Genre found (I think): Magical realism

So I'm new to this whole book writing thing, and I'm traversing various and sundry challenges, of course. And that’s fine. I knew it. But I've hit one snag that I wasn't anticipating at all. One of my most challenging problems trying to frame myself – complete with website and branding and cover design - my books is deciding on a genre.

It's tough for me. I’ve read many, many, many a book, and I have rarely ever thought about what genre it fits into. This may be because I read by way of suggestions from friends and reading groups, or what’s on the tables in the aisles of my bookstore. You’ve probably noticed, but I’m a sucker for good cover.

There a little bit of a lot of things in my new series, and I'm not sure which element is strong enough to dictate genre. Which one elbows the other elements out of the way enough to declare a wholehearted, This is me! I am this kind of book! I am most definitely – something!

But it’s a fundamental question, right? And seriously important. There's strategy to this, about which genres are most popular. You don't want to be in an overpopulated one, and there are genres that are more popular than others, and I felt like I might need a PhD in Genre Selection. There are great resources out there, like the Genre Report, which breaks it all down and gives you a whole bunch of different insight. So it isn't just about where you think you fit, it's where you want to fit. But I decided to start with where I just think I fit.

So I pondered and pondered and pondered. It almost seemed easier to start with what I'm not - thriller, historical, drama. But that still left me with some options that were all pulling on me.

So then I thought about what I read and hoped for insight from that. When I read, I tend to stick with easy, lighthearted, woman-centered, entertaining books. They are where I’m most comfortable, what I'm most comfortable writing, and what I most identify with. I don't want to think much about people dying or being traumatized, even though I know that makes for great character arcs, attention, and suspense. I did throw a few of those elements into my first in the series, Embodied Energy. But psychological thrillers – no thanks. I've read them before, but not so much recently. I’m at a point where I feel like there is too much fear and anxiety in the real world for me to spend time relaxing twisted up in another heart-wrenching story. Maybe it's that I'm a mom now. Maybe I'm just sensitive. Maybe I'm just old. Who knows, but I don't care. It's not for me, and I'm okay with it.

I believe I'm falling into the broad spectrum of women's fiction somewhere. Because it is fiction, and it's about a woman, for women, so I think by default this larger category fits. But I'd like to be a bit more specific.The series has a bit of humor, of course. It's not satirical or a work entirely for eliciting laughter, but I do like for readers to smile or giggle as they move through the story. My characters are snarky and quirky, with traits, attitudes, and mouth that often speaks before they think. And then there's Gran, who’s a whole class of endearing crazy on her own. She carries a shotgun and listens to trees, among other things. But again, I don't think the humor theme alone is strong enough. The humor elbows aren't swinging hard enough to move other genres out-of-the-way.

I tried out the idea of romance because there’s undoubtedly some romantic tension happening with Tess, my main character, and Riley, one of her best friends from high school who was always fantastic but never available. But after a decade of quality time away from her hometown, their dynamics have shifted. The altered frame of that relationship is fun, but again, it's not the main thing that's happening in the book.

Adventure was another genre I tossed around. Tess and Gran indeed do have adventures, but not to the extent that I would be comfortable calling it the book's primary purpose. It's not high tension all the time, though there are peaks and valleys of bad guys and danger. And it's not mystery, even though there is a mystery, or at least questions unanswered. People are trying to get her. Why did an acquaintance from high school turn up dead? Her brother seems to be missing, but not really for sure. What's that all about? Mysteries, but they’re supporting mysteries – if that’s a thing.

Running out of options, I'm poking around and trying to read as much as I can in my writers’ groups, and something called magical realism pops up. According to Wikipedia (even though the academic in me cringes at citing Wikipedia as a legitimate source): "Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a genre of narrative fiction and, more broadly, art... that... expresses a primarily realistic view of the real world while also adding or revealing magical elements.... "Magical realism," perhaps the most common term, often refers to fiction and literature in particular, with magic or the supernatural presented in an otherwise real-world or mundane setting."

Fireworks went off in my brain. YES!! And LOOK at all if these incredible magical realism covers from a screen shot from a web search!! They're beautiful.

I know that Magical Realism is not a new thing overall, but the thought of it was new to me. All the Alice Hoffman books that I love so dearly seem to fit squarely into this category. My main character's transformation is about recognizing certain gifts that appear, unnoticed, from the beginning. Gran helps her adapt and learn, honing her skills throughout the book. And her development and emergence of gifts will continue throughout the series, so.... I think I've found my genre! Magical Realism it is!

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PLEASE tell me if you've have trouble picking a genre. Am I the only one?

Or do you ever write in magical realism? I'd love to compare notes! I've got more coming, including freebies and fun giveaways, so sign up for my mailing list here. Thanks for visiting. I hope you come back!