Thread: Having trouble determining my genre.

I write short stories; usually, they are so long (~10,000 words) that I have to pare them down for submission. I try to develop characters too much for a short story, I think. The real problem is knowing what my genre is. I write frequently about strong female protagonists who inflict great harm or death upon males; my most recent story is about a woman who stalks her ex-boyfriend then winds up doing a lot of damage. These females are never sympathetic characters, but I try to make them human so the reader can at least consider their reasoning. It isn't senseless violence, or gratuitous gore or sex. There is an awful lot of foul language, but it's real - not just for shock value like some of the comedians out there use it. I actually know people who talk like this.

My question, then, is do any of you have an idea what genre this is? Horror? Psychological Horror? Suspense? Any input is welcome, thanks.

Possibly suspense.

That is probably correct. I know there are suspense magazines out there, but I have yet to see any stories that use a lot of foul language. By "foul" I am referring to the F-word. I also don't see a lot of throat-cutting, so that's why I was looking for a horror venue, but that doesn't seem right to me.

If it is to make a story marketable surely it is possible to substitute the language? For example, "He swore violently" instead of " 'F*****g H***l', he said".

You might try some of the literary fiction mags with reps for wide tastes. At first, I almost thought women's fiction/chick lit, but your stories sound a bit dark and not very congruent with my experience of those genres.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

If it is to make a story marketable surely it is possible to substitute the language? For example, "He swore violently" instead of " 'F*****g H***l', he said".

lol, yeah, I've seen this done a few times. There was one sentence in Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley that went something like: in one breath, the other driver managed to inform him of where he was to go when he died, implied illicit relations with his mother, and called to question his heterosexuality.

Thanks for all the input. And Ilasir, I have seriously considered women's publications, since my female characters are so strong. I could possibly write along another line for those markets, toning down the language and violence (but not necessarily the sex). BTW, I am male, and am not sure why I so often have the females as the strongest characters, but nothing wrong with that at all.

Originally Posted by caelum

lol, yeah, I've seen this done a few times. There was one sentence in Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley that went something like: in one breath, the other driver managed to inform him of where he was to go when he died, implied illicit relations with his mother, and called to question his heterosexuality.

Woody Allen had a stand up routine where he said he got a part playing God, it was method acting and he wore blue suits for a week, then some one ran into his car and he "Said unto them, go forth and be fruitful and multiply, only not in those words"

Thanks to all for the input. I do appreciate it! You all are great.

Sorry Fox80, drifting off the point there, I do appreciate the problem, on the one hand people say they want original work, on the other they want it to fit in with the other things they publish.