Writing Tips #3-Audience and Genre

Who are you marketing to?

As you begin to craft your ideas into a story, it is important to know two things: audience and genre. Not only can this affect the reading level, the potential readers, but it can very easily change the entire tone of your story!

If we look this sentence below, it takes on very different meanings dependent on genre:

• Lucia sat alone on the rickety wooden swing. Her only company was the moon overhead and the dying gasp of crickets in the autumn air.

This sentence takes on a different meaning if you choose to write for horror versus writing this as alternative fiction!

This applies especially to works of nonfiction! With nonfiction, your audience is everything and knowing how to write and tailor your work to fit the audiences expectations is crucial for success.

Know your genre

We probably all have an idea of some of the literary genres such as romance, horror, thrillers, science fiction, etc. However, each of these genres have sub-genres that may be more specific for the story you are writing. For example, if you are writing a fantasy story that utilizes large aspects of world building, utilizes a team or party of main characters, deals with themes such as good vs evil, you may be writing in the High Fantasy sub-genre.

How you know which genre to write in? Think about what your story is about, what the characters are doing, their interactions with each other and the world, and the setting. These elements (character, plot, and setting) will have the greatest impact upon which genre (and by extension which sub-genre) your story exists in.

What are the trends or current expectations of writing for that audience/genre?

One thing to keep in mind is that writing, like many other fields, is evolving. While the full impact of new technologies such as AI will undoubtedly cause a disruption, several key components remain relevant.

First, don't write in a genre if the books you've read are from twenty years ago or more. Seriously. Not saying that you shouldn't write, but you should first make sure to read a few books by recent authors to notice how writing has changed. For example, readers today are going to expect a large emphasis on characters, utilization of show, don't tell, an avoidance of exposition dumps, etc.

Second, I would strongly encourage you attend writing workshops or read articles online that talk about changes in the industry, whether you are pursuing self-publishing or traditional publishing routes. I would also get comfortable with establishing a social media presence, even if you aren't traditionally outgoing. Social media is viewed as how you connect with your audience and having that platform is also a great way to network with other authors that you may meet.

However, with all this in mind, this does not mean you shouldn't write! If you want to write a historical fiction piece, but haven't read anything from that genre, it doesn't mean you can't start writing. Remember that you can always go back and revise, revise, revise. Lastly, don't rely on big name authors to act as the standard for how to write. Remember, they're big names for a reason. As such, they can often break the rules more than smaller or first-time authors.