Monday, November 7, 2011

What's in a genre? by Jacqueline Luckett


I have a friend who’s an avid reader. “I don’t care if it’s a real book or on my Kindle,” she tells me during one of our regular Sunday morning chats. “I don’t care if the characters are black, white or purple. I don’t care where the story takes place. I just want to be able to curl up and get lost in a good story.” She’s a writer’s dream reader, don’t you think? She gives equal opportunity to all books.

As a young girl, I spent as much time as I could in the library. I never worried about genre. I wanted escape. I chose my books by the cover, the story summary, by author, by first paragraphs and friends’ recommendations. It was a failsafe system back then, and though my selection process has become more sophisticated, the old system is still the basis for finding a good book. And that’s why, with some exceptions, genre labels don’t work for me. I’m like my good buddy: I just want a good story. And depending on my mood, it doesn’t matter what genre that story falls into.

Like most writers, I have lots of books. They bulge from shelves and the tops of cabinets. They’re piled on my coffee table, my nightstand and my dresser.  They fall into the categories of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. After that, I refuse to put them into specific genres. It’s too hard.

So, I set out to learn more about genre, these categorizations tossed about by authors and publishers that often guide what we will and won't read (or buy). Wikipedia defines genre fiction as “a term for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre.” Interesting, but confining. WikiAnswers lists over fifteen categories that include poetry, short story, drama, adventure and tragedy. Confusing. That one seems a bit more inclusive than another site that lists seven popular genres. Selective?

I balk at these classifications because they’re so general and yet limiting. Oh, they work if I'm in the mood for a mystery or thriller, but otherwise I don't consider genre. Categorizing makes it easy for bookstores and libraries to shelve books into sections. Yes, genres help readers figure out where to find the books they like (sometimes): science fiction, mystery, crime fiction, romance, and so on. But these classifications raise questions for me. Not every book is clear cut. I found other categories: African American, Asian American, autobiographical fiction. Whew! If an African American or an Asian American author writes a horror novel with characters with their backgrounds (or not), where do those books go on the bookstore shelves? How are they classified? By author’s race or story content? (Warning: this may be a trick question!) Or what if an author, not a person of color, writes, say a mystery or romance, about a racial group—how is that book classified? Or is that confusing genre with something else?

Am I being too picky? Do I not understand genre? Sure I do. I simply refuse to be governed by it. I have books that are both cookbook and memoir—what’s genre is that? I love Toni Morrison, ZZ Packer, Alice Munro, Walter Mosley, Tayari Jones, Julie Otsuka—are they genre fiction or literature? I dont care. They're wonderful, complex writers.

If I sound frustrated, I am. 

I try to avoid labels or being put into a box in my everyday life, and I don’t like being boxed into genres for what I read or write. Like my friend, I just like good books—well-written books that capture and hold my attention, challenge my imagination, and leave me wanting more. That’s what I hope I’ve written and that’s what I like to read.

How do you select the books you read?




In 1999, Jacqueline Luckett took a creative writing class on a dare, from herself, and began writing short stories and poetry and never looked back. Searching for Tina Turner (Grand Central Publishing) is available at bookstores and online.  Passing Love, releases in January, 2012. 
www.facebook.com/Author.JacquelineLuckett Twitter: @jackieluckett http://twitter.com/jackieluckett

18 comments:

  1. How simple is that?! Just find a good story that takes you away. I like that method of picking books!!

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  2. Very nice post, Jacqueline. And welcome to our group! I select book by reading the first page and by subject matter.

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  3. Hey Jackie, welcome to GBC! You know I hear you! If I'm in a store browsing, a cover might jump out at me. But before I buy I always read the first few lines to first few pages. These past few years of being on social media, I usually hear about a book and then check it out. It's very rare for me to stumble on a book these days. Which is kind of sad now that I think of it.

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  4. Welcome, Jacqueline! I read a little bit of just about everything. It all depends on what looks good and what I'm in the mood for. I do think some labels can be useful just so long as people don't get carried away.

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  5. I am interested in so many different genres that I think as long as the blurb grabs my attention, I'm ready to read. I also periodically check on my favorite authors to see what's new with them.

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  6. Hi Jackie! welcome to the gang! I'm with you on genre, but I think the publishing folks like to be able to say how a book will be marketed and what shelf it will sit on. And that can make a huge difference for sales...

    Haven't heard of your books but the titles are great--going to check them out right now!

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  7. Jacqueline
    Welcome to the GBC! I enjoyed your post. I have to say for me I usually try a new book based on good word of mouth. I also am a sucker for a great cover and a good first page--if an author has those two things then 'they had me at hello'. Well--and obviously--friends that are authors.
    So many great books, so little time!
    xoMaggie

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  8. Jackie, welcome to the group! Wonderful topic...and, yes, all the genres and sub-genres can make one's head spin sometimes! I like a little bit of everything, and I lean toward novels that have gotten great word-of-mouth or high praise from a friend. I don't look at bestsellers lists, but I do peruse cover art and back cover copy. If something intrigues me, I'll pick it up. I always love discovering new-to-me authors.

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  9. Welcome, Jacqueline! Love the title of your debut and just ordered it.

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  10. Hi, Jacqueline! Welcome to GBC! Nice post. I too, just want to get lost in a story:)

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  11. Great post, Jacqueline. Early in my career as a romance fiction writer, a reader wrote me to complain that because my book strayed beyond the bounds of what a romance novel should be, I posed a threat to the genre. LOL! I've been doing my best, ever since, to pose threats to every genre I've written in.

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  12. Jacqueline, welcome to GBC!!
    Glad to have you here...and, yes, I hear you on being frustrated with all the categories stories are forced into. I'm at a point where I'd prefer all novels to just be called "fiction" ;).

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  13. I actually read the ordering page at J.Peterman just because it's amusing!

    You nailed it. Good story trumps.

    Welcome to the group. Now I'm no longer the newest! Great place to be.

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  14. Great to hear from everyone! I'm thrilled to be part of the conversation. Here's to more insights . . .

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  15. Wonderful topic, Jacqueline. I, too, want to be lost in the story, no matter how, but I am very conscious of the characters and scenes and always want a diverse section of humanity to appear. That's my dream world...
    Deborah Santana
    http://www.deborahsantana.com/

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  16. Good story and great characters trumps everything. Politics. Agenda. Bookstore classifications. That's all I want. Every time I open a book I am looking to recreate that feeling I got as a kid when I'd rush home from the school library. Great post, Jackie.

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  17. My method is pretty simple: if I'm in a great mood or on vacation I read literary fiction. If I'm in a terrible mood, I read romance and self-help. If I'm feeling pretty level, then I read sci-fi or YA. But if I love the author, then that trumps mood. In any case, this post has me dying to get back to this insanely long Murakami novel, 1Q84 -- he trumped mood.

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  18. Jackie!

    I too just want to get lost in a good story. Short attention span = "I need a good story, quick!" And though Alice Munro stories are sometimes slow to unfold, somehow her characters are so magnetic you follow them to the ends of the earth (which is usually Canada, for Munro).

    Great post, Jackie (and thanks for the shout-out!)

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