A genre is a category of writing whose works share recognizable conventions. Those conventions can involve subject matter, purpose, structure, or style. A mystery sets up questions about what happened. A repair guide helps someone perform a task. Each gives readers a different reason to keep reading.
Recognize the conventions
- Mystery story. A broken lamp turns up in a locked room. The story offers clues that readers can use to work out how it got there.
- Repair guide. A lamp stops working. The guide lists what to check and puts the steps in a usable order.
- Recipe. A list names the ingredients and quantities, and the instructions explain how to prepare them.
Write for the genre
Start with what the reader expects to find. A recipe can use a conversational tone, while its quantities still need to be easy to locate. Both a recipe and a mystery can use prose. The purpose and conventions help tell the genres apart.
