13 Mindblowing Hacks to Perfect Any Fiction Genre

I don’t know if it’s just my luck, but any time I meet fiction writers, I hear concerns or stories about their fiction genre niche.

This used to confuse me growing up.

I was always such a spirited little girl who knew her likes and dislikes. I thought a ‘niche’ was something that came naturally, not something that has to be ‘decided upon.’

For example, mystery writers like mysteries, and sci-fi writers like science and aliens.

Yes, I was — and still am — that simple-minded.

However, I was wrong.

My Personal Experience with Fiction Genres

In my early fanfiction days, I wrote exactly what I wanted in whatever genre I liked.

Unfortunately, what I was writing wasn’t good at all.

Cheesy dialogue…glorifying my favorite characters…so much telling it made you go, “Well, duh”…and choppy storytelling with no real vision.

Thankfully, I caught onto this fairly quickly and took a break from writing. In that time, I read a lot of books for my own enjoyment and lost myself in well-written fanfiction.

And soon enough, I was writing again. I started with a romance, but even though my writing had vastly improved since my younger days, there was still something…not right.

I got discouraged and stopped once again. Life went down the toilet soon after, but in the midst of it, I was hit with intense inspiration for a darker story after watching an anime.

So, I wrote it and…I loved it.

It came so easily, so naturally…like I was seeing it play out right in front of me and I was just transcribing it to a blank page.

I felt motivated again, so I tried revising that romance story from before.

But again…it was cringe. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t good. I wrote on and off over the years, thriving in some stories and failing miserably with others.

It wasn’t until a few years later I figured it out: it wasn’t that I was a bad or inconsistent writer. I just wasn’t good at writing for particular genres.

Okay. Fine. I wasn’t good at that time. I was young, so move on and try again, right?

Well, even more years later, I still can’t write for the genres I like most.

To this day.

Seriously.

And it sucks.

The Bigger Picture

That said, in all honesty, I don’t believe that every writer should have a niche they can’t deviate from.

In other words, a writer shouldn’t have to write one genre and one genre only.

But I also don’t think every writer should spend their life trying every genre or niche before settling on something.

Storytelling is not a science or life journey.

It’s common sense.

If you don’t like a fiction genre or niche, don’t write it.

If you like or don’t mind a fiction genre or niche, then try it out.

Of course, it’s not as simple as, “Do what you like and avoid what you don’t.” However, there’s a simple way to find out what your niche as a storyteller is.

You can do this without going through the hassle of ‘trying before buying.’

Here are the exact 13 questions that made me put two and two together and realize what my ‘fiction genre niche’ was.

I polished the process over the years and have since used it to help other storytellers find their ‘niches,’ too.

13 Mindblowing Hacks to Perfect Any Fiction Genre

What Kinds of Stories Speak to You Most?

Before we get into writing different genres, let’s talk about your preferences in a story.

When it comes to stories that speak to you, I’m not talking about genre.

However, the things that tend to truly touch and speak to me are:

• Characters and relationships that are developed gradually and naturally
• Messages that shed light on people, the world, or self
• A narrative-type of storytelling that blends events or foreshadows problems far in the future

All of these things that touch me most tend to fall into the slice-of-life or drama genre.

If there’s a sub-genre, that sub-genre typically takes a strong backseat.

Of course, all of the things I listed can be found in any fiction genre.

However, 95% of the time, the very elements that speak to me most are the ones to take the backseat.

Here’s the thing.

I often don’t read or watch much slice-of-life by itself.

Not that I don’t like it — far from it! — but it often depends on my mood.

Do I feel like having an emotional reaction, possibly crying, and taking the time to think back on what I just read or watched to piece together how everything got to this point?

Um…typically, no.

So, I opt for straightforward dark or dramatic stories I can enjoy in the moment, then just go about my business afterwards.

You have to consider this as well when writing for different fiction genres.

The things that speak to you may not actually be the things you read/watch that often, whether by choice or because it’s uncommon.

Once you figure out the exact things that resonate with you most in a story, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are any of the things that speak to me often found in particular fiction genres?
2. Do they speak to me most when they are at the forefront of the story, or when they take a backseat?
3. Are there elements that speak to me that don’t fit into a particular genre? Are they just things I like to see, but not seek out?

Write down all the things that speak or touch you in stories, and then answer the above questions one by one with each of those elements in mind.

Are Your Ideas Typically More Appropriate for a Particular Fiction Genre?

Just because you like action-romance, and are touched by bittersweet endings doesn’t mean the ideas you actually come up with fall into those categories.

Maybe you like the above, but tend to create symbolic references or have ideas for graphic death scenes.

Not saying you can’t incorporate symbolic foreshadowing for a graphic death scene in an action-romance with a bittersweet ending…

That would be pretty cool, actually… I would check it out.

But anyway, if action-romance doesn’t come naturally to you, then that’s when problems start.

I like mysteries and dark stories, but 98% of my ideas are purely slice-of-life or drama-related.

That’s not a big deal at first because slice-of-life and drama can be added to any genre or style.

However, I’m terrible at crime mysteries!

My dark stories also aren’t very believable — maybe even borderline cheesy — when they’re at the forefront of the storyline.

That’s my problem.

So, take this time to sit down, think objectively, and ask yourself:

1. What kinds of ideas do I usually come up with?
2. Do my ideas often fit into the fiction genres/sub-genres I’m personally interested in or wish to write for?
3. If they don’t fit into a particular genre, can they be incorporated in any genre in some way?

If you need visual help, write down the ideas that naturally come to you and match each idea with a fiction genre or sub-genre that they can easily fit into — REGARDLESS of the genre/sub-genre fitting into the ones you want to write for.

What Fiction Genre(s) Do You Shine the Most in Writing For?

This is kind of an extension of Step 2.

Just because you like certain genres and/or have ideas that either relate or not relate to said genres, doesn’t mean you can actually write for any of those genres.

It’s odd, but it’s true.

There have been quite a few writers I worked with who found themselves in this very dilemma.

That’s not too much of a big deal — a simple point and reminder works wonders — but here’s the issue: this story, a supposed romance, was filled with military and war content.

That’s all fine and good, but if someone is going to advertise a romance to me, I’m going to expect romance.

No?

The Problem

The friendship-turned-romance, although realistic by itself, was completely buried under the constant strategic and combatant topics the characters frequently spoke of.

And almost every time the romance finally did have a chance to shine, it was brief, and sometimes even abruptly intimate for the previously ‘slow’ development.

Had the story been advertised as a war in the adventure/action genre, with a sub-genre of romance, I wouldn’t have much of a problem with it.

However, the author constantly spoke of the romance, how much they wanted to write romance, and how every individual ‘book’ in the series tied into a bigger story.

I checked out the stories this author wrote prior to us working together. Some of them were better at portraying romance at its forefront, but only the ones that had a romantic rival involved.

Everything else held the same false advertising.

My point is, this author wanted to write romance, but this author shined in writing combatant, military-type stories.

The author told me himself that his heart sang with those topics.

He even planned the action in complex detail.

He did not put as much thought into the romance.

But for whatever reason, even with my occasional point-blank ‘suggesting’, he could not see — or refused to acknowledge — his true niche.

So, if he was ever to become a professional fiction writer one day, and romance was his niche, I would not expect a satisfying romance that was well-developed.

Ultimately

Just like that romance writer, I like certain genres and elements, but my ideas are based on something else.

I was lucky to be able to shine in writing the slice-of-life/drama genre, but still.

I’m terrible at mysteries and purely dark fantasies—aka, my favorite genres to indulge in.

However—

There will also be times when you may not even be good at writing the genre your ideas fit into.

It’s similar to having a dream of becoming a graphic designer, but then finding out you don’t have the creativity of a designer or artist…

Happened to me once.

So, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are the ideas I come up with most at the forefront of my stories?
2. Do these ideas align and accurately portray the genre I’m trying to write for?
3. Do these ideas come naturally to my fingertips, or are they forced or set on the back-burner?
4. Is there a particular topic or subject that sets my creativity alight more than the genre I’m actually writing for or the ideas that pop in my mind?

Ask yourself those questions. Write them down if you have to. Take this time to see if what you like and the ideas you have align with what you truly shine in writing for.

In Conclusion:

You know what every writer should consider when writing any genre. However, in the end, you have to go with your gut.

Because the truth of the matter is: You can’t fight it.

If you go against your gut and write for a genre you’re not passionate about or have little ideas for, it will only go downhill.

You’ll eventually either end up resenting writing, lose a following due to your stories not being as promised or advertised, or both.

Goodness knows I would have probably resented writing or think of myself as a terrible writer if I tried forcing myself to write romances, dark fantasies, or crime mysteries.

But instead, I love writing because what I write reflects what comes naturally to me and what I am interested in.

But remember: No one says you have to give up anything or a genre you love or have ideas for.

It took a long time, but I picked up romance again.

Am I good? Hell no!

Am I better than I was before? Hell yeah!

Because I focused on what I excelled at instead of the qualities I don’t.

Have I written more than five chapters in my new romances? Nooope.

But that’s okay.

Because I have ideas that won’t stay silent, and with each new word on the page, I’m getting better.

If you have ideas from a genre that won’t quit teasing you, incorporate them into your chosen niche!

Or maybe keep enjoying them as simple entertainment, out of your writing’s reach.

In the end, know this: a niche is about being able to create quality as well as quantity.

Don’t confuse it.

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