Writing the Unwriteable

Writing the unwriteable is something that isn't really talked about in the community at large. I wanted to look at some oversaturated genres and why I believe they are seen as unusable to many people.

I don't remember much of the half-semester economics class I was forced to take (/j), but I do know this for a fact. Too much of something decreases its value, thus making it oversaturated.

Too many recycled plotlines in the same vein can make the genre oversaturated to the general consumer. For example, say you want to write about mermaids. Can you think of one story about these mythological creatures that haven't been done yet? A lot of the time, mermaid stories are just remakes of the original Little Mermaid. Not that there's anything unimaginative about a remake, but the sheer amount of them has made people weary while approaching the topic.

What do you do? The best starting point, in my opinion, has always been to take the opposite goals of the overused driving points. For example, The Little Mermaid is known for leaving the ocean, so keep your characters in the water.

Author Jennifer Donnelly executes this idea perfectly. She wrote a series called the WaterFire Saga, centered around mermaids who stay in the ocean the whole time.

There are other reasons why a genre might be seen as unusable, one being reputation. In all honesty, I think this reason is ludicrous at times. I mean, the media and consumers had a bad reaction to a few popular stories, so now I can't write that? The most prominent example I have for you is the Urban Fantasy genre. More specifically, Twilight.

Now, there are plenty of valid reasons to criticize Twilight's plot, characters, and world-building, especially with how problematic Stephine Myers is, but that's a post for later.

For now, we're going to be talking about consumers' reception of the franchise. The saga was a massive success and made more money than I can imagine, but the impact on the genre is less flattering. Anytime you hear about someone writing about Vampires and Werewolves, what do you think of? Plus, the tropes used were hugely popularized in the YA category for years.

Like cliches in mermaid stories, poor reputation and audience reception were repeated in Urban Fantasy pieces. With each mainstream release, more backlash (sometimes warranted and sometimes not) was publicized. While they held the attention of their core audiences, lots of stories fail to capture a broader fanbase due to the appearance Urban Fantasy has in a generalized sense.

So, what if you want to write a mermaid story? Or something involving Urban Fantasy? Or both? I'd say go for it.

I know I spent this whole post telling you about examples of failed genres and how people don't like them, but now that we understand why, we can do better. A lot of it boils down to the oversaturation and reputation that these stories have. I know telling you to be creative is easier said than done, but it must be said.

If you have characters and a world you're super attached to and want to write about, write it. My biggest struggle when reading these genres is actually how plot-driven many of them can be. Consumers interested in these stories are probably aware of the tropes, so really hone in on your characters and world-building.

To recap. Some stories have been told too many times, and it's imperative to add your take on events and expand the perception of what a genre can be. Yes, some stories give a genre a bad rep, which is why focusing on characters and world-building over plot matters. Hopefully, this helped. Happy writing! (Check me out on Instagram @erinhastoomanybooks.)