Written by Emily Harstone July 17th, 2013

Writing Prompt: Genre Twist

There are writers who always write horror, those who always write romance, and those that jump around a lot from sci-fi to literature and mystery all in the space of one week.

But even for those flexible writers there are genres they avoid. I do not like to read or watch horror, so the idea of writing it is beyond me. However this writing prompt is all about getting outside of your comfort zone and trying things you normally would not try.

Think of your least favorite genre, the kind of movie your significant other would drag you to, or the type of book a friend might force you to read. Any genre that makes you uncomfortable will work.

Now your challenge is to write a flash fiction piece (up to 1000 words) or a poem in that genre. You can honor the conventions of that genre or you can ignore them. Or you can just put a twist a time honored convention. Perhaps the cowboys in your Western will ride on unicorns.

In any event have fun with this prompt. It is sure to get you out of any writing rut and thinking about new things.

 

We Send You Publishers Seeking Submissions.

Sign up for our free e-magazine and we will send you reviews of publishers seeking short stories, poetry, essays, and books.

Subscribe now and we'll send you a free copy of our book Submit, Publish, Repeat

14 Magazines Accepting Climate and Environmental Fiction

14 Magazines Accepting Climate and Environmental Fiction

Magazines seeking short stories and poetry.

Sontag Mag: Now Seeking Poetry Submissions

Sontag Mag: Now Seeking Poetry Submissions

Seeking poetry and poetry in translation. The deadline is July 31st.

Case Study: How The Coat Check Girl Came to Life

Case Study: How The Coat Check Girl Came to Life

An author's publishing success after 16 years of doubt and rejection.

27 Literary Journals with Fast Response Times

27 Literary Journals with Fast Response Times

It is good to start out by submitting your work to literary journals that have fast response times. It is rewarding to hear back from journals within a month, rather than a year later, when you have forgotten all about them. Submitting to journals with fast response times helps keep you motivated. All of these…