Writer's Road Chat Recap: Blending Genres

Heather McCorkle  Welcome all! Tonight on the #WritersRoad we're chatting about Blending Genres. Should you do, how to do it, and how to pitch it.

Tina Moss  Oh genre blending! Perfect topic. Have a MS on sub now that's been called...well, a bit of everything. :) #writersroad

J B Mills  I have a sci fi that reads like a paranormal. So I'm calling it fantasy. Probably wrong, but I have to call it something. #writersroad

Heather McCorkle  to @jbeemills True sci-fi fans will tell you though that sci-fi MUST be plausible/possible. #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  to @jbeemills But that's not to say that you can't write something with sci-if elements that doesn't fall into the sci-fi genre. #WritersRoad

A.M. Guynes  I tend to write the story I want to write and when I'm done figure out where it fits in. #writersroad

Matthew Wilbur  to @HeatherMcCorkle @jbeemills The problem becomes when "plausible" becomes "here and now." Sf gets harder to write without a PhD. #WritersRoad

J B Mills  to @HeatherMcCorkle There's no magic. It's focusing on different dimensions. But it just doesn't feel like a sci fi... #writersroad

Tina Moss  The trick to genre blending is making sure it's marketable if you pitch agents/editors. If you go self-pub route, more leeway. #writersroad

Kris Mehigan  Here's a newbie question... where would one go to find the "rules" of the different genres? #writersroad

Tina Moss  to @KKMHOO Hmm... Romance is the easiest to figure out "rules". You can look at HQN lines or RWA. #WritersRoad

Tina Moss to @KKMHOO Also good to look at what's being written in your genre or how books that are like yours are marketed. #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  to @KKMHOO Rules: Sci-fi=possible, fantasy=impossible, contemporary=real world base, romance=main theme must be romance... #WritersRoad

Tina Moss  Blending genres can fill gaps in the market. This is basically how the "New Adult" category came to be, although not a genre. #writersroad

Matthew Wilbur  to @HeatherMcCorkle @NineTiger Good blend of sf and fantasy was the SERRAted Edge novels. Elves and magic in an sf setting.

A.M. Guynes  Any of the Pern books by Anne McCaffrey. They're science fantasy. #writersroad

Tina Moss  Actually, my cousin's book, Bomb Boy blends genres well. It's sci-fi mixed with dystopian. Cool and gritty. #writersroad

Heather McCorkle  I'll throw out Dune, sci-fi elements mixed with the impossibility of fantasy. It teeters on the edge of both. #WritersRoad

Matthew Wilbur  I liked the Georgina Kinkaide books. Definitely paranormal romance but with a lot of humor mixed. in. #WritersRoad

A.M. Guynes  Here's a question. Do you think psionic powers (telepathy, telekinesis) are science fiction or fantasy? #writersroad

Heather McCorkle  to @annikkawoods It would officially fall under fantasy, but in my opinion, totally possible. #WritersRoad

Tina Moss  Quick promo moment for my cousin: Bomb Boy by Steven Lombardi. amzn.to/14IkDqa It is a good ex of genre blends. #writersroad

Tina Moss  One of my fav authors is MaryJanice Davidson. Not sure what to call her writing paranormal contemporary humor? Doesn't matter. #writersroad

Heather McCorkle  Don't let the 'rules' of genres deter you from blending them. Some of the best stories broke the rules. #WritersRoad

Matthew Wilbur  Whatever genres you decide to use, write the best story you can. Genre is really just a label. Story is what matters. #WritersRoad

J B Mills  I think sometimes you have to do some blending to keep from being cliche. #writersroad

Matthew Wilbur  to @jbeemills Sometimes the blending happens because the story requires it. Sometimes it happens and you don't even realize it. #WritersRoad

Tina Moss  Harry Potter could be contemporary fantasy, but wouldn't be urban fantasy. UF is usually gritty, dark, etc. Goes w/ urban vibe. #writersroad

Tina Moss  My co-written book is UF. Was calling individual book UF too, but it didn't have the same feel to it. Now... #writersroad

Tina Moss  It's Paranormal Romantic Suspense. Try saying that three times fast. ;) #writersroad

Matthew Wilbur  Humor is technically it's own genre. So things like Hitchhikers and the Discworld books are technically blends. #WritersRoad

Marianne G. Petrino  #WritersRoad my novel Coffee with Thunderbolts I have labeled as urban metaphysical chicklit roadtrip too

Heather McCorkle  to @Tina_Moss You make a great point. We need to allow our stories to naturally turn into whatever they want. Then go from there. #WritersRoad

Tina Moss  Trick is to show comparables to MS. "Look it's not obscure, so and so writes it and makes $." LOL. But, don't pitch that. #writersroad

Heather McCorkle  While it is great to blend genres, you must know your genres to do it well. #WritersRoad

Matthew Wilbur  to @HeatherMcCorkle Which means you have to actually read the genres you want to blend. So you have the experience. #WritersRoad

Fida  Just have the knowledge you need to write the best and sell in the best way. #WritersRoad

Matthew Wilbur  to @HeatherMcCorkle Which also means, for guys especially, don't be afraid to read the "girly" stuff. You won't get cooties. #WritersRoad

Heather McCorkle  to @Nightveil LOL! Yes. And if you do, you will likely find you like the cooties. #WritersRoad

Matthew Wilbur  to @Tina_Moss @HeatherMcCorkle On occasion. I hate the stereotype that says male=explosions and no plot. #WritersRoad