We all gravitate to a certain type of writing. Your go-to genre is likely how you best express your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. So what does your favorite genre say about you?
Reportage / Journalism:
You want to understand others. You like to probe, dig deep and get people to open up and be honest. You know what to ask and how to ask it so that you can share insights and facts that would otherwise not necessarily be exposed. And yet, you do this all without sharing your thoughts or feelings. You project your interest outwards while protecting yourself as this is not about you but your subject. You are insightful, empathetic, intuitive and resourceful.
Memoir:
You are a journalist as well, but this time the questions are all inward. You are willing and ready to expose yourself, to be vulnerable and even transparent. You realize others may judge or criticize but you believe deeply that your experience and story will resonate and connect you with your readers. You are daring, courageous and strong. You are willing to write about the subject you know better than anyone else in the world, and yet the very topic so many avoid…yourself.
Romance:
You love love. You want to move people, to make them feel, to believe in the power of a beautiful and intimate relationship. Perhaps you speak from experience, sharing how love has changed and transformed you. Perhaps you speak from a hope and dream of what you want in your life and believe is possible. Love is the universal language and it will always be desired. You are hopeful, optimistic, dreamy and sentimental.
Fantasy / Science Fiction:
Life is complicated. Feelings are tough. But when the characters, situations and details can be completely made-up, it feels easier to discuss. You like to create a reality that doesn’t exist but where things can play themselves out easier than in real life. You make the rules. You are not bound by any limitations. You love to let your imagination run wild. You are creative, interesting, curious, out-of-the-box and daring.
Non-Fiction:
You like facts. You need truth. The more objective and proven, the better. The less room for debate and opinion, the better. Non-Fiction is safe and yet you need to make it interesting. You need to show others why it is important. You need to share your passion for the subject matter without embellishment or diverting from what happened. You are grounded, focused, love to research and thrive on fact and detail.
Poetry:
You see life through symbols. Everything has depth and layers of meaning. Nothing should be understood literally. You write through song and rhythm. You are an artist who paints with words, creating something powerful yet always up to interpretation. You put yourself completely out there and in the poetry, and yet others may not ever quite tap into your meaning or motivation. You are transparent and mysterious simultaneously. You love that which can’t be easily defined, understood or explained.
So the next time you sit down to write, think about why you choose that genre. I guarantee you that it will tell you a lot about yourself.
