The Writing Craft: What's Your Genre?

Hi all, I think I'm back, let's keep our fingers crossed.

When I first began this series I asked all of you to let me know what you struggle with or wonder about. What is your burning question about the craft of writing. I received several questions and have answered all but one. So today folks, when you leave a comment please let me know what you would like to learn about.

Genre: Riva asked how a writer decides on genre. First let us answer the question, what is genre? When I first heard the term genre I was clueless and even though I am blonde, I've never been dumb. LOL. Okay, that was sad.

Genre is simply a word chosen by someone to label the type of stories that are written. In recent years we've seen the rise of sub-genres. For example, it is no longer just a cozy mystery, it's a paranormal cozy mystery which means there is either a ghost or other invented creature in the story that is not human such as a zombie or vampire or maybe an alien.

I write fantasy, both for children and also epic. Epic fantasy, (can also be high fantasy,)  is a story that covers a long or short period of time in which the characters are generally on some kind of quest, usually thrust upon them. While there is a lot of actual historical information in my epic fantasy, it isn't a historical fantasy because I change history to fit my world, which isn't this world in any time period, but another world. My world is medieval with working modern bathrooms. Hay, a girl likes to be pampered. To learn I hope you read it.

One of Riva's comments was that she loved several types of writing. So, how do you, as an aspiring writer decide what genre to write in? I cannot answer that for you. What you should do is just write. As you write,  the story and characters will guide you. Once you discover what you love then the rest is hard work. No, writing is never easy. Coming up with the stories maybe easy for you, but writing is work. It takes discipline, education, revision, and just plain stubborn will power. Fortunately for us, it is no longer as solitary as it once was. We are all just a click away and if you have a local writing organization near you, I highly recommend that you join.

If you need further help, I offer classes, just click on the Writing Craft picture on the right hand side to read more.

Don't for get those burning or smoldering questions.
Nancy

Answered:
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.  
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.         
Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.

Still to come:
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.