Making and Breaking Genre Conventions

If you've ever picked up a romance novel expecting swooning confessions and instead got a murder mystery halfway through, you’ve experienced a genre convention being bent—or possibly shattered. Literary genres come with expectations. When you read a horror story, you anticipate chills and maybe some blood. When you grab a fantasy book, you expect magic, maybe a dragon or two, and an epic quest. These are genre conventions—those familiar elements that tell us, “Yep, you’re in a sci-fi novel now.”

But here’s the thing: while genre conventions help readers know what they’re getting into, they’re not set in stone. Some of the most memorable and exciting stories come from authors who know when (and how) to break the rules.

Why Conventions Exist
So first, let’s talk about what genre conventions actually do. They’re like the unwritten agreements between writer and reader. In a dystopian novel, expect oppressive governments and probably a rebellious teenager or five. These conventions help set the tone, structure, and even pacing of a story. They create a comfort zone for readers.

But too much comfort? That can get boring.

Why Break Conventions?
That’s where breaking conventions comes in. Writers who know their genre inside and out are in the best position to flip expectations in smart ways. Ever heard of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn? It starts out feeling like a typical domestic thriller, and then the narrative totally flips and subverts the whole “missing wife” trope. That shock is what made the book a bestseller. Flynn didn’t ignore genre conventions; she used them just long enough to lure readers into thinking they knew what was going on—and then pulled the rug out.

Breaking conventions can also help breathe new life into tired genres. Think about The Hunger Games. Sure, it follows some classic dystopian beats, but it added a reality TV twist and a flawed female lead who doesn’t exactly jump at the chance to be a hero. That fresh angle helped spark a whole trend of gritty YA dystopias.

When to Break
So, when is it okay to break genre conventions?

1. When you know the rules well enough to break them on purpose. Randomly ignoring structure can lead to confusion, not innovation. But if you’re twisting things intentionally, it can really pay off.
2. When it serves your story. Don’t toss in a zombie apocalypse halfway through your historical romance just because. But if the shift enhances your themes or raises the stakes in a meaningful way? Go for it.
3. When it challenges clichés. If a genre is full of tired tropes (looking at you, love triangles), turning them on their head can make your story stand out.

In the end, genre conventions are tools—not handcuffs. Use them when they help, and don’t be afraid to toss them out when your story demands something different. Just make sure you’re breaking the rules for a reason, not by accident.