#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Kai Strand, Mary Waibel, and Katie L. Carroll. We post on the first Monday of every month with a new topic. We’re all authors, but you don’t have to be to participate.
The idea of #InkRipples is to toss a word, idea, image, whatever into the inkwell and see what kind of ripples it makes. We provide the topics and will be blogging about them on the first Monday of the month. You can spread your own ripples by blogging about the topic any day of the month that fits your schedule, just be sure to include links back to the three of us please (Katie, Kai, and Mary).
This month's subject is genres.
Genre: Arrived on the scene in 1770, as a "particular style of art," a French word in English (nativized from c. 1840), from French genre "kind, sort, style". Used especially in French for "independent style." In painting, as an adjective, "depicting scenes of ordinary life" (a domestic interior or village scene, as compared to landscape, historical, etc.) from 1849.
Genre is now widely used to describe all sorts of things, particularly in writing. If you want to boggle your mind, take a look at this list of genres on Wikipedia. One could get bogged down trying to decide what genre one is writing in. There's even something called Lab lit.
For myself, I don't concern myself too much with what genre I'm writing in. I write for kids. I like anthropomorphic stories (Anansi and A Lizard's Tail). But I can branch out, as with The Bowl and the Stone which is a ghost story. And my next novel, A Piece of the Sky, would be considered Historical Fantasy.
I'm just as eclectic in my reading. It's easier to list the genres I'm not so interested in: horror, spy thrillers, mystery (though I do like me an occasional Carl Hiaasen or Tony Hillerman). Most everything else I'm up for, as well reading for all ages.
Today I'm thankful for genres and the variety they bring to us. Imagine if only one kind of novel or non-fiction book was written? How boring would that be?
That are you thankful for? Do you read or write in one particular genre, or do you like to explore?
This month's subject is genres.
Genre: Arrived on the scene in 1770, as a "particular style of art," a French word in English (nativized from c. 1840), from French genre "kind, sort, style". Used especially in French for "independent style." In painting, as an adjective, "depicting scenes of ordinary life" (a domestic interior or village scene, as compared to landscape, historical, etc.) from 1849.
Genre is now widely used to describe all sorts of things, particularly in writing. If you want to boggle your mind, take a look at this list of genres on Wikipedia. One could get bogged down trying to decide what genre one is writing in. There's even something called Lab lit.
For myself, I don't concern myself too much with what genre I'm writing in. I write for kids. I like anthropomorphic stories (Anansi and A Lizard's Tail). But I can branch out, as with The Bowl and the Stone which is a ghost story. And my next novel, A Piece of the Sky, would be considered Historical Fantasy.
I'm just as eclectic in my reading. It's easier to list the genres I'm not so interested in: horror, spy thrillers, mystery (though I do like me an occasional Carl Hiaasen or Tony Hillerman). Most everything else I'm up for, as well reading for all ages.
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Being Thankful
That are you thankful for? Do you read or write in one particular genre, or do you like to explore?
Different genres is definitely something to be thankful for. I can't imagine a world without a variety of books to choose from.
ReplyDeleteI never realized how many sub-genres were out there until my first book. It does boggle the mind.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am grateful for the awesome breadth of genres out there. There are so many to explore! So many that everyone has to be able to find something they like :)
ReplyDeleteMore genres mean more chances for new writers who are bravely tackling something new.
ReplyDeleteIm happy to explore all the facets of interstellar worlds in our universe right now, so in 2006 I wrote starship navigation. Ah but you got me. I still haven't figured out how to build my own spaceship yet.
ReplyDeleteAnd genres in music are even more diverse than genres in books! It makes me thankful for diversity, too. That we can be our unique selves and have something helpul / entertaining to say to others.
ReplyDeleteI love the variety in the genres. So many to choose from.
ReplyDeleteHello Bish, I have a great deal of difficulty pronouncing that particular word is it my imagination or has it only recently become widely used?
ReplyDeleteI’m thankful I know what it means because I’m quite sure I didn’t have a clue the first time I heard it.
I read anything and everything, and I love exploring.
I write fiction generally, and I usually don't get more specific than that. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for reading, I generally prefer celebrity biographies for modern stuff, although I admire some of the classic writers, like Dickens, Poe, Melville, Dumas...
Hi Bish - genres are really fascinating aren't they - and categorising everything is such nightmare of thought! I still have to think quite seriously for whenever I write ... but I'll get there in due course?! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI have been working on reading a greater variety of genres lately in an effort to become a more well rounded writer. There is something to be learned from them all. I admit to liking horror the least and need a strong recommendationtion to cross into that territory.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to explore different genres but I tend to love stories that are character-driven over action-driven.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading and prefer non-fiction. You have a lovely blog and your header is stunning.
ReplyDelete