Should You Write the Genre you Read?

You may be encouraged to read as much of the genre you wish to write as possible. Or you may already be a huge fan of a genre and want to try your hand at making your own fantasy or suspense novel. But will this mean you'll fall into the trap of overused tropes, or write another version of the same stories already out there?

I have a very eclectic taste in music, books and movies. If you ask me what I'm into, I'll give you a few different examples. I read horror books, but don't particularly like horror movies. The fantasy novels I've read aren't urban-based or sword and sorcery fantasy, they tend to be more grotesque, or meld mundane and fantastic worlds, which is how I'd describe Into the Other. I'm not a fan of books centred around history or particular wars, but I have enjoyed reading Slaughterhouse Five and liked the deadpan, detached style used to describe certain harrowing events. As I'm not a history buff, I'm not going to write a story in that vein. I did incorporate some history into Live to Tell, however I made cursory glances over some Wikipedia pages and realised later I was stretching a little with the details. Someone well versed in that era of history might well say, that's unlikely, so I've learned not to be superficial about research.

In all honesty, I can't say I have a favourite genre. I haven't read a huge amount of genuine fantasy books, or suspense. I get confused by the concepts used in spy and mystery novels in terms of double-crossing and espionage, while I know people who are diehard fans of mystery books who could make better sense of it. I've also never been a real fan of any book series, other than the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. I found her inspiring, but this was long before Twilight, and I imagine if the two had been out back when I was in high school, I'd have still gravitated towards Rice's series simply because I didn't read many young adult books in school. I was always searching out adult fiction and reading above my level. In the realm of YA and New Adult, I believe the genre is starved of new ideas and new voices, and the tropes have grown stale.

Sci-Fi is another specific genre that has its own tropes and themes. I've tried to integrate horror with science in another novel, blending biology with demonology. But with Sci-Fi, you can take major concepts and bend them to suit certain aspects of the story.

I feel that sometimes, having a working knowledge of a genre helps you to avoid missing the mark, however being a casual fan might assist in bringing something fresh and interesting to the table. If you're genuinely wanting to be a genre writer, I'd imagine you're already an avid fan of the genre and you're going to honour it with your voice.