How, What, Why

(4) How to Pick a Genre for Your Story?

◆Genre◆

I've been rambling on the previous updates about genres and why stories should always reflect back to it. Pero ngayon po ay tatalakayin natin in depth kung ano ba talaga ang genre.

Bakit nga ba importente ito sa pag-uumpisa ng kwento? Paano makapili ng tamang genre para sa akda mo?

Bakit nga ba may mga authors na nahihirapan sa aspetong ito?

Genre in it's general definition, refers to a type or classification of a literally or musical work. Dahil writing guide naman ito, ang focus lang talaga natin ay ang literary genres.

Before discussing the different choices here on wattpad, I want to go back to the purest classification of literary works.

According to Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing by Robert &Jacob, literature can be classified into four main genres. They are poetry, prose fiction, drama, and nonfiction prose.

Bago niyo sabihin na, "Ha?  Teka nasaan ang Teen Fic, Vampire, at ChickLit?" I need you to stay with me.

Each one of these classifications are divided into different sub-genres.

◆Poetry (Tula)

-These are works in verses and rhythmic patterns either written or spoken.
-Poetry uses tools such as rhymes, meter, imagery ad figurative speech.
- Some sub-genres include haiku, epic, sonnet, ode, song, etc.

Ang isang tula ay maaring may sukat o walang sukat. Ang ibig ko pong sabihin ay mga ibang tula na sumusunod sa metro. They conform to a given syllable count and rhyming patterns. Some comtemporary poets bend these given meters therefore giving birth to a freeform poetry.

◆Prose Fiction

- It is a narrative written from the authors imagination.
- It is not restricted by rhythm or dialogue but it resembles a normal day to day speech.
- It is designed to entertain, inform, persuade and/or inspire the readers.

Dito po natin maisisingit ang sub-genre na action, adventure, romance, fantasy at iba pa.

◆Nonfiction Prose
-Also written in prose but this time it is based on real life events and should be supported by organized facts.
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Best example of nonfiction are newspaper articles, journals, diaries, biographies and autobiographies, essays, research manuscripts and more.

◆Drama
- It is written in a dialogue and designed to be performed.
-It combines other forms of art such as music, dance, and literature to convey a message or tell a story.
-The best manifestation of drama is on theatre, movies, and television.

Ngayon po na maliwanag na ang ibig sabihin ng literary genre, talakayin natin ang mga genre na puwede nating magamit sa wattpad.

Hindi ko na po isasama ang poetry at nonfiction dito dahil sa tingin ko ay nabigyan naman siya ng maliwanag na definition sa taas. Ang drama po ay excluded na rin. Kaya naman ang mga sumusod ay ang mga sub-genre sa Prose Fiction.

◆Action

Works that focus on fast-paced story telling where your story revolves on the actual fights, movements, stunts and deeds of the characters. Mostly nito ay mga crime fictions. Sa wattpad world mas recognizable ang action sa mga kwento na nagre-revolve sa mafia, gangsters at secret agents.