Writing Tips and Reviews

Cross-Genres

Mixing two or more genres can be a difficult task, horror, and comedy for example. You need to have a balance between the two, don't focus on just one.

-Done well-

Most good stories I can think of are part of the horror genre, being mixed with comedy, romance, or a slice of life. As weird as that last one is, it works for some people. One I'll bring up that doesn't involve zombies is Madoka Magica, a dark fantasy, magical girl, and psychological thriller show.

There's a certain balance to each genre prevalent in the story. Some magical girls fight evil, the dark fantasy is presented through the visuals, and psychological thriller presented through the mysteries and hardships of the girls. And I mean hardships that lead a girl to the brutal murder of the enemies and eventually her death. Sayaka Miki.

This show isn't just about cute little girls getting magical power, there's a reason young girls are chosen, a story behind why they're given power, what happens if they go too far, and the ultimate goal of those pulling the strings. It's much deeper than most of its kind and shows just how genres can be mixed to create a story different than the rest of its kind.

-Done wrong-

Mixing comedy with action and adventure can be fun, we get the daily lives of the characters and an action story. Oh hey, I just described the early volumes of RWBY. But what happens when done wrong? If you're too focused on the comedy and not the action-adventure, it turns into a pure comedy with a little bit of action-adventure.

And just shooting into the sky for this one, a story where a character is in mortal danger and the protagonist has to save them, their brilliant "full proof" plan? To go in unarmed with their backup prioritizing drinking lemonade over... I don't know, being useful.

Or... fantasy action story where the characters are supposed to be learning magic and be Harry Potter's successor, but we get normal school and eleven chapters of the characters whining about everything under the sun. I never said I wouldn't talk about the old stupid ideas, I said I would stop reviewing the new stupid ideas.

Or... a fantasy mystery meant to intrigue people with looming darkness that connects personally to the protagonist and we have to figure out what the threat is. And then we figure out from page one that the "looming darkness" is daddy not giving Mary Sue everything she wants and mommy not wanting her to cheat on a test. Don't worry, we spend ages demonizing them and find out they're "pure evil" in two ways, one because they disagree with Mary Sue, and two because they're evil, so it's okay that we demonized them.

This is worse than the Yandere simulator's writing.

Speaking on Yandere Sim. Stealth action, but with no stealth because you're following a guide book where the game will automatically do whatever it says, and there's no action. It's all scripted events that don't allow free roam and follow the one path you're taking. It's like driving in a straight line instead of a road with many stops and turns, and if you don't drive straight, the road will break underneath you.

-Conclusion-

Do your research on the genres you want to explore, that includes other media that uses them. You're not special by prioritizing comedy over action during an action scene or making a magic school the same as a normal school, you're doing it wrong if you can't balance out the genres and do it in a way where people won't want to burn you at the stake.