanting to for fear of failing? In reality though - like with all things it seems - "it depends". such a cop out answer I know and I hate using it, but some times you need to focus on one thing, other times its worth trying The Other. "Your Mileage May Vary" and so on.

Research is different of course. We all absorb knowledge from everywhere in our life (whether we listen to it/act on it or not is a different matter altogether) it would surely be impossible to write without drawing on _something_.


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## Devor (Jan 17, 2012)

JCFarnham said:


> I think we may have to disagree on the over-extention part. Maybe it's just me (and my over analytical mind perhaps haha), but I can't think that way, isn't over extention just an excuse for not wanting to for fear of failing? In reality though - like with all things it seems - "it depends". such a cop out answer I know and I hate using it, but some times you need to focus on one thing, other times its worth trying The Other. "Your Mileage May Vary" and so on.



Over-Extension isn't a simple fear of failing.  If you're published, you need to build an audience with your work.  If you switch genres, your additional work will lose most of the audience that you've gained in the first genre.  Attempting to maintain separate audiences, with separate interests, and often separate needs from you as a writer, is what we call over-extending yourself.  Stretching yourself thin.  I think someone or another had a line about butter.  It's a real occurrence.  I mean, certainly some people can do it, but I would imagine they look for places where an audience will overlap between the two genres, kind of like Sci-Fi and Fantasy.


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## JCFarnham (Jan 17, 2012)

Devor said:


> Over-Extension isn't a simple fear of failing.  If you're published, you need to build an audience with your work.  If you switch genres, your additional work will lose most of the audience that you've gained in the first genre.  Attempting to maintain separate audiences, with separate interests, and often separate needs from you as a writer, is what we call over-extending yourself.  Stretching yourself thin.  I think someone or another had a line about butter.  It's a real occurrence.  I mean, certainly some people can do it, but I would imagine they look for places where an audience will overlap between the two genres, kind of like Sci-Fi and Fantasy.



So we shouldn't try?

I read Marketing at university, so I more than anyone understand the way you're using the term over extention in this case (thank you for the clarification there by the way). And *still*, despite this, I will never stop myself from writing whatever I wish to write and trying to get what ever piece of literature I want published. If this in a practical sense means that I have to use psuedonyms for work that doesn't fit the marketing view then that's what has to be done. 

Right?

I could rattle off any number of marketing theories and academic papers but in the end almost any_thing_ can be marketed to any_one_. Issues can only truly be viewed on a case by case basis in my opinion. If a marketing department really, I mean really tried to they would almost certainly find a way to get profit out of a writer who exists in multiple genres and disciplines. I sometimes wonder whether its an issue of "being bothered to" hehe


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## Devor (Jan 17, 2012)

JCFarnham said:


> So we shouldn't try?



I didn't go that far at all.  My first post on the first page said that writers can cross genres.  Some will get more from it than others.  I was only saying that they risk over-extending themselves, and responding to your suggestion that it would be best universally if we did.

It's cool to see someone else who's studied Marketing, though.  Hats off to you.


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## JCFarnham (Jan 17, 2012)

Devor said:


> I didn't go that far at all.  My first post on the first page said that writers can cross genres.  Some will get more from it than others.  I was only saying that they risk over-extending themselves, and responding to your suggestion that it would be best universally if we did.
> 
> It's cool to see someone else who's studied Marketing, though.  Hats off to you.



Oh hey, sorry If that came off wrong though Devor. I guess I was playing devil's advocate there for a second  No harm meant.

Maybe the growth one could get from trying something out of ones comfort zone out weighs the risk? Even if you decide said step didn't work out and redouble your efforts on your main area of interest thats something I think. It shows up strengths and weaknesses if anything.


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## Devor (Jan 18, 2012)

JCFarnham said:


> Maybe the growth one could get from trying something out of ones comfort zone out weighs the risk? Even if you decide said step didn't work out and redouble your efforts on your main area of interest thats something I think. It shows up strengths and weaknesses if anything.



If we're talking about a short story or small project, especially one which is focused on the writer's weaknesses, then absolutely.  Fantasy in particular has a lot of elements which can hide or cause a reader to overlook some aspects of an author's bad writing, so I would agree that a fantasy writer in particular could learn a lot by writing a bit without those "crutch" elements.  I don't think managing large projects in separate genres would be worth it to more than a small handful of writers, though.  That's especially true because so many fantasy writers have to tell their stories across several books just to build an audience, leaving the author much less time for other works.


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## Lord Darkstorm (Jan 23, 2012)

I look at it this way.  I write software, which does have a creative element, I write fiction (scifi and fantasy mainly), I've played the guitar...and toyed with a dozen other instruments, I can rip my computers apart and put them back together almost in my sleep.  These things are not all the same, although I do admit that for any one skill you have to dedicate time to it, lots of it.  But i don't see a difference in writing fantasy and writing scifi as using different skills.  It would be kind of like the difference between country music and rock, the style is different, but you still use the same chords.  The instrument doesn't change, only the style.

I think the only thing really holding anyone back is themselves.  You get out what you put in.  If you think you can only do one style, then that's all you will be able to do.  If you only have an interest in one style, then that's not quite the same.  

So if you like more than one style (genre) of writing, then try them all.  If you like them all, then you'll probably have to find one you like more if you wish to specialize.  Still, I find it hard to believe that the skills to write a story in fantasy would fail to be useful in writing another genre as well.


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## Voldermort (Feb 5, 2012)

Alex said:


> So I was just wondering, is it best for a writer to stick to one, maybe 2 genres or does it not usually make a difference?



I am of the opinion that sticking to one genre REALLY helps you become a great writer. It's the old competency argument.

The only problem with it is that it does narrow your vision. So a second genre helps overcome that.

Definitely the worst thing to do is keep flip flopping between many genres and half-finished stories, which will get you nowhere forever.


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## Yukinara (Feb 8, 2012)

oh really? to me, cross genre is a perfect tool to expand my novel. I just finished the first book and now I look back, I have around 5-6 genres inside, my book is action/adventure with romance and on scifi/fantasy setting. I agree with the idea that genre is just a box which authors can pick from and classify their novels and we are supposed to get out of it.


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## Helen (Feb 8, 2012)

Yukinara said:


> oh really? to me, cross genre is a perfect tool to expand my novel. I just finished the first book and now I look back, I have around 5-6 genres inside, my book is action/adventure with romance and on scifi/fantasy setting. I agree with the idea that genre is just a box which authors can pick from and classify their novels and we are supposed to get out of it.



Are you sure this isn't just scifi?

Like Star Wars is action adventure with a romance in it.

Or Flash Gordon is action adventure with a romance in it.


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## Yukinara (Feb 9, 2012)

in my novel, scifi is just a setting, it is not hard scifi and I don't focus too much to explain things like galaxy, etc, I keep the story strictly to personal feeling.


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## Jess A (Feb 9, 2012)

Hmm. 

I write across various genres as a hobby, but all of them have an element of 'fantasy' to them. For example, I might be writing about espionage, but I might still have a bit of fantasy around. I vary from modern-day to sci-fi to historical fantasy, and to mixes of all three! 

However, for my novel, which I hope to publish, I am sticking to 'medieval fantasy'. There may be a tiny element of sci-fi, but it'll be no more than a hint.


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## SeverinR (Feb 10, 2012)

I can see myself writing in Fantasy as my primary, suspense (with minor magical element), childrens books.
But I don't see a parent reading a blood filled novel and offering their child a book by the same author.

If you have a publisher, you might have to start a new search for one in the other genre, if your primary or first can't find one in their organization.  Some publishers don't do all genres.

If you can right interesting stuff in all genres, why not?

Actually, as a challenge, why not push your abilities and try to write outside your box?  Almost nothing you serious write is a waste, it is an experience.


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## Jess A (Feb 11, 2012)

If you refer to writing various genres (in different novels), then use a pseudonym. 

Robin Hobb also writes as Megan Lindholm.

Nora Roberts also writes as J. D. Robb.


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