Readers don’t arrive at a story as blank slates.
They come primed with expectations — genre is the handshake that sets the terms.
Ignore that, and you’ll confuse them. Exploit it, and you can surprise them on purpose.
Genre as Implicit Contract
Every genre carries rules, explicit or not:
- Crime promises a mystery and some form of resolution
- Romance promises a central relationship and an emotional arc
- Horror promises dread and a confrontation with fear
Readers don’t need a manifesto. They’ve learned the pattern from years of similar books.
Genre is the protocol; story is the payload.
Breaking the Handshake
Breaking convention can be brilliant or cheap.
Brilliant when it’s intentional and earned; cheap when it’s ignorance or contempt.
- A crime novel with no solution enrages unless the point is the lack of resolution
- A romance with no relationship feels like a bait-and-switch
- A horror that never scares is just mood lighting
Protocols exist so communication works. Break them only when you know exactly why.
Why It Matters
Genre conventions let readers process story efficiently:
- They set baseline expectations
- They reduce cognitive overhead — you know which details matter
- They let you focus on variation, not chaos
This isn’t creative limitation. It’s scaffolding.
Subversion with Care
The best subversions acknowledge the protocol:
- Meet enough expectations to build trust
- Break one or two key rules for effect
- Make the cost of breaking worth it in theme or emotional impact
A protocol violation should add depth, not just noise.
Protocols Are Negotiated
Genres shift over time.
What counted as a happy ending or a satisfying mystery changes.
Protocols evolve with readers, not apart from them.
If you want to play outside the rules, start by understanding what the current handshake even is.
Communication fails when the sender and receiver aren’t speaking the same language.