Perils of the Writer: Your Genre Isn't Dead

Genre is wierd.

I mean, when it comes down to it, it's just a shorthand to tell your readers, "If you like this sort of thing, then this is the sort of thing you'd like."  It's a marketing tool.

But it should never be something  you should be afraid of.  It shouldn't be something that keeps you from writing the story you want to write.

Now, it's true, that while  you're writing, you don't always realize what genre you are writing.  To be honest, I didn't quite realize that The Thorn of Dentonhill  was a superhero story until a few drafts in, and even then I kind of resisted it.  I resisted flat out saying it was a fantasy/superhero story, but if you've read Thorn, you know that's exactly what it is.  (And if you haven't read Thorn, get on that, you hear?)  

Similarly, A Murder of Mages and An Import of Intrigue are fantasy/police procedural, and Holver Alley Crew is fantasy/heist.  There's more depth to all of these-- as there are to any novel-- but giving a sense of the genre lets your reader base know what to expect.  

But back to my main point: genre, by and large, doesn't matter.  Write a good yarn, and the rest will come.  If you hear that the genre you write is dead, do not care.  Maybe what you write will bring about the resurgence.