List of Writing Genres

How Many Writing Genres Are There?

Before I start anything about this unique topic, I want to say that this includes my many years of research on the field of a genre so take your sweet time and read this!

If you are a book reader like me, these types of questions will definitely ring bells in your brains. A Genre is a categorization of a book and the category, it presents, will surely unlock a great portion of a story, sublime to its types. In this article, I am going to present you with a very list of genres that includes all types of books. So stay tight and read this out for your utter knowledge. Actually, there are especially two genre-category but those contain all the surface genres which we actually know. So in brief, there are the sub-categories that we came to know while reading a particular book. So let us see which those are_

Mainly all the categories are divided into mainly two portions. One is *Fiction* and the other is *Non-Fiction*. These two are the mother of all genres as you can say!

• Fiction: - Fiction books contain a made-up story – a story that did not actually happen in real life. These stories are derived from the imagination and creativity of the authors and are not based on facts.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, 1984 by George Orwell, Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling is some of the examples of fiction books.

• Non-Fiction:- Non-fiction or nonfiction books are factual books. Unlike fiction books, they are based on facts and information that can be verified to be true.

Some examples of non-fiction books are The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin, How to Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie, an encyclopedia, etc.

Except these, you may also come to know that there is also a genre which is situated in the middle of these two, named 'Semi-Fiction'. Apart from the made-up story, these books also include some factual information. 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac. 

Now we are actually coming to the main point of this article, the entire above are just prefaces of the main topic.

Genres of Books

The mentioned types of books can be further divided into many sub-categories and each of these sub-categories is a genre. We will discuss the different genres of books under Fiction and Non-Fiction categories.

Please remember that it is totally possible that a book can be defined by one or more than one number of genres. So it is just transience to bind the total credibility of a book into just one genre.

The following flow-chart will help you to understand the genres, a little!

Let us describe the genres one by one~

_Fiction_

Fantasy

A Book under this genre contains a story set in a fantasy world – a world that is not real and often includes magic, magical creatures, and supernatural events. Example - 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R. R. Martin.

Science Fiction

You may know this genre as Sci-fi. Science Fiction typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, time travel, extraterrestrial life, etc. The stories are often set in the future or on other planets. Example - 'The Martian' by Andy Weir.

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is a genre of book that includes writings that reconstruct the past. The story is set in the past keeping the manners, social conditions, and other details of that period unchanged. The writers incorporate past events or people in their fictitious stories. Example - 'A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction has a story that is true to life and seems real but isn’t actually real. Stories under this book genre are often set in modern times and have characters that seem like real people. Example - 'Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

Fan Fiction

Fan Fiction, as the name suggests, is fiction written by a fan of a particular book or book series. The characters and the plot of fan fiction are usually taken from the original work but the story is different. Example - 'Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

Crime

You also know this as detective etc. As the name suggests, this book genre deals with crime, criminal motives, and the investigation and detection of crime and criminals. Example - 'Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Mystery

Mystery books have a suspenseful plot that often involves a mysterious crime. Suspects and motives are considered and clues throughout the story lead to a solution to the problem. Example - 'The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

Suspense / Thriller

This genre of book is characterized and defined by the moods they evoke among the readers, giving them heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, thrill, surprise, anticipation, and anxiety. Literary devices such as plot twists and cliffhangers are extensively used in this genre. Example - 'Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Horror

Horror is a genre that is intended to or has the ability to create the feeling of fear, repulsion, fright, or terror in the readers. In other words, it creates a frightening and horror atmosphere. Example - ''The Exorcist' by William Peter Blatty.

Humor

Humor fiction is usually full of fun, fancy, and excitement. It is meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter in readers. Example - 'Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

Classic

Classic refers to the fictions that are accepted as the most important and influential books of a particular time period or place. These books are widely taught in schools. Example - '1984' by George Orwell.

Satire

Satire is a genre of book that entertains making fun of vices, foolishness, shortcomings, etc. of individuals, corporations, government, or society through sarcasm and irony. It is often done to induce a sense of improvement among people.

Although satire is usually meant to be humorous, the humor often shows the dark truth of the society and is meant to work as constructive social criticism. Example - 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell.

Comic / Graphic

These books are based on a sequence of hand-drawn pictures. The story is usually told visually with very few words and those words are mostly placed either in panels on top or bottom of pictures or as speech bubbles. Example - 'Saga' by Brian K Vaughan.

Magical Realism

It is a genre of book wherein magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic environment. Example - 'The House of the Spirits' by Isabel Allende.

Romance

The primary focus of romance fiction is on the relationship and romantic love between two people. These books have an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Example - 'Perfect Chemistry' by Simone Elkeles.

Drama

Dramas are stories composed in verse or prose, usually for theatrical performance, where conflicts and emotions are expressed through dialogue and actions. Example - 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare.

Anthology

An anthology is a collection of series of works such as short stories, poems, essays, plays, etc. by different authors into a single volume for publication. The selection of such works is made based on some common theme or subject of books and usually done by an editor or small editorial board. Example - 'The Poets Laureate Anthology' by Elizabeth Hun Schmidt.

Fable

Fables are fictional narratives in prose or verse that typically features personified animals, mythical and legendary creatures, plants, etc. as the main characters. The characters in the fable possess human qualities, such as the ability to speak in human language. These legendary tales demonstrate some useful truth and are meant to teach a moral lesson. Example - The Whole Aesop's Fables.

Fairy Tale

The fairy tale is usually a story for children that involve imaginary creatures and magical events. Example - 'Beauty And The Beast' by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve.

Short Story

A short story is a short prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting. The stories under this genre often do not have subplots. It deals with a few characters and aims at the unity of effect and often concentrates on the creation of mood rather than plot. Example - 'Men In Black' by Oliver Goldsmith.

My Favourite Genre is Short Stories.

Legend

It’s a story, sometimes of a national or folk hero that is considered to be based on facts but also includes imaginative material. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the readers a reason to believe in the tale. Example - 'The Hollow Hills' by Mary Stewart.

Mythology

These books include a legend or traditional narrative, often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its symbolism and often about the actions of the gods. Example - 'Mythology' by Edith Hamilton.

Here Completes the Fictional One. The Genres will unbind you next.

_Non-Fiction_

Narrative Non-Fiction

Narrative nonfiction (also known as literary nonfiction or creative nonfiction) is a genre of books that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives in a format that tells a story. Example - 'The Boys in the Boat' by Daniel James Brown.

Biography

Biography is a narrative of someone’s life written by someone else. When a person himself writes about his life, then the book is called an autobiography. Example – ‘Steve Jobs’ by Walter Isaacson.

Periodicals

Periodicals as the name suggest, are written periodically at regular definitive intervals. Newspapers, Magazines, Journals are some examples.

Self-Help Book

Self-help books contain information that is intended to help the readers to solve their personal problems and make their life better. Example – ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Reference Book

These are books that we refer to when we need some specific information. Some examples of this genre of books are a dictionary, an encyclopedia, an atlas, etc.

Text Book

A textbook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. It contains an authoritative and detailed factual description of a topic. Textbooks are produced as per the demands of educational institutions. Mathematics, Science, and History textbooks taught in schools are some basic examples.

Speech

This is a public address or discourse written into a book. Example – ‘Lend Me Your Ears’ by William Safire.

Essay

An essay is usually a short literary composition that reflects an author’s outlook or point of view on a particular topic. Example – ‘On The Pleasure of Hating’ by William Hazlitt.

Memoir

A memoir is basically a collection of memories that an individual writes on moments or events that he experiences in his life. These writings are taken to be factual.

Sometimes a Memoir is taken to be an autobiography, but they are actually different. An autobiography is an account of the person’s entire lifetime, but a memoir is an account of only a narrower set of the author’s experience. Example – ‘The Liars’ Club’ by Mary Karr.

Except From all these Genres there is the most familiar one 'Poetry'.

_Poetry_ 

Poetry is one of the most important genres of books in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. Poems written under poetry can be of different types according to the style in which they are written.

Poetry can fall into both Fiction and Non-Fiction categories. If the poetry is based on facts, it will be nonfiction poetry, and if it is not based on facts then it will be fiction poetry.

Example: - 'Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day' William Shakespeare.

So this concludes my total conceptions about the clear view on genres. Obviously, the denotations are all collected from different sources. Now, As I completed my research about genres and faced all the commotions with my friends about it, I can finally rest in peace. And Please Take your time and Notify me about my works.

Thank you for reading this long article please follow up and leave a comment about your thoughts on this subject. Hope it will please you and leave an awesome impression. For a literary it is our pride to know about our arsenal so; here are your treats!