Resources to Better Writing (ReOrganizing & Editing)

Genres & Sub-Genres

Major Forms;

Drama, Graphic Novel, (Narrative) Poem/Song, Myth, Novel, Novella, and Short Story

Major Genres;

Comedy, Drama, Non Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance Novel, Satire, Tragedy, Tragic Comedy

Common Genres: Fiction

Drama, Classic, Comic/Graphic Novel, Crime/Detective, Fable, Fairy Tale, Fanfiction, Fantasy, Fiction Narrative, Fiction in Verse, Folklore, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, Legend, Magical Realism, Metafiction, Mystery, Mythology, Mythopoeia, Realistic Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Suspense/Thriller, Tall Tale, Western

Drama - stories composed in verse or prose, usually for theatrical performance, where conflicts and emotion are expressed through dialogue and action

Classic- fiction that has become part of an accepted literary canon, widely taught in schools

Comic/Graphic Novel- scripted fiction told visually in artist drawn pictures, usually in panels and speech bubbles

Crime/Detective- fiction about a committed crime, how the criminal gets caught, and the repercussions of the crime

Fable- narration demonstrating a useful truth, especially in which animals speak as humans; legendary, supernatural tale

Fairy Tale- story about fairies or other magical creatures, usually for children

Fanfiction- fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, etc.

Fantasy- fiction with strange or otherworldly settings or characters; fiction which invites suspension of reality

Fiction Narrative- literary works whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact

Fiction in Verse- full-length novels with plot, subplot(s), theme(s), major and minor characters, in which the narrative is presented in verse form (usually free verse)

Folklore- the songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a people or "folk" as handed down by word of mouth

Historical Fiction- story with fictional characters and events in a historical setting

Horror- fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread and sometimes fear in both the characters and the reader

Humor- Usually a fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement, meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter; but can be contained in all genres

Legend- story, sometimes of a national or folk hero, that has a basis in fact but also includes imaginative material

Magical Realism- story where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic environment

Metafiction - also known as romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, uses self-reference to draw attention to itself as a work of art, while exposing the "truth" of a story

Mystery- this is fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the unraveling of secrets

Mythology - legend or traditional narrative, often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its symbolism; often pertaining to the actions of the gods

Mythopoeia- this is fiction where characters from religious mythology,traditional myths, folklore's and history are recast into a re-imagined realm created by the author.

Realistic Fiction- story that is true to life

Science Fiction- story based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planets

Short Story- fiction of such brevity that it supports no subplots

Suspense/Thriller- fiction about harm about to befall a person or group and the attempts made to evade the harm

Tall Tale- humorous story with blatant exaggerations, swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance

Western- set in the American Old West frontier and typically set in the late eighteenth to late nineteenth century

Common Genres: Nonfiction

Biography/Autobiography, Essay, Narrative Nonfiction, Speech, Textbook, Reference Book

Biography/Autobiography - Narrative of a person's life. A true story about a real person.

Essay - A short literary composition that reflects the author's outlook or point.

Narrative Nonfiction - Factual information presented in a format which tells a story.

Speech - Public address or discourse.

Textbook - Authoritative and detailed factual description of a topic.

Reference Book - Dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, etc

Genres & Subgenres;

~Adventure Novel: Epic, Imaginary Voyage, Lost World, Men's Adventure, Milesian Tale, Picaresque Novel, Robinsonade, Sea Story

Robinsonade: Apocalyptic, Science Fiction

~Brit Lit

~Children's Literature: Young-adult Fiction

Young-adult Fiction: Class S, Light Novel

~Comic Novel: Black comedy, Parody, Romantic Comedy, Satire

Satire: Picaresque Novel, Political Satire

~Education Fiction: Campus Novel, School Story, Varsity Novel

Campus Novel: Campus Murder Mystery

~Experimental Fiction: Antinovel, Ergodic Literature

~Erotic Fiction: Erotic Romance, Picaresque Novel, Women's Erotica

~Graphic Novel

~Historical Fiction: Historical Romance, Historical Whodunnit, Holocaust Novel, Plantation Tradition, Prehistoric Fiction, Prehistoric Fiction, Regency Novel

Historical Romance: Metahistorical Romance

Regency Novel: Regency Romance

~Literary Fiction

~Literary Nonsense

~Mathematical Fiction

~Metafiction

~Nonfiction Novel: Bildungsroman, Biographical Novel, Slave Narrative

~Biographical Novel: Autobiographical Novel

Autobiographical Novel: Semi-autobiographical Novel

Semi-autobiographical Novel: I Novel

~Slave Narrative: Contemporary Slave Narrative, Neo-slave Narrative

~Occupational Fiction: Hollywood Novel, Lab Lit, Legal Thriller, Medical Fiction, Musical Fiction, Sports Fiction

Medical Fiction: Medical Romance

~Philosophical Fiction: Existentialist Fiction, Novel of Ideas, Philosophical Horror, Platonic Dialogues

~Political Fiction: Political Satire

~Pulp Fiction

~Quantum Fiction

~Religious Fiction: Christian Fiction, Islamic Fiction, Jewish Fiction

Christian Fiction: Christian Science Fiction, Contemporary Science Fiction

~Saga: Family Saga

~Speculative Fiction: Fantasy