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Passionate: right or wrong. Writes love stories with a passion. Raw Romantic Redemptive

Monday Musings . . .

             78735-425x282-Virginity_question

Are the genre classifications descriptive enough? Would you amplify them or decrease them? If you could stipulate a new genre or two, what would you choose for a type of novel? 

Have you ever been disappointed in a novel labeled a thriller when in fact it was a mere mystery or mild suspense – because you expected more from it and it didn't deliver?

What qualifies as a bona fide thriller for you?

What genre do you read the most? 

 

Father, we thank you for every good and perfect gift. We know you're behind every good thing and apart from you, we can do nothing. Help us all to know and remember this life is a gift with numbered days, and that each one depends on you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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6 responses to “Monday Musings . . .”

  1. Brenda S. Anderson Avatar
    Brenda S. Anderson

    Admittedly, I don’t pay too much attention to labels as I enjoy stories from all genres. My criteria is, “Does the blurb pique my interest?”
    Now when I was pitching, genre was very important. BUT for my first release, Chain of Mercy, the closest genre was Contemporary Fiction, which says nothing. It wasn’t Romance, though it had strong romantic elements. It wasn’t Women’s Fiction because the protagonist was male. (Which was a problem all by itself! Women don’t want to read about men’s issues, don’tcha know!) So, for pitching purposes, it would be nice to have more specific labels.

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  2. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    Good points, Bren. Hahaha on the “women don’t want to read about men’s issues” – apparently CF research has its own little party of readers who don’t represent a larger portion of readers who do in fact read everything they’re “not supposed to” read.
    I’m a stickler for specifics – not that it really matters with the gut-level selection of a novel to read (for me) but I want it to be a thriller if it says it’s a thriller. So many have selected and been labeled with that genre when they’re simply not.
    And I think there’s a genuine difference between romance and love stories (romance sticking to a specific formula), but rarely do you see novels with the love story label – and, granted, there are far more romances written than love stories.

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  3. Ken Kuehne Avatar
    Ken Kuehne

    I actually do choose books based on genre. Thrillers need to thrill. If not, they’re mislabeled. A thriller needs a high stakes race against time and the odds to thrill it’s readers. This could be the impending doom of a character, a group, a city, a country or the world. But someone or something must be at risk if the main character doesn’t act to prevent it. And the race to stop that impending catastrophe should be an exciting one. As for whether their are enough genres, I’d say no. When a drama has comedy, it’s a dramedy. When a Romance is comedic, it’s a Romcom. Crossing genres is great when it’s done right, and labeling a book with the right description makes it easier for readers to decide if it’s right for them. Reducing the number of genres is for nitpicky publishers. Labeling books under the right genre is a Godsend for readers.

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  4. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    Yay! Very well stated, Ken!

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  5. Brenda S. Anderson Avatar
    Brenda S. Anderson

    Good point about romances being different than love stories. A love story sounds much more interesting than a romance to me. 🙂

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  6. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar
    Nicole Petrino-Salter

    I think so too, Bren, but that gives a separation between them so the true romance readers/lovers can get what is usually a shorter read to sate their desires. 😉
    In my mind a love story is a longer book, more detail, perhaps more characters. The beauty of a love story is romance is inherent but not necessarily formulaic.

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