E. G. Bella

Happy Friday!

I’ve seen this blog tag floating around lately, and since I enjoy talking about fiction genres so much, I thought I’d hop in on it! While I haven’t been officially tagged, Chelsea over at An Ordinary Pen inspired me to just answer the questions anyway. Thanks, Chelsea!

First of all, the rules:

• Thank the blogger who tagged you, and leave a link back to their blog.
• Leave a link back to the creator of the tag. (That would be Kenzie!)
• Answer the questions honestly, and include at least one gif of a pelican. (Sorry, I’m all out of pelican gifs . . .)
• Tag 3+ friends to do the tag on their own blogs!

And now for the questions:

What is your favorite genre to write?

Wow, starting with the hardest question! I’m still experimenting so I don’t think I’ve truly decided which genre is my favorite yet, but historical fiction, medieval fantasy, and dystopian are all high on the list. Historical fiction because it allows me to “live” in any time or place in the world that I’d like, medieval fantasy for its stereotypical charming and borderline magical setting, and dystopian because I get to write more modern action and throw poor characters into chaos I pray I never have to experience, haha.

I also love writing stories set in the Star Wars universe. There’s just so much depth and possibility there! Most people would probably call that fanfiction, which is likely true. But since the Star Wars books I’ve written center around original characters, I like to pretend it’s not as childish as it sounds. To each his own, right?

What genre would you NEVER get caught writing?

Horror, for sure. I often use suspense and thriller-type action in my stories, but I’ve never seen the appeal of using creepy scare tactics just to create fear in people. If they’re apprehensive or nervous during a story that’s headed somewhere meaningful, okay. But I dislike the kind of stories that leave people jittery and sick to their stomach simply because an author threw a bunch of psychos, blood, and haunted houses at them. I’d also never write in a certain other genre that focuses on unnecessary and inappropriate content.

What fictional genre feels most like home to you?

Probably historical fiction. I grew up reading historical fictions more than any other type of genre, and that’s still what I usually gravitate to if I’m browsing at a library or bookstore. I like that they’re solid enough in the real world that my mind doesn’t hurt trying to keep track of huge worldbuilding changes, but they’re still set in times and places that I’ve never experienced and offer a huge variety of – often educational – adventures.

I’ll read historical fictions about any time period, but some of my favorites include World War II era, the Civil War, the Colonial era, the Golden Age of Piracy, and biblical times.

If you could transform your real life into any genre of your choosing, which would it be?

Ooh, that’s a tough one. My first inclination is to say a medieval fantasy (one of my favorite genres to read and write). There’s just something about knights, castles, dragons, swordfights, forests, royalty, and strong ethics of that time period that is very appealing. Then again, so is indoor plumbing and modern medicine, so I’m conflicted.

What genre does your real life most resemble at the moment?

Honestly, probably a dystopian, given the current state of things. While I can happily say there’s no angsty teen love triangle, there are plenty of other similarities. A worldwide virus, political tension, dramatic division, natural disasters . . . thankfully, though I am about the right age for the currently popular YA dystopians, the fate of the Earth doesn’t rest single-handedly on my shoulders. And that’s a very good thing for all of us.

What’s a genre you’re interested in writing, even though you’ve never written it before?

Other than the abovementioned undesirable genres, I want to try them all. I really enjoy testing out new genres and gleaning bits and pieces that I like from each of them. Sometimes I finish a project and decide that that genre isn’t for me, but I can always still learn from them, and the experience is very valuable. And sometimes I find new favorites!

What genre is your most recent plot bunny, and where did it come from?

My most recent plot bunny is a non-magic, high fantasy story about a mute girl that’s taken in by the brutes that burnt down her village, and both learns and teaches a valuable lesson on forgiveness amid twisting story threads. It’s not Tolkien-level fantasy, so labeling it as a high fantasy feels a little presumptuous, but I’ve done a huge amount of worldbuilding and it’s certainly not a low fantasy. Maybe I should call it a “medium” fantasy, haha.

The story idea was a result of reading a friend’s fantasy novel, studying foreign communication methods for those born without the ability to speak, listening to some intense Celtic instrumentals, and also contemplating some of my favorite story tropes. The ones that carry across genres, and are basically my guilty pleasures of fiction. I’ve never written a full high fantasy novel before, so I get a fun challenge!

How many genres have you written thus far in your writing journey?

Oh boy . . . I’m not sure I can even remember all of them. So long as my memory isn’t failing me, the list of genres I’ve written includes historical fiction, fantasy – high and low, science fiction, dystopian, contemporary, allegory, children’s books, and stories with original characters set in the world of Star Wars (because that’s definitely a genre). I’ve also written stories with animal main characters, though again I don’t know what counts as a genre.

Experimenting within genres is one of my favorite things to do with new stories. In every genre I’ve written in, I’ve changed up the genre tropes and clichés, and tried out writing stories that fit each end of the genre spectrum, with some in the middle grounds as well. There are just so many possibilities for fascinating stories!

This has been a lot of fun! I hope you’ve enjoyed the genre journey as much as I have.

I’d like to tag the following people to participate if they’d like:

1. Jordyn at Indie Edits By J
2. The ladies at Teen Writers Nook
3. Kristianne at Whimsical Wanderings
(and of course, YOU!)

Thanks for joining me today! Although genres can be tricky sometimes, I love studying them, talking about them, and dabbling in as many new ones as I can. This tag has been an excellent excuse to do so, haha.

How would YOU answer the questions? I’d love to find out, so let me know in the comments below! I look forward to hearing from you!

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