“There are very real differences between science fiction and realistic fiction, between horror and fantasy, between romance and mystery. Differences in writing them, in reading them, in criticizing them. Vive les différences! They're what gives each genre its singular flavor and savor, its particular interest for the reader - and the writer.” GivingWritingRealRomanceReadingInterestDifferencesFictionFantasyMysteryParticularReaderHorrorScience FictionGenreCriticizeRealisticFlavorRealistic Fiction Author:Ursula K. Le Guin
“There is nothing I can't do writing in Fantasy. I can have romance, I can have mystery, I can have drama, I can have good characters - I can have everything you can do in any other genre... plus a dragon.” WritingI CanCharacterRomanceCan DoFantasyMysteryDramaGenreDragonsPlusGood Character Author:Patrick Rothfuss
“I think authors are just realizing there's no real reason to feel limited to a narrow set of genre rules in their writing. There's no reason a mystery novel can't have fantastic elements in it. Similarly, there's no reason why your epic fantasy series can't have elements of a mystery.” ThinkingFeelsWritingRealReasonRealizingFantasyNovelMysteryElementsSeriesFantasticGenreReason WhyNo ReasonEpicMystery Novels Author:Patrick Rothfuss
“I like taking genres and subverting them. I did that with In the Valley of Elah. I said, "Okay, this is just a murder mystery. Relax." And then, two thirds of the way through, I broke every convention of a murder mystery.” WaySaidTwoMysteryOkayThirdsMurderBrokeGenreRelaxValleysConventionsMurder Mysteries Author:Paul Haggis
“Introduce your main characters and themes in the first third of your novel. If you are writing a plot-driven genre novel make sure all your major themes/plot elements are introduced in the first third, which you can call the introduction. Develop your themes and characters in your second third, the development. Resolve your themes, mysteries and so on in the final third, the resolution.” IfsWritingFirstsCharacterNovelMysteryDevelopmentElementsMajorsThirdsFinalsDrivenGenreThemePlotResolveResolutionIntroducingIntroductionMain Characters Author:Michael Moorcock
“Marshall Jevons is the pioneer for integrating economics and detective fiction, and The Mystery of the Invisible Hand is another fine effort in this genre.” HandsEffortFictionMysteryFineEconomicsInvisibleGenreDetectivesPioneersIntegratingInvisible HandDetective Fiction Author:Tyler Cowen
“Dickens is a much misunderstood and mis-approached writer, in that he tends to be read, particularly in the twentieth century, as a social commentator - like the great Victorians, a realist in his way. But he isn't at all like that. His genre is actually more like a fairy tale - weird transformations, long voyages from which people come back altered, parental mysteries, semi-magical twists.” PeopleWayLongSocialMysteryCenturyTransformationTalesGenreFairyFairy TaleTwistsMisunderstoodTwentieth CenturyVoyagesAlteredCommentatorsRealistParentalDickensGenre Is Author:Martin Amis
“One of the things that did intrigue me about when I read the pilot - because I had not read the books before doing the show - was the mystery aspect of it. I didn't feel that it was just a crime-based story. It really does have that mystery element, and it felt like a throwback to other shows in the past that had a bit more of that. There was something iconic about it. The fact that it's set in Boston gave it a feeling that was different to me. So, I am definitely more of a fan of mysteries than I am of a circular crime-based genre.” FeelsDoeBookDifferentFactsStoriesShowsFeelingsPastFeltBitsMysteryFansCrimeElementsAspectGenrePilotsIntrigueBostonIconicThrowback Author:Sasha Alexander
“I ended up working on "Chicago Hope" and other things, but always with the idea that, eventually, I would want to take what I'd learned in character drama and try to apply that to the genre that I love, which is science fiction and "The Twilight Zone" type mysteries.” WantTryingIdeasCharacterFictionMysteryTypeDramaScience FictionGenreZoneChicagoTwilightTwilight Zone Author:Remi Aubuchon
“As for whether genre considerations influence what I write, they don't at all, but I might sell more books if they did. The Night Journal is a hodge-podge of historical fiction, western, mystery, and contemporary domestic drama. It doesn't settle into a specific market, reviewers have a hard time describing it, and sometimes it gets classified weirdly in bookstores. But from a writer's standpoint, I like that it's hard to categorize.” IfsWritingBookSometimesHardMightNightFictionMysteryInfluenceDramaSellsHistoricalWesternContemporaryGenreSettlingHard TimesConsiderationHistorical FictionJournalDescribingStandpointBookstoresReviewers Author:Elizabeth Crook
“For me, fantasy and speculative science fiction are the genres that feel closest to how I feel about being alive. Like, when I feel the most invigorated by just even a walk down the block in twilight, when the street lamps are just coming on and there's mist and some shadowy thing in silhouette in a window, I naturally invest all of those things with deep mythology and mystery and meaning. I think I need to believe in that version of reality because I get very scared when I don't.” ThinkingNeedsFeelsBelieveRealityWalksFictionFantasyAliveMysteryStreetsWindowScience FictionScaredMythologyVersionsBlockGenreTwilightClosestLampsMistSilhouettes Author:Brit Marling
“Why are murder mysteries so popular? There's a 3-part "formula" (if you want to call it that) for a genre novel: (1) Someone the reader likes and relates to (2) overcomes increasingly difficult obstacles (3) to reach an important goal. The more important the goal, the stronger the novel. And the most important goal that any of us have is survival. That's why murder mysteries are more gripping than a story titled "Who Stole My TV Set.” IfsWantImportantStoriesDifficultGoalNovelMysteryTvsReaderSurvivalOvercomingMurderStrongerObstaclesLikesRelateGenreFormulasGrippingMurder Mysteries Author:Lois Duncan