CREATIVE WRITING MODULE 5: FICTIONAL GENRE

CREATIVE WRITING MODULE 5: FICTIONAL GENRE

1. Module 5: Fictional Genre

2. Directions: Using the provided acrostic, present what you have known about the previous lesson about the elements of fiction.

3. What is a genre? \ zhän-rə \ is a French word for "kind" or " sort " the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or entertainment, e.g. music, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. 3

4. Fictional Genres Certain settings suit specific genres. These will vary in type, details, intensity, and length of description. The tone employed by the author, and the mood created for the reader, must also suit the genre.

5. These are some of the fictional genres that you may encounter while reading a story or watching a film. 1. FANTASY 2. HISTORICAL FICTION 3. SCIENCE FICTION 4. MYSTERY FICTION 5. REALISTIC FICTION 6. HORROR 7. COMEDY 8. ADVENTURE 9. FOLKTALES

6. 1. FANTASY A story that is imaginative and could never really happen. The setting may be of another world. Characters might be magical like talking animals, sorcerers, witches and wizards. It is a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world.

7. Many fantasy novels involve adventure as a key feature. Characters may discover portals to other worlds or discover hidden magic, wonder and surprise in our own world. Novels from C.S. Lewis’s classic Chronicles of Narnia series to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series populate imaginary worlds with mythical beasts, power- seeking tyrants and more.

8. Element 1: Magic The word magic comes from the Greek word magikos . This means ‘one of the members of the learned and priestly class’ . This explains how magic, in fantasy, is often associated with learning, with complex books and rituals. Magic in great books takes many forms.

9. Element 2: Adventure Adventure in fantasy is common, from bands of travelling, questing heroes (like Frodo and friends in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings) to girls who fall down magical rabbit holes (Alice in Wonderland). Adventure in fantasy often features another meaning of magic: ‘ A quality of being beautiful and delightful in a way that seems remote from daily life.’ Adventure does indeed take us to places that seem remote from daily life, full of new joys and discoveries (or dangers).   Adventure means ‘an unusual and exciting or daring experience’ , as well as ‘excitement associated with danger or the taking of risks’ .

10. Element 3: Struggle for mystery Themes of struggle and mystery are found in many forms throughout many fantasy novels. Part of this is due to fantasy’s origins in ideas of arcane, ‘special’, yet volatile and dangerous knowledge. The initiate often must learn to control the unpredictable surges of ‘wild’ magic, to trace or utter the ‘right’ thing to achieve the desired effect.

11. Element 4: Setting Because of its exploration of the otherworldly and the supernatural, place is a key aspect of many fantasy novels. Some places are created through magic.

12. These are some of the literary pieces under fantasy genre : The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl Alice Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift The Lord of the Rings trilogy / Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien

13. 2. HISTORICAL FICTION A story that takes place in a historically accurate time and setting. The characters and some events are fictional.

14. Element 1: Character – whether real or imagined, characters behave in keeping with the era they inhabit, even if they push the boundaries. And that means discovering the norms, attitudes, beliefs and expectations of their time and station in life . Element 2: Dialogue – Dip occasionally into the vocabulary and grammatical structures of the past by inserting select words and phrases so that a reader knows s/he is in another time period.

15. Element 3: Setting – setting is time and place. More than 75% of participants in a 2013 reader survey selected ‘to bring the past to life’ as the primary reason for reading historical fiction. Your job as a writer is to do just that. Even more critically, you need to transport your readers into the past in the first few paragraphs. Element 4: Plot – the plot has to make sense for the time period. And plot will often be shaped around or by the historical events taking place at that time. This is particularly true when writing about famous historical figures. When considering those historical events, remember that you are telling a story not writing history.

16. Element 5: Conflict – the problems faced by the characters in your story. As with theme and plot, conflict must be realistic for the chosen time and place. Readers will want to understand the reasons for the conflicts you present.  

17. These are some of the literary pieces under historical fiction genre:   War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Tolstoy's epic masterpiece depicting the French invasion of Russia during the Napoleonic era Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden The fictional memoir of a geisha, from age nine to adulthood, in pre- and post WWII Japan The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo A gothic novel that inspired a flood of tourists to Paris' most famous cathedral The friar's daughter: a story of the American occupation of the Philippines / (Girard, Kansas : the author, 1909), by Charles Lincoln Phifer Luha at dugo : ( hayag na pangyayari , buhat ng 1895 hanggang 1913) by M. B. Sevilla

18. 3. SCIENCE FICTION A story that is typically set in the future or on other planets. It is based on the impact of actual, imagined, or potential science. It is a type of imaginative literature. It provides a mental picture of something that may happen on realistic scientific principles and facts. This fiction might portray, for instance, a world where young people are living on Mars. Hence, it is known as “futuristic fiction.” It dramatizes the wonders of technology, and resembles heroic fantasy where magic is substituted with technology.

19. Often called “sci-fi ,” it is a genre of fiction literature whose content is imaginative, but based in science. It relies heavily on scientific facts, theories, and principles as support for its settings, characters, themes, and plot-lines, which is what makes it different from fantasy.

20. Importance of Science Fiction Many times, science fiction turns real scientific theories into full stories about what is possible and/or imaginable. Many stories use hard facts and truths of sciences to: (a) suggest what could really happen in the future (b) to explore what could happen if certain events or circumstances came to be or (c) suggest consequences of technological and scientific advancements and innovation.

21. These are some of the literary pieces under Science Fiction genre:   The Avengers Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The Time Machine by H. G. Wells Men in Black 3 by Barry Sonnenfeld Planet of the Apes by Franklin J. Schaffner The Matrix by Wachowski brothers

22. 4 . MYSTERY FICTION Mystery is a genre of literature whose stories focus on a puzzling crime, situation, or circumstance that needs to be solved. The term comes from the Latin mysterium , meaning “ a secret thing ” .

23. Stories can be either fictional or nonfictional, and can focus on both supernatural and non-supernatural topics. Many mystery stories involve what is called a “ whodunit ” scenario, meaning the mystery revolves around the uncovering a culprit or criminal.

24. Importance of Mystery Mysteries are important because they feature topics that are usually both fascinating and troubling to the human mind—unsolved crimes, unexplained questions and events in natural and human history, supernatural curiosities, and so on.

25. The late 1800’s gave rise to the iconic fictional character Sherlock Holmes, a detective who is featured in a series of mystery novels and short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Most of the stories are told from the perspective of Dr. Watson, Holmes’s assistant and companion. Holmes is an independent detective based in London with eccentric personality and highly logical reasoning skills.

26. These are some of the literary pieces under Mystery Fiction genre : The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson A run-away bestseller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has everything a mystery requires. Murder, family ties, love in the air, and financial shenanigans. What happened to Harriet Vanger who disappeared forty years ago? Mikael Blomkvist , a disgraced journalist, and Lisbeth Salander , a tattooed and pierced hacker genius, are on the case. They uncover family iniquity and corruption at the top of Sweden’s industrial ladder.

27. And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie Ten people, strangers, gather on a private island as weekend guests of an unseen eccentric millionaire. These strangers have secrets to keep, but one by one they are murdered. They all have something in common, though—they each have a wicked past they’re hiding, a secret that seals their fate. Only the dead are above suspicion . The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon Christopher John Francis Boone’s logical mind can find patterns and rules for everything but has little time or inclination for understanding human emotions. When his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, is killed, he starts a quest to find the killer using Sherlock Holmes as his model.

28. 5. REALISTIC FICTION A story that seems real or could happen in real life. It is set in present day and includes modern day problems and events.

29. Characteristics of Realistic Fiction A quick way to classify a story or novel as realistic fiction is to identify the following characteristics within that literary work: 1. Realistic fiction stories tend to take place in the present or recent past. 2. Characters are involved in events that could happen. 3. Characters live in places that could be or are real. 4. The characters seem like real people with real issues solved in a realistic way (so say goodbye to stories containing vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, dragons, zombies, etc.). 5. The events portrayed in realistic fiction conjure questions that a reader could face in everyday life.

30. Realistic fiction attempts to portray the world as it is. It contains no fantasy, no supernatural elements, and it usually depicts ordinary people going about the business of daily living, with all its joys, sorrow, successes, and failures. Subjects that were once taboo in realistic fiction are now commonplace, and language and character development are presented with greater candor and boldness.

31. In good realistic fiction, the characters are engaging and believable. the dialogue is believable. the plot is fresh and original. the setting is true to life. the problems faced by the characters are honestly portrayed. the resolution makes sense. the theme grows naturally out of the action and characters - the writer does not preach at us.

32. These are some of the literary pieces under Realistic Fiction genre : The Fault in Our Stars by John Green John Green’s fourth novel, The Fault in Our Stars, has gained a following among tween and teen readers. This is partly due to its tragic love story, but may also be due to its thought-provoking subject matter. The book explores philosophical questions about the meaning of life, death, and suffering.     While adults may find the topics in this novel heavy and too mature for children, Green believes that young readers are probably already thinking about them.

33. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a realistic fiction novel, humorously describes the troubles of being in middle school and trying to fit in with integrated text and drawings. This is the first book in the immensely popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks Every April, when the wind blows from the sea and mingles with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was 1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he’d fall for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town’s Baptist minister. A quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it. Then a twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon Carter’s life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would send him irrevocably on the road to manhood.

34. 6. HORROR The horror genre in literature dates back to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, where horror stories explored themes related to death, demons, evil spirits, and the afterlife. Horror literature in the nineteenth century and twentieth centuries often focused on tales involving occult ideas, like Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein (1818) or Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897).

35. Modern horror novels have expanded the genre to include new elements and contemporary themes, like serial killers and slasher stories—Stephen King’s The Shining (1977) is a perfect example—as well as genre mashups that combine horror with historical fantasy, and modern interpretations of fantastical creatures, like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and witches.

36. 7. COMEDY Comedy is generally defined as a literary work that is written to amuse or entertain a reader. In a comedy, characters can certainly suffer misfortune, but they are typically comedic situations with positive outcomes.

37. 8 . Adventure - A story where a protagonist and other major characters and are placed in dangerous situations. The characters must use their wit and skills to defeat the antagonist . 9 . Folktales Fable - A brief story that is meant to tell a lesson or a moral. The characters are usually animals with human characteristics. Fairy Tale - A story that has magical elements. The characters are usually fairies, giants, elves, and other magical creatures.

38. c. Legend - A story usually about a national or folk hero. This story takes place in a particular time and place and is partly true and partly fiction. The character traits of the hero are typically exaggerated. Tall Tale - A humorous story with extreme exaggerations. The main character, or hero, usually does impossible things with ease. Myth - A story that is often based on a historical event that is meant to serve as an explanation for some phenomenon of nature or human behavior. Characters are usually gods.

39. Some Tips in Writing a Fictional Story Writing fiction is not as hard as it seems, as long as you follow these ten simple rules: 1. Choose what design you need to compose your fiction in . This may rely upon what kind of story you need to tell . 2. Build up the stakes early. To be connecting with, your fiction needs clear stakes for its characters. These don't need to be world-breaking, yet they do need to feel critical to the characters. 3. Create three-dimensional characters. You have to round your character out in three measurements. In each passage, tell the peruser precisely how high, wide, and long he is.

40. 4. Figure out the basic setting and plot . You have to have a strong feeling of what your story's reality resembles, who lives on the planet, and what will occur in your story before you begin composing full scenes and sections. In the event that you have a decent comprehension of your characters, which you ought to have in the wake of conceptualizing, let their characters and blemishes control your plot. For setting, ask yourself questions like these: When is it? Is it in the present? The future? The past? More than one? What's the season? Is it cold, hot or mild? Is it stormy? Where is it? Is it in this world? A different world? An alternate universe? What country? City? Province/State?

41. 5. Don’t be too predictable. While a lot of fiction proceeds along very familiar lines -- consider how many stories are about heroic quests or 2 people who initially hate each other but learn to love each other -- you don’t want to lapse into formulaic storytelling. If your reader can predict everything that’s going to happen, they won’t care about finishing your story.

42. 6. Give your characters motivations. If you’re having trouble fleshing out your characters, continually ask yourself in each scene, “What does this character want?” Say this out loud enough, and soon someone nearby will ask why you keep repeating that. Do not reply, but simply keep questioning aloud, “What does this character want ?”

43. 7. Start writing what you know. You may want to try pen and paper instead of the computer for the first draft. If you're sitting at a computer and there's one part that you just can't seem to get right, you could find yourself sitting there for ages trying to figure it out, typing and re-typing. With pen and paper, you just write it and it's on paper. If you get stuck, you can skip it and keep going. Just start wherever seems like a good place and write. Use your outline when you forget where you're going. Keep on going until you get to the end.

44. 8. No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader. If you’re not moved by your story, don’t expect your reader to be. Therefore, sob uncontrollably as you compose. 9. Revise , revise, revise. This goes without saying. Follow the Writing Process that you have learned . 10. Trust yourself. Ultimately , you should value your own judgment over that of others. Except for this list of writing rules. It is completely accurate.

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