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Genre Definitions Part 3
If you have missed the first two installments, you can find them here:
"Noticing Newbies Newsletter (December 30, 2015)"
"Noticing Newbies Newsletter (January 27, 2016)"
I am going to continue from where I left off. I think these are important, because when people mislabel their items, the items can end up not getting the readership the author is intending, which means they may not receive the type of reviews they wish, etc. (In fact, purposely mislabeling your items in an attempt to increase readership could actually decrease readership.)
Audience is very important, and the correct genre can help people find the type of items they are looking for, and help the authors guide the readers to the items also.
Without further ado, here we go!
Nature - If your article or story has some tidbits about nature - perhaps it speaks of different sorts of trees, or how to tell a bird from its song - then it belongs in this genre. I do believe that there are things put in this genre mistakenly - if your story takes place in the woods, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is a nature story. It means your setting is in the woods, yes, but unless you speak of actual nature within it, it does not belong in this genre.
News - This genre is actually a bit controversial, I'd think. We call a lot of things "news". Did you hear the news? Sandy had a baby girl! However, when it comes to genre, news is more like something you would hear on a news station, or in a newspaper. Polls about who the next president will be - that's news. News is something that would be circulated through more than just a few people.
Nonsense - I actually typed nonsense into Google.com, just to see what would come up. The first link actually referenced wikipedia, and stated the following: Nonsense is a communication, via speech, writing, or any other symbolic system, that lacks any coherent meaning. I tend to think of Alice in Wonderland, where Alice would have a world of nonsense, if she could. Nonsense is actually hard to write, and when most people try to write nonsense, they end up making sense in the long run. Maybe that should be a challenge for our next newsletter!
Occult - This word is defined in so many different ways, I think the best way to describe what sort of items should go in this sort of topic is to show the different ways in which it is defined:
 Wikipedia says: The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to "knowledge of the hidden"....The word has many uses in the English language, popularly meaning "knowledge of the paranormal"...
thefreedictionary.com says: occult (-klt, klt) 1. Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena.
dictionary.com says: the supernatural or supernatural agencies and affairs considered as a whole (usually preceded by the).
In short, I believe it has to do with the belief that we, as humans, can perform supernatural feats, or contact supernatural beings, or other such things.
Opinion - Oh, don't we all have a lot of these! We all do have opinions, and many of us state them, as we well should. I think this genre is far underused on this site. There are so, so many blogs, articles, etc. that state opinion, but do not have this in the list of genres.
Paranormal - Things that are paranormal have so much more than just ghosts to deal with. Anything that seems like it may have some influence on the afterlife could fit into this genre. Have some fun with it! This genre could be mythical, it could be spooky, it could be downright hair-raising, and it could even be mysterious.
Parenting - If it has to do with angsty teenagers, changing diapers, stubborn eaters, or even talking-backers, it probably goes in this area. This is different from the "Children's" genre, because the Children's genre actually covers a kind of story written for children. Parenting is unlikely to be a story genre - but it would be very common as a blog, article, or other sort of non-fiction type situation.
Personal - Personal is certainly a wide genre. If we are honest, everything we post on this site is likely personal in one manner or another. It takes something special to put our writing out there for everyone to see, and it is OURS, therefore it is personal. However, I think this genre refers more to something that relates back to you; something that means a lot to you.
Pets - I have added a few of these to my household recently, and I know many, many WdCers that have pets. I have written stories about pets I've had in the past, and if I'm perfectly honest, I believe I forgot to put this one in the genres! I'll have to go back and look. If your item is about man's best friend (or even a kitty), here is where it should be.
Philosophy - Any time I think of philosophy, I think back to a class I had the opportunity to take in high school called Theory of Knowledge. It is a very deep topic. It questions what is reality and what is imagined, it questions what is true and what is false, it questions, it questions, it questions. If you truly want a look at what Philosophy is, I suggest the book Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder.
Political - Goodness, with this being an election year, politics is on most everyone's lips. Parties, people, agendas, mudslinging, opinions, Presidents, Senators, Congressman, Representatives, candidates *gasps*... there's a lot. If it has to do with the elections or things going on in this country on the governmental level, it goes in this genre.
Psychology - When I think of psychology, I think of the question "Why?" Why does someone behave the way they do? Why do all children seem to go through the same stages? It is all about development - mental and behavioral characteristics.
Reference - The reference genre usually refers to books that can be used as reference - encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. However, this genre could also go with a list of references, like a bibliography.
Regional - Regional will typically refer to something based on a certain geographic area. The southwest, for example, would be an example of a region, and a story related to its history or a myth related to it would be considered regional.
Relationship - This is a very wide genre. Relationships don't necessarily have to be romantic, there are so many different kinds. There are relationships between family members, friends, co-workers, etc. Anything that has to do with something like that would fit in this genre. This is not often a genre that stands alone - it is usually paired with others.
Religious - I think the biggest mistake made with this is assuming that religion means "Christian". That is not the case. There are many world religions, and they would all fit into this genre.
Research - This genre would lean toward more academic writing. Things that need to be researched before making decisions and putting it down on paper (or on the screen, as is the case here).
Reviewing - While there is a scene for reviewing products and published books, I believe this genre is more specifically geared toward this website. The one most unique and most awesome thing about this site is its reviewing system, and here is a genre designed for you to dive into it in ways other than actual reviewing.
Romance/Love - Oh, I think this one needs little explanation. If it's ushy, gooshy, spicy, or sweet... it likely goes here.
Satire - According to Google definitions, satire is "the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices." Some examples of satires would include The Simpsons, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451, and many others. It is a fascinating genre probably best described by the books that lie within it.
Sci-fi - Ahh, the genre of science fiction. It is one of my favorites! I think that a common misconception is that it must involve space or flying cars. Indeed, while that does fit into the genre, that is not the only interpretation. This genre is for anything futuristic, so apocalypse type stories can also fit here quite well.
Scientific - Since Science Fiction covers the fictional portion of this topic, I think that Scientific would lean more toward the non-fiction. Scientific journals, scientific observations, all could fit here.
Self Help - I believe the name of this genre speaks for itself - if it involves improving one's self, it goes here. 
Spiritual - I believe this genre is much like religious, so I will simply refer you back up this way.
Sports - Also rather self-explanatory. Hehe. Do we have any future broadcasters out there?
Steampunk - This genre is very much a mixture of something old and something new (usually mechanical in nature). At least, in part. It is considered sci-fi, but much of the background (clothing, mannerisms, etc.) seem more medieval in nature. The main form of power for the machinery would be steam, thus the name of the genre - steampunk.
Supernatural - Supernatural would be anything that refers to a force beyond scientific understanding. It might be very closely linked to paranormal, but not necessarily are the same.
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Paranormal
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Here is a question I received from "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (January 27, 2016)" . It is rather important, so I will address it very carefully.
Pumpkin Ready for a New Year asked,"I have concerns about Fanfiction. When do we cross copyright lines? I understand some TV writers who invented characters or concepts could not use them ten years later because they belonged to the original producers who had by then disappeared. But it still raised legal issues, and broutht the project to a halt, so they could not pursue the new storyline."
So, I actually did some research on this for you. I may not have run across the right things, but this is what I believe I have found for you.
Fanfiction is believed to be fairly new, but it isn't. It is actually quite an old practice. Fact is, people are going to write about the characters that they love. Copyright is a big issue, yes. But only when people try to make money from it.
The issue with fanfiction (and copyright or loss of it in general) is when the author of the fanfiction tries to PROFIT from the story or stories they create, or when they try to claim that the characters are original characters of their own. By saying, on WdC, that the story IS fanfiction, that alone is admitting the characters are not your own. We also do not profit on WdC from our stories, so we should be safe here. No one should be breaking any laws by writing fanfiction here, because no one is trying to profit by posting their stories here (I hope) of fanfiction. At least, not in any large manner. We all should be alright. Even if it is for a contest, it is not the kind of profit that a copyright company is concerned about.
However, if there is anyone out there that knows better than I do, please let me know! This is a very good question, and I am also interested in the answer. The internet isn't always the best place to find the answer, as there are lots of contradictory things found out there. I did the best I could to answer it here. |
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Noticing Newbies: February 24, 2016 Issue [#7500]
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