The Power of Using Genre Conventions and Obligatory Scenes

Before you run away screaming at the thought of shoving your beautiful story into a genre shaped hole, I want you to take a deep breath.

This is not that kind of blog.

Instead, I am going to teach you how to use genre in a way that serves your story in reaching its ideal reader. 

You've probably heard before that there is only a handful of original story ideas out there (or just one if you are a Hero's Journey writer). So, you panicked; how could you write something amazing when everything's already been written? Genre has very little to do with your originality, compelling narrative style or ability to captivate readers. Instead, the way you deliver those conventions determines whether readers will stick around for a whole book. Fail to deliver and you'll have your ideal reader closing your book before they reach the end.  

This is tricky because readers often have a hard time articulating their dissatisfaction with a novel that defies genre conventions. They know something is off, but they can't quite put their finger on it. As a developmental editor, I can tell you why this happens. But first, let's get into what genre actually is before we talk about the real purpose of genre in writing. 

Conventions of Your Genre

Conventions are a specific requirement within a genre. They are subtle, meaning that readers are not often aware they exist. However, when genre conventions are not met, readers are keenly aware that there is something wrong with the story. There is more room to break these rules in literary fiction than in genre fiction. Many readers will be unaware that you're writing in a specific genre. As a writer, being cognizant of the story landscape you are working with will help you be more knowledgeable about the craft tools at your disposal. If you are already feeling the tich to ignore genre conventions, stick with me here. I bet I can convince you by the end. 

There are two places that I go to find genre conventions. The first is The Story Grid, which provides a list of genres with their own conventions. If you want to learn more about Story Grid, check out my blog post. Story Grid categorizes genre into commercial (where you would find your book in a bookstore) and content (the type of story you are telling). For this blog post, we are talking about the content genre. 

The second is "Save the Cat! Writes a Novel" by Jessica Brody. In this beloved craft book, Brody lists ten "types" of stories that you might be writing. Like The Story Grid, these genres each have necessary elements to satisfy readers by the end.

Both of these resources provide a list of genre guidelines that are enough to help any writer get started. You won't find things like "fantasy" or "science fiction" on these lists, because those are commercial genres. Instead, you'll learn about the stories you could tell within these bookstore classifications. For example, you could tell a fantasy thriller or a historical love story or a science fiction crime novel. Knowing that genre exists opens limitless possibilities in your writing. There's plenty of room to tell tales that no one has ever seen before by combining these elements. 

What's the difference between genre conventions and tropes?

Tropes transcend genre. They are defined as a repeated story element that readers find familiar. You can have a one-bed scene in a thriller. There can be an anti-hero or a chosen one in the romance genre. These archetypes are familiar to us meaning the author can rely upon the knowledge the reader already has to pull off the emotional resonance on the page. 

Like any literary tool, tropes are only as powerful as you make them. Putting them into your writing does not inherently ensure reader satisfaction because the specifics matter. Your story might have a forbidden romance, but the details of why it's forbidden and how it specifically impacts the characters can vary greatly. It's for this reason that tropes don't impact reader satisfaction. Fans of your book won't acutely notice if your romance story doesn't have a best friend's older brother plot line or a love triangle. However, they will notice if your book doesn't have a "declaration of love" scene.

What is an obligatory scene? 

Obligatory scenes are one type of genre convention. These are moments in your story that your reader is expecting based on the type of story that you are telling. When I start editing for a client, I start looking for these moments during my first read of the manuscript. The success of your novel fundamentally depends on them. Genre conventions help writers understand what readers are expecting on a subconscious level when they pick up a certain type of book. 

Here are some common examples:

Action genre - Hero defeats the antagonist. 

Romance genre - The lovers breakup around the 75% mark (I know some of you HATE this one). 

Crime genre - Includes red herrings or false leads. 

Thriller genre - A scene where the hero becomes the victim. 

Performance genre - A training sequence where the protagonist learns a new skill, 

These key events help you write a story that satisfies readers. Essential scenes act as a guide for plotting your novel, delivering the expected story elements to your reader. This is more than just the good guy defeating the bad guy. To write an unforgettable story in any particular genre, a writer must be able to exceed reader's expectations by approaching the familiar in a new or surprising way. If you're avoiding following conventions, you're already starting behind other writers that are using this tool to their advantage. 

If you're receiving feedback from beta readers that the story you're writing is so good, but something is missing, consider checking out the scenes required for your genre. Their expectations of a story might not be what you think they are. 

Supercharging Genre in your Story

Oftentimes writers come to me and tell me some version of, "But Leah! My story is something that's never been done before. It doesn’t need genre." To that I say, great. You are acknowledging that you are intentionally circumventing genre conventions in service of your art. But in order to break the rules, you need to know them first. 

Here's the real purpose of genre in your writing: 

Readers are consuming stories all the time. Whether it's books, tv-shows, movies, marketing, or hanging out around a campfire, our brains have adapted to what we consume. As Lisa Cron puts it in Wired for Story, "We think in story. It’s hardwired in our brain. It’s how we make strategic sense of the otherwise overwhelming world around us." This information might intimidate you. Writers are competing for the very small amount of free time that their ideal readers have in a day. However, what if you saw it as an opportunity instead? 

Rather than attempting to subvert genre conventions by writing something readers have "never seen before," instead consider taking an idea they are familiar with and giving it an exciting new twist. It's not about what the genre conventions are or are not, it's about how you as the writer uniquely employ them to make your story interesting. 

If you don't use genre conventions, you are leaving money on the table when it comes to hooking your readers. There are tools out there like genre conventions, that we know based on studying the market can supercharge your story. If you don't use them, then you are writing on hard-mode and doing your story a disservice. 

That’s all for now! For more writing tips and tricks, feel free to reach out to me or learn more on my Instagram below: