Image Attributed to Mark Dixon via Flickr By the time someone reads the opening line of a new book, they already have certain expectations. The book’s stated genre and the genre tags used to market it online indicate to the reader what likely awaits them in the story. And since most fans return to their favorite genres for this very reason, you might wonder how far you can safely stray from genre conventions. Which rules should be followed implicitly? Which can be bent? Which can be broken? How can you keep the reader’s experience familiar and satisfying while also offering surprises and doing something new?
Genre Rules & How to Break Them
Genre Rules & How to Break Them
Genre Rules & How to Break Them
Image Attributed to Mark Dixon via Flickr By the time someone reads the opening line of a new book, they already have certain expectations. The book’s stated genre and the genre tags used to market it online indicate to the reader what likely awaits them in the story. And since most fans return to their favorite genres for this very reason, you might wonder how far you can safely stray from genre conventions. Which rules should be followed implicitly? Which can be bent? Which can be broken? How can you keep the reader’s experience familiar and satisfying while also offering surprises and doing something new?