Moving between genres… with editor Gina Blaxill
Everything we write fits into a genre. It’s the filing system we use for creative content. Of course, there are genre-defying novels, but, for most of us, what we write falls into an umbrella grouping. Within those, you have more specific categories. Take thrillers – these can be psychological, romantic, action-heavy or crime focused. All are exciting, pacy reads, but these subtypes have different emphases.
As writers, we don’t need to stick to the same thing. It can be a very healthy – and revealing – exercise to experiment with writing another genre, especially if you’re feeling a little lost, or lacking in direction. It’s a brilliant way to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and what really makes you tick creatively. You might even discover that you’re more comfortable writing something new, or uncover skills that otherwise might have remained hidden. Perhaps you’ve a wonderful comic touch which hasn’t yet shone in your dark thrillers, or switching to fantasy uncovers enjoyment in world-building.
Speaking as someone who has published four thrillers and a fantasy fairytale retelling – alongside dabbling with historical romance, classic fantasy and science fiction – I can say that switching genres has given me valuable insight. There’s a reason that my historical romance wasn’t successful; I was struggling to picture scenes because I didn’t enjoy the detailed research necessary to bring a past era to life, and soft, heartfelt emotion, it turns out, engages me a lot less than whodunnits. I had thought that I was tired of penning thrillers, but switching genres reminded me why they’re my first love and why I’m good at writing them. This gave me fresh confidence in my abilities, and I haven’t looked back since.
If you’re a little uncertain about switching genres, I’d encourage you to look for commonalities between your previous writing and what you’re planning next. My teen Red Riding Hood retelling, All The Better To See You, might look at first glance to have little in common with my YA-crossover contemporary thriller, You Can Trust Me. However, both are actually whodunnits, with mysteries at their hearts, and feminist themes. Identifying similarities rather than differences enabled me to switch without feeling too daunted. It was rather lovely to write a mystery untroubled by technology like phones, Internet or CCTV for a change!
Another bonus is that your experience (for example) as someone who loves police procedurals could mean that you’re able to offer a fresh take on classic rom-com tropes. Genre books can come across as tired when they don’t offer the reader something new. Even better, it’s possible that you’ll discover your happy place penning something different. Our tastes as readers change, so it stands to reason that our tastes as writers may, too. Experimentation is rarely wasted time – even if it brings you round in a circle, as it did for me!
Gina is a YA author. Her most recent books are You Can Trust Me (2022, Scholastic), a dark thriller, and fairy tale retelling All the Better to See You (2021, Scholastic). She has also authored three crime-thrillers with Pan Macmillan (Pretty Twisted, 2011, an e-book bestseller, Forget Me Never, 2012, winner of the Oldham Book Award, and Saving Silence, 2013, winner of the Warwickshire Book Award and nominated for the Carnegie Medal). She is available for reports and mentoring – please contact the Cornerstones office for details.
