As the name suggests, the term genre bending suggests tweaking the genres as per your liking. Let’s think of genres as separate bubbles co-existing in a shared space. There is romance, comedy, horror, drama and so on. A writer has to choose one of the bubbles and their next piece goes inside one of them. For instance, I choose to write a story with comic relief, then my story would go inside the big comedy bubble.
Genres traditionally set the tone or the mood of the piece one works on.
Genre bending comes into play when the writers merge two or more genre bubbles. Writers attempt to mix traditional genres and make something fresh and innovative.
Benefits of Genre Bending
This offers a lot of benefits to writers and readers. The scope to transcend from one genre to another increases. The writer can jump from one mood to another in their work making it refreshing and unexpected. The fusion of genre invites innovation and creativity. To put it plainly, there are more elements for the writer to play with!
Challenges of Genre bending
As much as it sounds appealing, it can be challenging as well. Wilbur Greene puts it aptly in his article that to jump from one genre to another and mix them, one must have a good understanding of what genres are- their limitations and how they work. One has to have an in-depth knowledge of their complex structures to blend them seamlessly. Otherwise, the writer’s work can become a big bowl of everything with no taste in it. It may also make the reader distant as they can’t understand or enjoy all parts of the work.
Genre-bending is the tricky business of serving dishes with a wide variety of tastes in front of the reader. They are bound to enjoy one of the many dishes but they may end up disliking most of it. So, the chef has to be on the toes and understand not just how genre-bending works but also the target audience.
How to do Genre bending Right
Let’s break it down with these steps.
1. Start with what you know
To mix different genres, you must know the nitty-gritty of them. So, start with a genre you’re comfortable with. Start with something you have read and written various times before. This will help you set the base for your work and boost your confidence.
2. Find the Meeting point
Be it comedy or horror- both must get the timing right to create a large impact. Similarly, in drama and romance, there is always a plot twist in the third act. This is what you have to figure out and work on. Finding the common point for the two genres you want to blend will serve as a connecting bridge for you.
3. Balance it out
When you set afoot on the connecting bridge, you are entering unchartered territory of another genre. Here, make sure that you do justice to the second genre of your choice. Play with its elements and elongate your stay there. The more you switch from one genre to another, the better it will sound as long as their impacts and importance in the plot of the story are balanced.
4. Don’t Alienate the Readers
As you try something new, your readers can find something different and it is all the more possible that they don’t welcome the change. In such a case, try to just keep your readers engaged. It should impose that you are comfortable in genre-bending as you mix two or more genres. Don’t stray far from what you have always been doing, but give it a fresh look.
5. Enjoy the Journey
As you try your hand at genre-bending, you are bound to find yourself lost at various points. As you struggle and find your way around, make sure to remember where you faced difficulties. It will help you deal with them the next time you encounter them. Embrace your mistakes, and keep trying new ways to incorporate different genres until you are satisfied with what you have written.
6. Get Feedback
Last but not least, send your first draft to a few readers. It may be your family, friends or a small reading group. Ensure that there are people who enjoy either of the genres and there are people who do not like any of the genres you have inculcated. It will check how much your story can engage the readers from all interests. You can also get feedback from literary communities that would proofread your work. Incorporate the feedback to make your work better.
Genre-bending is difficult, yes. But it is worth taking the risk. After all, some of the best plots include genre-bending. Be it Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” or Shelley’s “Frankenstein” or R. R. Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire”. All three of them gave us the best of all the genres- squeezing the juiciest elements of all of them and incorporating them in their work cleverly.
It might not happen the first time but it will eventually happen. You have to just keep trying and you’ll find your way.
About the Author
Esha is a literature student. All she does is jump from one story to another, taking leaps into the many worlds she has created for herself via books, movies and art. Inspired by Wellington Wimpy, you can easily catch her eating a burger somewhere.
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