I don’t like to pigeonhole myself too much when it comes to genre. I studied creative writing in college (I’m a relatively recent grad), and I came into my college writing program knowing I enjoyed both fiction and poetry. I refused to identify myself as a writer of just one of them even though there were definitely times when I was doing a lot more of one than the other.
I tried other genres too throughout college. For instance, I did some creative nonfiction. (In case you’re not sure what that is, you can read a pretty straightforward explanation here.) I’ve also taken classes in which I tried playwriting, though that’s probably the genre I feel the least confident writing.
There are certainly many writers who prefer a single genre and focus on that one exclusively, but I personally think every writer can benefit from giving other genres a try once in a while. For instance, I’ve found that playwriting is great for improving one’s ability to write dialogue. Poetry is excellent for a fiction writer looking to improve his or her description skills while avoiding cliche. Fiction is good for a poet who wants to really expand on his or her character development skills. Trying a new genre can even be helpful for one’s career goals. Want to get more comfortable writing about yourself for cover letters? Try writing a memoir.
Those first attempts in a new genre will probably be messy, regardless of whether or not you’re doing them with a professor’s guidance as part of a class. It’s OK to stumble around blindly a bit until you figure out something that works. It’s OK to hate your first attempt in a genre, and your fourth, and your tenth. It’s also OK to decide that a genre isn’t for you. The process will teach you volumes about where you need improvement.
What genres do you typically write? Are there any that you don’t write but are interested in trying? If you’ve tried multiple genres, what were your experiences with them? Feel free to leave a comment!
The Fountain Pen Blog 
Great Post
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Thanks 🙂
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welcome
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True. I think I am still trying to figure out what style of writing I create. Oftentimes I just write to write, but know that I really enjoy the process. I try to dabble in poetry, but I would say it is a weak spot for me. I like creating prose, however. I often write both fictional and nonfictional things in prose style.
I haven’t had any formal training in creative writing. Mostly, I kept journals and have to write a lot for academia. But I do write personal experiences a lot, and I don’t know if the end product would be called creative nonfiction or narrative. Perhaps it is my lack of formal training in literary styles that causes me to be unsure what I should categorize or classify my writings as.
Anyway, sorry for such a long comment, but this post is interesting. In general, I usually do not try to pigeon myself either. I write what I write I guess.
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Hey thanks for your comment! I appreciate that you took the time to read my post. And having a lot to say is great! I’m always glad to read comments from someone else who writes, regardless of what your background is. Writing for writing’s sake isn’t a bad thing either. 🙂
To answer a question you sort of posed, creative nonfiction is often narrative, though not all narratives fall into that genre. It just depends on two things: the writing style (is it fiction-like?) and the content of the narrative (is it technically an account of something that is not fictional?) Regardless of what you’re writing, I’m glad to hear from someone else who’s not too rigid on genre. Some people seem to just know almost magically “I’m a fiction writer!” or whatever their genre is, and I’ve encountered quite a few of those people, but I’ve never experienced that myself, and I kind of like genre hopping.
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I have become one of your Followers. You’ll see that I try to publish a personal narrative each month, for it takes me a long time to get my thoughts together and to organize some background. I also have been doing something weekly, a short “thinking” piece from old journals, or from my underlinings in books I have, That has been rewarding. If you go to my site, you’ll find a posting on the personal narrative. http://memoriesofatime.com/2013/06/05/my-reflective-narratives/
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