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MIXED COMPANY

by John M. Floyd

Rob’s “Tune It or Die” CB piece a few months ago (“Non-mysteries for the Mystery Fan,” September 2nd) reminded me of something: even though I’m crazy about mysteries, some of the best books and stories I’ve read this past year have been from outside the mystery/crime genre. I suspect that any of us who enjoy mystery fiction might say the same. Sure, I prefer certain subjects, but if you’re an avid reader, a good story is a good story, no matter what category someone decides to assign to it. And for that matter …

What are the different genres?

Most writers agree that there are five: western, mystery, horror, romance, and science fiction — and of course many subgenres. (Mysteries, by the way, are often referred to as mystery/suspense, and sci-fi stories as science fiction/fantasy.)

It seems that some readers/viewers prefer their genres straight, with no or very few added ingredients. Such stories are “High Noon,” Presumed Innocent, “Friday the 13th,” “An Affair to Remember,” and The Time Machine. It’s easy to identify which wagon each of those is tied to. But when the division between the categories and subgenres becomes a bit foggy … that’s okay too. That’s when we get into “cross-genre” fiction. Romantic suspense, sci-fi/horror, humorous mysteries, romantic comedies, futuristic westerns, etc.

Muddying the waters

I’m a big supporter of crossing genres. When that happens, I think you often get more than the sum of the parts—and from the author’s viewpoint, he or she can sometimes attract a wider range of readers. I’m convinced that many who might not have otherwise enjoyed a “romance” story enjoyed the movie “Witness,” and the same is true for those who might have resisted going to see nothing but a hair-raising “action/ adventure” story. In this instance, the mix of romance and suspense worked out great, and drew a bigger audience (of both women and men) because of it.

(NOTE: When I use the term “crossing genres,” I mean incorporating different genres within the same story, not deciding to start writing mysteries when you’ve been writing romances, or vice versa.)

The same comparison might be made in cases such as “Titanic,” Gone With the Wind, “Out of Africa,” Doctor Zhivago, “The Quiet Man,” “Ghost,” “West Side Story,” “The King and I,” “What’s Up, Doc?” and many more. I’m not a great fan of romance fiction, but I enjoyed these stories because of the other things (disasters, history, war, horror, music, comedy, etc.) that were thrown in.

Other interesting cross-genre stories that come to mind:

The Dead Zone — fantasy/mystery/romance
“Vertigo” (1958) — mystery/romance
“Back to the Future, Part III” (1990) — western/science fiction
“Psycho” (1960) — horror/mystery/suspense
“Somewhere in Time” (1980) — romance/fantasy
“Shanghai Noon” (2000) — western/comedy
The Princess Bride — romance/comedy/fantasy
“The Terminator” (1984) — suspense/science fiction
“The Man from Snowy River” (1982) — (aussie) western/romance
“Escape from New York” (1981) — futuristic/suspense
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (2002) — romance/comedy
The Bottoms — mystery/coming-of-age
“Body Heat” (1981) — romance/mystery/suspense
The Dark Tower series — science fiction/fantasy/western

Question: Do you enjoy cross-genre fiction? Do you prefer it? If the answer to either question is “yes,” what kinds?

A note to beginning writers

There are some in the fiction industry who maintain that every work must be identified by one genre, and that hybrids of any kind are frowned upon. (I don’t agree, but that’s beside the point.) If you’re an aspiring author and your research says a certain editor or agent requires you to designate a specific genre for your work of fiction, I think it’d be a good idea to go ahead and give it a tag. Inform the recipient that what you’re submitting is either mystery, romance, horror, western, or sci-fi. But in the body of your story, make sure the other stuff is there too. Add a dash of romance to your western, horror to your fantasy, Evanovich to your Conroy.

That just might make it a winner.

And by the way …

Hope you’ve enjoyed our contest, and that everyone has a great Christmas.