Book Genres and Why I Write Science Fiction

Most writers find, at some point during their life, the genre that fits their interests most. Once this has been discovered, your authoring process will be transformed. It will be made so much more straightforward, knowing what kind of book to write. I have found my favorite genre to write, and now there is no more deciding whether I want to begin a new fantasy series, or whether it would be better to create a picture book.

There are many genres to choose from

Below is a list of several genres, chosen from the literally hundreds available. A genre is a category used to classify a book or story. I have picked several to discuss, with descriptions included.

1. Fantasy: This genre includes supernatural or magical characters or settings. These can include witches, dragons, or characters with certain unnatural powers. They can take place in all kinds of imaginary worlds, and usually involve the fates of nations or entire planets. However, they are not focused on alien life or outer space like some forms of science fiction.

2. Mystery: A mystery is a story where the protagonist solves a crime of any sort, whether it is a robbery or a kidnapping. They are met with many types of problems, and use evidence to prove which one of their suspects is the criminal. However, there are other kinds of mysteries, including some that do not even have a crime. The mystery could be something else. That is the author’s decision; a lot of creativity goes into writing any book.

3. Adventure: These books chronicle a journey taken by the protagonist, whether it be an epic quest through the jungle, or a deep-sea exploration. There are a wide range of topics that could be classified as an ‘adventure’. However, one thing that almost all these books have in common is that they are thrilling, and keep the reader on the edge of their seat from cover to cover.

4. Horror: These are not for the faint of heart. A horror book tells a tale meant to terrify the reader. They are the kind of books that include horrible monsters like werewolves and zombies. Sometimes, there is a happy ending to the story, but there are also many cases where a book of this genre concludes in a grim or bittersweet way.

5. Science Fiction: This is my chosen genre, so it is the one I will spend the most time discussing. A science fiction book, or sci-fi, can be related to time travel, outer space, or a view into the future. Some also cover an alternate idea of history. My favorites are those discussing life on planets in faraway solar systems, which happen to be the kind I write. A Month Well Spent, my debut sci-fi novel, and those books that will soon be released, are part of a trilogy that follows David Warner and his father on their galactic adventures in a solar system by the name Iota Samoaritei. They spend most of their time helping Iota’s native creatures battle evil enemies to keep their empire in order.

My story

My reasoning for choosing science fiction is that I have been interested in the prospect of alien life for a long time. Also, I enjoy creating my own worlds, with characters, architecture, and technology to match. I think that this is the most exciting part of writing a book: the design of the aliens, which includes their spaceships, their weapons, how they look, how they act, how they learn, where they work, and many other things.

Choosing a genre to write was monumental in my writing journey, but it may not work well for all authors. There are many people who can create books of all different types, and feel comfortable with every single one. I am only sharing my preferences, and what worked for me.

If you are an author, and have anything to add to what has already been said, I would love to hear it. Drop your comments in the box below, and if you have any questions, I am willing to answer them. Hearing your opinions is interesting for me, and I might be able to give some quality information to you.