19 February 2019
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Which genre should you write quiz
Every writer asks themselves, "Which genre should I write?" But how to choose what genre best suits you? How do you determine genre? As you’ll do your best work in the genre that’s the closest fit to your writing personality, why not take our fun quiz to find out what genre you should be writing?
You walk past a run-down old house. What does it make you imagine?
A What could be concealed in the cellar?
B If there are letters revealing family secrets in an old suitcase in the attic?
C What life-changing event took place within its walls?
D How it could be transformed into the home of your dreams.
E If it opens a portal to another realm
You are reading in the library and a stranger heads to the rare books section. What do you think is their purpose?
A They are looking for a long-dead identity to assume
B They are researching the details of life in a bygone era
C They don’t know what they are looking for.
D They are going to meet a lover in the most romantic part of the building
E They are looking for a book of arcane knowledge
What do you most enjoy about writing?
A Embedding clues and red herrings to keep the reader guessing
B Conveying the atmosphere of life in a different time and place
C Exploring questions about the human condition
D Writing about the relationship between two people
E Really giving your imagination a good workout
What kind of cover image would suit the book you are writing?
A Bold type, atmospheric night shot
B Antique font, portrait-style image
C Retro font, Japanese-style illustration
D Serif font, pastel colours, possibly floral?
E Dramatic evocation of an imaginary world?
Will your book have love in it?
A Yes, a psychopathic, abusive, ex-lover who is now on the run
B It may do but sex is fairly unlikely because of social conventions and clothes that were hard to unfasten
C The central character is either too damaged or too self-obsessed to have a successful relationship
D The whole thrust of the story is about love
E Probably not, the characters have got far too much on their hands for that sort of thing
When you’re creating characters, what most interests you?
A Plumbing the depths of what human beings are capable of
B Imagining what it must have been like to experience life in very different circumstances
C Engaging deeply with the idiosyncratic quirks that set the character apart
D Exploring the chemistry between two people and why they are drawn together
E Putting them in circumstances that test them to the limit
What’s your approach to plotting
A Plot needs to be structured to keep the reader guessing
B The storyline takes place against a framework of historical events
C Stuff happens but what’s most important is the internal narrative
D There needs to be a dramatic arc that leads through various misadventures to a happy ending
E There’s a quest or ordeal of some sort that the main character needs to see through to the end
What is your view on words and language?
A They need to be functional and do the job of keeping the reader guessing what happens next.
B They need to convey atmosphere and a sense of the past without sounding archaic.
C A writer should have a unique and recognisable voice and not be afraid to experiment with how words are used.
D The ability to convey emotion in words is essential to good writing.
E It’s important to choose the words that will make a reader ‘see’ what the writer has imagined in the most dramatic and unsettling way.
How did you do?
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Your tendencies to investigate the darker aspects of the human condition and your understanding of creating a structured narrative full of clues suggest you should be writing CRIME/THRILLERS
Your interest in imagining and recreating the past and your understanding of how different life might have been in other times indicate your strength is in writing HISTORICAL FICTION/SAGAS
Your focus on what makes a particular individual tick and interest in what sets them at odds with their environment indicates you will shine at LITERARY FICTION
Your perspective that the relationship between two people is the heart of the best stories shows that you’re a natural for writing ROMANCE
Your desire to let your imagination loose and create a worlds of alternative possibilities, plus your desire to test your characters to the limit, means that writing FANTASY/SCI-FI/HORROR will give you the best chance to shine.