As an author, you can often be drawn to familiar ideas of a single genre. But, writing in a single genre can be boring and might drive away readers, as people will not read the same old storyline a thousand times over. Everyone wants something new and unique, whether you are a writer, reader, or both.
But, how can you achieve something new when there’s already so much in hand? The answer is: by combining what you have. Here’s how you can create your own genre by using existing ones.
1. The Main Goal:
To start off, you need to understand what you want from the genre-blending. You should always remember that just mixing up everything won’t work, like combining historical fiction and cyberpunk cannot be possible. First, you need to understand the essentials of each genre involved and decide what role each genre has in the story. Combine genres that will contrast as well as complement each other, balancing the vibe of the storyline.
2. Genres as Characters
If you find it difficult to combine genres, think of each genre as a character and understand its impact on the storyline. You can do this by assigning different roles to each genre; for instance, the setting can be dystopian in a mystery storyline with action in certain parts of the story. The possibilities are endless, and you can develop numerous ways to express your story. Suzanne Collins’s trilogy “The Hunger Games” is a great example of genre mixing (dystopian with young adult and action).
3. The Roadmap:
To lay it down simply, you need to choose a base genre to anchor the narrative, and then include complementary genres. You need to identify the key elements by filtering the features of each genre. After which you can integrate elements as fit for your narrative. Balancing the tone and atmosphere is essential, so a single genre isn’t dominant. In the end, you need to revise your work to have a seamless blend.
4. Practising:
You cannot achieve everything overnight, so it is essential to work at your own pace. You can practice genre blending by mashup prompts where you can combine genres that you think cannot work together, swap characters of one genre and put them in another one, or fuse different genre settings. All these will help you understand what will work and what won’t, which is very essential.
5. Be Careful:
Genre blending can be a boon but only when you use it right. You should not rush when working with it. You should start with the minimum number of genres that you want to mix; having too much on your plate will increase stress and might not work in the start. You should also be mindful while writing such narratives so that you don’t end up writing plotholes and elements that can sabotage your work.
Genre building can be hectic yet satisfying. Understand that the main motive is to create something unique and not just to mix multiple genres. Uniqueness can be achieved by combining only two genres too; you don’t have to keep adding genres. Everything has its own pros and cons; while genre blending can be intriguing, it might not match the reader’s expectations and may result in inconsistency. It is essential to write in a way that is satisfying and not just trendy.