Genre: Fantasy, Romance and Mystery

Send us Fan MailWelcome back to another lesson of The Writing Apothecary.Today we’re going to look at three different sub-genres: Fantasy, Romance and Mystery. If you’re wondering why these three? Well, fantasy is my jam, I really love everything about it and it’s the genre I know the most about. You know the age-old advice of write what you know applies here, ha! First, did you know that it was a genre of speculative fiction? It features magical and supernatural elements that don’t exist in the real world. Some writers, like myself, like to use the modern world and add fantasy elements and some are inspired by myth and folklore. Fantasy is different and distinguished from science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific and macabre themes, but that’s not to say that you can’t have the macabre in fantasy. The different kinds of fantasy that are named (and don’t feel like you need to stay in the confines of these) are: High or epic fantasyLow fantasyMagical realismSword and sorceryDark fantasyFablesFairy talesSuperhero fiction Just among many others. Some of the elements and characteristics of fantasy are:Good vs evilThe hero quest for power or knowledgeTradition bs changeThe induvial vs societyMan vs natureMan vs himselfComing of ageLoveBetrayalEpic journeyThe unlike and/or reluctant hero.Which leads us to romance. As we know it takes place between two people, as most commonly known but in the day and age, we know that romance doesn’t always happen just between two people. It can be multiple. It’s also a genre that many seem to just write off because it’s just love and all other things, but it’s a really popular market and has many sub-genres like:ContemporaryHistoricalRomantic suspenseParanormal romanceSci-fi fantasyTime-travelInspirationalErotic romance Chick lit.  Mystery novels are often known as a whodunnit novel where your readers turn into the detective to find out who the culprit is. The main character is also sometimes a detective or private eye who is trying to solve the case. The different kinds of mystery fiction include:Detective FictionTrue CrimeCosy MysteryLegal ThrillerPolice ProceduralHowtocatchemHardboiled FictionHistory MysteryLock-room mysteryThe standard method for a mystery relies heavily on the inciting incident where the main character finds the mystery aka the murder, or the cold case. Then there’s the investigation, the twist before the breakthrough, and finally the conclusion.Tell me what did you take away from this week's lesson?I'd love to know.Also, I would really appreciate it if you took the time to rate and review the podcast it helps people find our community and gets the podcast out into the world a little more.Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to episodes join up to the mailing list over here.If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecaryFollow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont