What Genre Should I Be Writing?

During the climactic scene in Titanic where Jack dies floating in the freezing water and Rose releases him into the ocean and saves herself, I…

…wept like a 2-year-old.

…rolled my eyes at the corniness of the whole thing – can we get back to the fun and games, please?

…kept waiting for the action to return – can we see the ship cracking in half and sinking again?!

…thought of a heartfelt, funny one-liner that could have been inserted into the script at that moment.

…got swept up in Rose’s singing and the musical score.

…felt nothing. I am an emotionless statue.

How do you feel about watching or reading true stories, biographies, and documentaries?

I love them! I’m truly inspired by real people’s lives.

Real people’s lives are hella boring! Gimme an exciting, fictional story anytime.

I like true stories, but I’m just as happy to see a good fictional story.

When I watch a musical, I…

…want to poke my eyes out with a sharp stick.

…love to sing along…I always know all the lyrics!

…can appreciate it but I don’t have a musical bone in my body.

…am inspired to write and create my own music.

…can sit through it but I’d rather be playing Duke Nuke ‘Em.

..can take it or leave it.

…enjoy it but it’s not a genre I care much about.

When I watch a terrifying horror movie, I…

…cower and cover my face out of fear for half of the film.

…can’t get enough – bring on the blood and guts!

…yawn – sorry, but it’s obvious the serial killer is hiding in the broom closet. Open your eyes, people!

…can’t deal with it, and have to leave the theater and sit in the car.

…keep finding places that they could have injected humor to give the characters more personality.

...wish I knew and cared about the characters’ lives more instead of simply watching teenagers being terrorized by some creepy dude in the woods.

When it comes to writing violence or crime scenes, I…

…don’t shy away. These types of scenes often add the compelling conflict and drama that a story needs.

…avoid them at all costs. The world has enough violence and crime as it is.

…write them when necessary in the story to move the plot forward.

…base my stories around crime solving, so they’re necessary.

…base my stories around the lives of criminals, so they’re necessary.

….all about love, not war! My stories are heartfelt and family-friendly and don’t feature violence or crime scenes.

When watching a mystery or suspense film, I…

…am way ahead of the curve and can predict every twist and turn coming. Not only that, but I can come up with better ones!

…just like like to sit back and watch things unfold.

…keep wishing there were more excitement and action rather than it taking forever to figure out the clues.

I tend to write main characters who are:

Strong in their morality and strive to always do the right and just thing.

Complex and often confused about their morality.

Involved in criminal enterprises.

Authority figures (ie. police, detectives, lawyers) who strive to get the “bad guy” no matter what that rules they might have to break.

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