EPISODE 4: MASTER YOUR GENRE: LEARN THE RULES BEFORE YOU START WRITING

EPISODE 4: MASTER YOUR GENRE: LEARN THE RULES BEFORE YOU START WRITING 

In this episode, Pamela breaks down exactly what she wishes she had known before she started writing—and gives you the tools to avoid making the same mistakes she made. 

Welcome to Episode 4.

In this Episode, we're going to talk about understanding the requirements of your genre.

Before sitting down to write my first legal thriller, I had read a ton of mysteries and thrillers, so I didn't think I needed to spend any time studying the genre. I just sat down and started writing my novel, which was loosely based on a sexual harassment case where I had served as defense counsel. That was a major rookie mistake. My lack of knowledge regarding the requirements of my genre cost me time, excessive rewriting, and a whole lot of frustration.

Here are some tips to consider as you learn the elements of your genre.

Know the Rules.

Every genre has unwritten rules—word count, chapter length, pacing, and point of view conventions. Violate them—and agents, editors, and readers will notice immediately.

Genre is defined as a category of writing that shares a common set of expectations—the kind of story, the tone, the pacing, even the way it ends. Think mystery, romance, fantasy, or thriller. And in the non-fiction world, the memoir. Readers pick up a book in a given genre because they already have a rough idea of what they're signing up for, and part of your job as a writer is to deliver on that promise.

Before turning to specific genre rules, one of the first distinctions to understand isn't a genre at all. It's a question of style and approach. Are you writing literary fiction or commercial fiction? Literary fiction is more character driven. The focus is on the interior lives of the characters, the prose style, and the deeper themes that the story explores. The plot may move slowly, but the writing itself is often the point. Think Toni Morrison or Colson Whitehead.

Here's Your No-Excuses Challenge for Episode 4.

Select a book in your genre that you've previously read and enjoyed, be it a novel, a memoir, or a how-to book. Reread the first three chapters like a writer. Summarize each chapter in one or two sentences, then study the first and last lines of each chapter. What does that opening line do? Does it drop you into action, raise a question, introduce a voice? Does the last line leave you hanging, itching to turn the page? Jot down what you notice. That's it. Just three chapters. You'll be surprised at how much you can learn from this simple exercise.