The Golden Gems Awards 2020 [CLOSED]

genres

Content Categories 

Genres help us classify and understand stories based on similar themes/aesthetics that the genre categories encompass. While not all stories fit neatly into these genre categories, here is a base understanding of each so you can best align your story for discoverability.

Romance

With love as a driving force, a romance is a form of fiction that traces the growing relationship between two individuals, and oftentimes, the struggle to reconcile their differences or their pasts. The protagonists typically undergo personal development, equally challenged and changed by their beloved.

Example: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Fantasy

Fantasy is a form of fiction which takes place within an alternative world - an imaginary realm wherein magical and supernatural forces pervade. Fantasy stories explore archetypal truths and experiences of an ordinary protagonist, as he or she embarks on an extraordinary quest. Legendary, mythological, and folkloric traditions characterise the genre, thus fantasy stories are often rife with dragons, trolls, wizards, and knights. Typically, fantasy deals with universal themes, such as the struggle of good against evil or the struggle of an individual against society.

Example: Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
 

Horror

Horror is a form of fiction that intends to scare or disturb through a protagonist’s experience with an uncanny or menacing force. Horror evokes an emotional, psychological, or physical response (i.e., fear) within the reader and intrudes on a reader’s comfort level. Horror stories usually involve a protagonist’s confrontation with the unknown and the malevolent aspects of humanity, as well as the unsettling realization that human knowledge is limited.

Example: The Shining by Stephen King

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction usually recounts a famed event of the past or a memorable, recognizable period time period as experienced by fictional characters, but may also describe a historical figure (in their perceived likeness) that must deal with a variety of imagined situations. Historical fiction attempts to accurately capture the essence of history and realise as fully as possible the way the world once was. Striving for plausibility and authenticity, historical fiction allows the reader to both live and learn history, often showcasing political or social issues of the time.

Examples: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell.

Fan Fiction

Fanfiction is writing that remixes characters, places, or plots from existing narratives to tell new, original stories. Existing narratives could mean things like popular books, tv shows, movies, games, comics, or plays. Some types of fanfiction even cast real people as characters in the stories. Fanfiction can expand the story world (like sending Katniss into the 76th Hunger Games) or can take known characters in completely new directions (like having Katniss battle it out with Pikachu).

Example: Definitive Therapy by F. Paul Wilson

Short Story

Short stories are works of brief narrative prose, which usually focus on a limited number of characters and a single, decisive plot incident. Significantly shorter and more compact than novels, short stories leave the reader with a snapshot or slice of life.