Greetings, Wizard Writers!
Today on The Wizard of Writing, I thought it might be useful to talk about and break down literary conventions. These are customary features of a literary work, standardized plot points and trajectories, settings, types of characters, themes, and other literary elements that are usually the same within a certain genre. For example, in a fable, there is usually a moral to the story, in romance, there’s normally a happy ending with the two protagonists ending up together, and when writing sci-fi, you will probably include space or futuristic settings. While of course rules may be broken (writing is an art, after all), readers will generally expect to see literary conventions they recognize in your work, based on the genre they pick up. This is also true of poetry, where unless you’re working on a free verse poem, you’ll usually have a set rhyme pattern to follow. Villanelles, for example, have specific rhyme schemes. But for our purposes today, let’s break down some literary conventions per genre in novel writing. This should lead you in the right direction, and maybe even give you ideas while working on your writing projects.
Today on The Wizard of Writing, I thought it might be useful to talk about and break down literary conventions. These are customary features of a literary work, standardized plot points and trajectories, settings, types of characters, themes, and other literary elements that are usually the same within a certain genre. For example, in a fable, there is usually a moral to the story, in romance, there’s normally a happy ending with the two protagonists ending up together, and when writing sci-fi, you will probably include space or futuristic settings. While of course rules may be broken (writing is an art, after all), readers will generally expect to see literary conventions they recognize in your work, based on the genre they pick up. This is also true of poetry, where unless you’re working on a free verse poem, you’ll usually have a set rhyme pattern to follow. Villanelles, for example, have specific rhyme schemes. But for our purposes today, let’s break down some literary conventions per genre in novel writing. This should lead you in the right direction, and maybe even give you ideas while working on your writing projects.
Literary Conventions in Fantasy Writing
Fantasy novels tend to be rather high in number of pages as the author builds vast worlds and unique settings. Readers will expect to be transported to these beautiful new locations within the pages of the novel, swept away to new lands. As far as content, fantasy conventions are a bit more flexible than other genres. In this genre you might expect to find magic, paranormal elements, supernatural beings, epic fantasy adventures, fantastical creatures, fairy tales, sword and sorcery, and good vs. evil battles. There will also most likely be a hero (ex: Harry Potter). All of these elements are included in acceptable literary conventions for fantasy writing.
Literary Conventions in Romance Writing
Romance novels typically follow a specific story structure. You can find that structure on The Wizard of Writing blog here: http://thewizardofwriting.blogspot.com/2017/09/romance-writing-requires-plot-structure.html Basically, the genre includes a cute meet between the two protagonists, a complication, a black moment, and an HEA (happily ever after). Symbolism is also a common element of romance writing. For example, these stories might be set in the spring and include flowers, hearts, and lace. Of course, depending on the sub-genre, sex or at least kissing is expected in a romance novel.
Literary Conventions in Sci-Fi Writing
As mentioned above, sci-fi novels are normally set in space, the future, or a Dystopian setting. Like fantasy, the genre is fairly open to large word counts and world-building, and readers will expect to go on a long journey with the characters. You might also expect to find use of technology in sci-fi, weird science, super powers, and even aliens. The protagonist is usually fighting a battle and attempting to achieve a goal within his or her world. This is usually accomplished with the aid of technology, super powers, futuristic science, or medical advances.
Literary Conventions in Mystery Writing
We’re all familiar with the typical whodunnit novel. The story begins with a murder or a found dead body, then the sleuths search for clues and question witnesses throughout the tale, and at the end, the murderer is revealed. There are normally a lot of red herrings in this type of writing, and some twists along the way to keep the reader guessing. The reader is expecting a detective figure, intriguing suspects, and unique methods of murder and mystery solving. Most importantly, the reader wants suspenseful writing and a plot that never lets them go until the murderer is revealed.
Literary Conventions in YA Writing
Before the Harry Potter days, YA usually (not always) had a happy ending. J.K. Rowling set a new tone in children’s writing when she ended stories with death or heavy topics for teens to dwell upon. As such, this genre has seen a rise in heavier topics as teens deal with more and more “adult” issues in a modern world. Basically, you can write YA the same as you would any adult novel, with a careful hand when it comes to sex and other issues adults might know how to handle through experience and age.
Literary Conventions in Literary Fiction Writing
Arguably, you can do just about anything within literary fiction, as long as the theme and the writing is strong. There is of course an expectation of experimental writing styles, lyrical and descriptive prose, and “heavy” topics that may be controversial or life-changing. With literary fiction, the conventions lean more toward theme-based novels rather than plot-based novels, with an emphasis on characterization.
As mentioned, literary conventions are not written in stone, and an author always has the right to add or subtract elements from their stories to make them work. However, starting off with literary conventions in mind may help with new projects and keep you working within the parameters of your chosen genre. When a reader identifies your genre from the book cover, plot synopsis, or bookstore section, they do open the book with certain expectations. I hope this breakdown helps you as you continue to work on writing projects in your chosen genre.
Please let me know in the comments if you can think of any other genres and their literary conventions. Also, can you think of ways to “break” literary conventions?
Good luck!
Coming Up Next Week: The Wizard’s Deepest Desire: The Importance of Character Motivation in Storytelling
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