How to write novels that bend genres

It was not so very long ago that literary genres were like the teen cliques at the beginning of High School Musical. Each had their rules and social conventions, and never the twain shall meet.

If you’ve seen High School Musical, you’ll know that this oasis of status quo didn’t last. People were too nuanced and messy to stay in a preordained box for long, and so are stories. This is how we get “genre-bending novels”, books that refuse to wear just one identity.

We’ll guide you through some tips and ideas for creating your own groundbreaking story that can’t be pinned down.

What is “genre bending”, exactly?

“Genre bending” is a term you’ll often see in book blurbs and marketing materials, and all it means is that the novel combines elements of different genres.

Certain literary genres, like romance and mystery, come with quite rigid plot conventions that the reader expects to see in these kinds of books. Others, like fantasy or YA, might be associated with tropes and imagery that come up again and again. A “genre-bending” novel uses these conventions in fresh ways.

These novels draw from traditions that readers are comfortable with and want to see more of. Readers pick up a romance novel, for example, because they want the stock love story and happy ending that naturally comes with it. But by combining those traditions with something new, you can engage your reader with something they weren’t expecting.

How to get started writing your own genre-bending story

Then, choose your “secondary” genre that overlaps the first, like a filter overlapping a photograph. You’ll take elements of this secondary storytelling style and apply it to your home genre.

Think about the conventions of each of these genres. In other words, what do readers expect from this section of the bookshop? What are some motifs that occur in most novels in this genre? It may help to physically write this down on a list or mind map so you can see it laid out in front of you.

Look for places where your home and secondary genres overlap or contrast. You might find tropes from one genre that you can approach from the perspective of the other genre, and vice versa. Or, you can start a plotline with the conventions of one genre and then slowly edge it over to the other genre. The goal is not to tell two separate parallel stories, but to effectively lay these genres atop each other so that they tell one powerful story that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Popular cross genre mashups

To get you started, here are some of the most popular genre benders that are rising through the publishing ranks.

Science fiction and literary fiction

When some people think of “sci-fi”, they think of 70s B-movies filled with pre-CGI aliens and a starry backdrop. But the truth is, science fiction has always been a powerful way for storytellers to examine real-world problems through a speculative lens. For example, Jurassic Park was a high-stakes cautionary tale about the perils of humanity trying to play God.

Literary fiction generally refers to stories that are more driven by characterisation and theme than a progressive plot. These novels explore things like family, coming of age, culture shock, and morality. And all of these elements can be just as powerful when viewed against an alien world or a set of dubious privately funded science experiments.

Thriller and romance

At first glance, it might seem like falling in love and fighting for your life against an unseen nemesis have little in common… but have you tried dating in the 21st century? These genre-bending novels take the recognisable plot structure of romance and ask, “But what if things went terribly wrong?”

Thriller-romance novels are becoming more and more popular because they take a timely social need — the need for human connection in an increasingly disconnected world — and meld it with a very present social fear. The result is a compelling story that feels frighteningly real.

Fantasy and horror

Traditional fantasy, such as the work of Tolkien, Lewis, or Carroll, has a degree of cognitive distance. Those stories take place long ago and far away, in a world where there are a few monsters, but all in all the good guys generally triumph and get the castle and the girl by the end. Horror-fantasy, sometimes called dark fantasy or grimdark fantasy, brings those worlds closer to the one we know and emphasises the shadows within them.

These novels are rich with sensory imagery and suspense. They allow you room to play with the classic conventions of fantasy writing while also bringing a darker element that will keep your readers up long past bedtime.

YA and magic realism

YA (short for Young Adult) is a genre that focuses on the experiences of young people between about 13 and 20. This is a time when those characters are discovering new things about themselves and developing a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Magic realism is a form of subtle fantasy in which fabulist or magical elements are interwoven with the everyday world. This works particularly well with YA fiction because both genres deal with thresholds: not quite one thing and not quite another. YA readers are neither children nor full adults; magic realism novels are neither fantasy nor literary. Instead, they have elements of both.

You can use magic realist writing as a metaphor for the unique struggles of teenagers trying to make their way in the world. This can involve things like shifting identities, developing a new body or voice, distancing from the supportive comforts of childhood, and so forth.

Keep in mind, these genre benders are only a place to start! You can combine any one of these genres, or introduce new ones, to powerful effect. Remember: underneath the set dressing, it’s all about telling a good story.