The problem I have is that I write cross genre: action sci-fi with a romantic B story. So am I confusing my readers? Truby’s answer is that to be successful you need to first understand the story beats of your genre. But to truly transcend your genre you will need to combine the beats of of three or four genre. He explains how he was blown away by Star Wars the first time he saw it:

“In 95 percent of stories, I could predict what would happen three beats ahead. But not with Star Wars. Here was one story beat after another I didn’t see coming. This was nonstop excitement. Better yet, these beats were coming at top speed. I was totally overwhelmed. The recognition began to dawn on me about what was really happening. I began to understand what writer-director George Lucas was doing under the surface. This was obviously a Fantasy in outer space, which meant elements of Science Fiction. But that wasn’t all. I loved the classic Western, but it had long since died. Now I was seeing all the Western beats in outer space. It was wild! And who doesn’t love King Arthur, one of the great Myth stories? I noticed some of those beats as well. Ever wonder where all those ever-popular lightsabers came from? They’re from the samurai movie, a subgenre of Action. Since college, I’d been a big fan of Japanese films like Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress. As a result, the plot was dense. And instead of getting the beats of one genre, like Fantasy, we were getting beats of Science Fiction, Myth, and Action, in rapid-fire succession.”

So perhaps combing genre is not such a bad thing. However, how do you determine which is the dominant genre? And how do you market your book? The reality is that most successful writers of cross- genre create their own sub-genre for their work. For example, vampire love stories or a school for wizards. A new author is not in that same position and needs to sell under the dominant genre. My issue is what is dominant? Do I sell to romance readers or Sci-Fi readers? I still don’t know the right answer to that question.

What else has Trudy to say? He explains that story is how we learn and process the world and how we can find our place in it. It’s how we learn life’s lessons.

“Story is a philosophy of life expressed through characters, plot, and emotion… When we understand how genres work, and what they tell us, we can apply their lessons in writing as well as in life. For example, did you know:
Action is about being successful, not morally right. Myth represents a journey to understand oneself and gain immortality.
Memoir is not about the past; it’s about creating your future.
Fantasy is about finding the magic in the world and in ourselves to turn life into art.
Detective fiction shows us how to think successfully by comparing different stories to learn what is true. Love stories reveal that happiness comes from mastering the moral act of loving another person.”

These are interesting observations. But don’t get carried away by the philosophical angle. As writers I don’t believe we should moralise pushing a particular view of life; instead we are observers of life thorough the medium of fiction.

Truby dedicates a chapter to each of the main genres. He explains that each genre’s recipe to live life well is based on its fundamental concerns:

HORROR: Confront death and face your ghosts from the past.
ACTION: 90 percent of success is taking action.
MYTH: Seek immortality by finding your destiny in this life.
MEMOIR AND COMING-OF-AGE: Examine your life to create your true self.
SCIENCE FICTION: Make the right choices now to ensure a better future for all.
CRIME: Protect the weak and bring the guilty to justice.
COMEDY: Success comes when you strip away all facades and show others who you really are.
WESTERN: When you help others make a home, you create a civilization where everyone is free to live their best life.
GANGSTER: Don’t be enslaved by absolute power and money or you will pay the ultimate price.
FANTASY: Discover the magic in yourself that makes life itself an art form.
DETECTIVE AND THRILLER: Look for the truth and assign guilt in spite of the danger.
LOVE: Learning how to love is the key to happiness.

Much of what Truby has to say about the focus of each genre may seem obvious. It is only when you get into each detailed chapter that there are hidden nuggets of advice. His treatment of Love Stories is particularly good, but Love stories tend to have a predictable story patterns. With Sci-Fi, the genre I am most interested in, the diversity of story-lines is much more complex and difficult to deal with.

So what does he have to say about Sci-Fi? The Sci-Fi beats he describes in great detail can be briefly summarised as follows:
Story world World-building is grander and more detailed in Science Fiction than in any other genre. The writer must create everything in the story, including elements of the world that other genres accept as part of the everyday world.
Weakness and need The hero is often inhuman or uninvolved at the start of the story. (Eg Rick Dekkard in Blade Runner)
Minor characters These are particularly important as how the hero relates to them reveals the hero’s character and the theme of the story.
Desire – the hero’s desire determines the spine of the story. In negative Sci-Fi the desire is usually to escape something (Eg: The Hunger Games, The Terminator). In positive Sci-Fi it is usually to explore, find something, win a war or save the earth (Eg: Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune).
Opponent – The hero usually has a hierarchy of opponents. (Eg: Darth Vader and the Emperor in Star Wars)
Plan – The Plan is usually how to find something, fight something, take revenge or save somebody.
Plot The plot usually involves visiting a succession of subworlds.
Reveal– The big reveal is usually something about the opponent or something that poses a difficult choice for the hero.
Battle– the best battle occurs at the vortex point of the story. (Eg the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars)
Self-revelation – Sometimes this involves becoming the new leader. (Eg Dune)

If you are interested in understanding story genre Truby’s book is an interesting read, but don’t expect a comprehensive checklist of story beats for each genre. Truby’s ‘beats’ are more like key story elements. While it discusses the elements that are important in each genre, a listing all the potential story beats for each genre I would suggest is impossible. Is it the best book on the subject of genre? Probably not. But it did add to my overall understanding of the subject and that is the test I apply to the value of any book on writing.

So do you have any thoughts or questions on the subject of genre?