450 Creative Fiction Genre Keywords

May 10

A creative fiction genre sounds like gender bending in a book form. Imagine a book turning into a spidery acrobat. Now consider that you can identify that spidery acrobat by name according to just it’s title. A horror book title sounds much different from the title of a historical fiction—that’s on purpose.

Using creative fiction genres and related keywords will help your writing be more powerful. Whether you are advertising your book or trying to find a publisher, knowing what genre you write in is critical. Most literary agents only work in specific—and I mean very specific—genres or sub genres, which I’ll cover here, too.

Ways to use creative fiction genre keywords during your writing sessions include:

Setting the mood
Focusing on genre tropes
Maintaining the flow

The following 100 creative fiction genre keywords will also help you:

Anchor key plot points
Pinpoint major and minor character traits
Generate associative plot themes
Identify accurate sensory details for the setting

Then I share 350 researched and tailored keywords related to specific creative fiction genres. And then—because this is the first blog post of this website—I have compiled an extra special resource that you will be thrilled to find.

First, let’s talk about what creative fiction genres are in relation to your next writing session.

About Creative Fiction Genres

A creative genre in fiction writing defines the parameters for that type of imaginative literature. You can write in fantasy fiction or Amish romance—as long as you understand the appropriate themes, narrative tropes, and style conventions required for that genre.

Most readers and writers find out which creative fiction genres they prefer when they are reading books. You naturally choose to read books that are in genres, such as western or gothic, that are interesting to you personally. As a result, you are most likely going to write and publish stories in the same genres that you are in love with reading.

Can you imagine someone like Stephen King who is a horror author-god suddenly putting out some Amish romance novels? NO you cannot. Never. EVER. It’s part of the deal. You want to know the genre you are writing in—and the readers can always tell if their author is in the know or just repeating—regurgitating—the same information as the rest.

The only way to stand out as an author of the already saturated creative fiction stacks is to understand your specific genre to the greatest degree. Get in there and dig up every trope, all the famous already discovered characters, and best selling titles in the genre you love most. Then use that information to help you say what is NOT being said already.

What is Writer’s Block Box?

One resource for developing creative fiction genre writing sessions that I have come across is a subscription box called Writer’s Block Box.

“All items are personally curated by author Connie Bauldree to work WITH your natural creative flow, not against it.”

The Writer’s Block Box is a monthly subscription—but I found it for sale at a time when I could purchase about 12 different genres at once. I do not receive this box monthly as I have stocked up on those specific genre boxes when they went on sale for Black Friday a few years ago.

However you go about the tool kit, the monthly box provides inspiration and physical tools, including signed paperback books and stickers. The kit also has chapbook style manuals relating to specific genres in creative fiction. Along with instructions, these handbooks encourage writers to fill in lists and Mad Lib style sections as they develop writing ideas and stories.

Each genre kit focuses on a genre or sub genre in terms of tropes, keywords, and inspirational goodies like bookmarks. These kits cover mainstream genres like romance writing and horror, as well as urban fantasy and more sub genres.

I currently have my Writer’s Block Box kits stacked up at my desk to use when I want to learn more about writing in a specific genre. This is how I came across the grand idea for my current epic novel, “Gifts: MULTICRORE,” that now has an urban fantasy edge.

I learned about urban fantasy genres including steampunk when working as a public librarian at the Platte Public Library, which is in Platte, South Dakota. While steampunk is not the gearbox I want right now, it has led to this interest in the gritty urban fantasy sub genre.

Explore the Primary Genres of Creative Fiction

A genre of creative fiction is a specific category of imaginative literature—such as science fiction, fantasy, mystery, or romance. But how does the writer know how to develop a story that is wholly focused on a single genre without stepping out of bounds? This is a skill that is developed by writers and authors in session. Authors who are successful find ways to break genre norms to create their own.

For example, certain authors protest against using certain points of view, such as first person, or the use of adverbs or capitalized letters. While typically these conventions are grammatical musts, for authors in any genre, there are times when rules can be broken. First, you must know the rules of that genre.

What Are Tropes in Creative Fiction?

Creative fiction genres are defined by shared narrative stylistic conventions, themes, and tropes. Tropes are a literary device that utilizes cliché information about a genre of fiction. This way, when the troped event takes place, the reader gets a stronger feeling of what genre the story is in.

As a result, the reader feels more confident and assured of the author’s ability to write a great story in a specific genre. Whenever an author goes too far with tropes, the result is an over-clichéd story that is unbelievable. The reality is, writers want to focus on a single trope or two related to a specific genre they are writing in, when they are working on any fictional story.

Examples of tropes in horror include vampires, werewolves, and zombies—which are the most common tropes of all, to be honest. However, when you hear that a character is going into town after midnight on a full moon to suck blood…you instantly know you are dealing with a vampire sub genre in the horror genre.

Importance of Categorizing Fiction Into Genres

Genres function to categorize stories, such as those represented as flash fiction, short stories, or fiction novels. Whenever you submit a story to a journal or publisher, they often require you to define the genre of your writing.

Also, having the genre limitations when writing your next story will keep you on track with plot, characterization, and overall storytelling. You won’t ramble or side-track, but instead you will have a story that is right to the point.

Stories develop from a writer's imagination but are based on several stationary aspects. It is a writer’s job to identify characters, develop settings, and structure plots that are fantastical. In creative fiction, that is the key.

The entire story is fictional—not talking about real events as recorded by history or discussing actual people. You can write about “real people,” but if they haven’t died yet, you risk a lawsuit.

Creative fiction genres are also used in marketing for the publishing industry. These are categories to help readers find stories with themes they enjoy. Using genres also help retailers catalog books for sale, and librarians catalog books for lending.

What Are Great Creative Fiction Genres?

While there are only about a dozen core fiction genres, there are thousands of sub genres. For example, Amazon has over 16,000 specific categories. The exact number is constantly evolving as new hybrid genres emerge.

These genres generally fall under the umbrella of speculative, realistic, or commercial fiction. Here are the most common fiction genres that I will be diving into more in this article:

Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Horror
Humor and Satire
Magical Realism
Mystery and Crime
Romance
Science Fiction / Sci-Fi
Thriller and Suspense
Young Adult / YA

A sub genre is not a substitute for that genre—if that is what you are thinking. The sub genres range from every type of fantasy and horror you can think up with new sub genres and sub-sub genres being mashed together all the time.

Fans of well-known books like Harry Potter or Twilight, for example, have a long history of writing fan fiction. This is creative fiction using existing literature already published in the fiction canons. Fans include already popular book characters but place them in entirely new settings, for instance, when writing fan fiction.

In fact, I had a class with Marissa Meyer while a librarian in South Dakota. “Marissa Meyer is an American novelist. A large portion of her bibliography is centered on retellings of fairy tales,” according to Wikipedia.

She is a Washington State author who wrote the “Cinder” debut novel for the Lunar Chronicle series. We all read the book, “Cinder,” before she met with us digitally for a day of neural brain wave lectures.

In addition, she discussed how she wrote “Cinder” and her other books and allowed us to ask questions. She told us her book idea came out of a fan fiction writing session in an online platform.

By the way, if you are curious, here is the actual pdf copy of the QUERY LETTER that Marissa Meyer wrote for “Cinder,” to her literary agent Jill Grinberg, which was accepted for publication as her debut novel. Marissa breaks down the query letter in great detail; you will find a lot to learn in query letter writing for fiction authors.

What Are Sub Genres of Creative Fiction?

Some creative fiction genres blend together to create a hybrid genre. Examples include a science fiction and thriller story called a sci-fi thriller and paranormal romance, which combines fantasy and romance.

The concern with hybrid genres is selling these to an editor or audience. If they aren’t sure which way the story goes, or they are not confident with the author, a hybrid genre is too kitschy. As a result, most authors avoid hybrid genres in favor of sub genres if they veer from the mainstream.

Anything kitschy is overly garish, in poor taste and more nostalgic or humorous rather than intellectual or artistically inclined. Think L. Ron Hubbard, the Scientologist founder, who wrote and published chapbook pulp fiction.

Here’s a review of one of these: “The Chee-Chalker is a pulp fiction novella by L. Ron Hubbard about an FBI agent, Bill Norton, investigating a heroin smuggling ring in Ketchikan, Alaska, while dealing with local corruption, a mysterious heiress, and the locals' suspicion of him as a ‘chee-chalker’ (newcomer).

Originally written in 1940, it was published in Five-Novels Magazine in 1947 and is now part of Hubbard's Stories from the Golden Age series, available in print and audio formats,” according to Google.

There are also sub genres of creative fiction, which might be easier for you to digest. Here is a comprehensive list of 100 creative writing genres, grouped to make it easier to navigate. I have listed mainstream genres, as well as hybrid and sub genre variations.

Literary Fiction

Autobiographical Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Experimental Fiction
Flash Fiction
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
Memoir
Novella
Personal Essay
Short Story

Mystery and Crime

Cozy Mystery
Crime Thriller
Detective Fiction
Hardboiled / Noir
Legal Thriller
Police Procedural
Psychological Mystery
Sherlockian / Baker Street
Spy Thriller
True Crime
Whodunit

Fantasy

Dark Fantasy
High Fantasy / Epic Fantasy
Fairy Tale Retelling
Grimdark Fantasy
Magical Realism
Mythic Fantasy
Portal Fantasy
Steampunk Fantasy
Sword and Sorcery
Urban Fantasy

Science Fiction

Alternate History / Parallel Universe
Cyberpunk
Dystopian
Hard Science Fiction
Military Science Fiction
Post-Apocalyptic
Soft Science Fiction
Space Opera
Utopian
Time Travel

Horror and Paranormal

Body Horror
Cosmic Horror / Lovecraftian
Gothic Horror
Haunted House
Monster Horror
Occult Fiction
Paranormal
Psychological Horror
Slasher / Survival Horror
Supernatural Thriller

Romance

Contemporary Romance
Erotic Romance
Fantasy Romance
Friends-to-Lovers
Historical Romance
LGBTQ Romance
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Suspense
Second Chance Romance
Young Adult Romance

Thriller and Adventure

Action Thriller
Espionage
Military Adventure
Nautical / Sea Adventure
Political Thriller
Quest / Hero’sJourney
Spy Adventure
Survival Adventure
Travel Adventure
Western Adventure

Humor and Satire

Absurdist / Surreal Comedy
Black Comedy
Dark Humor Fiction
Farce
Parody
Political Satire
Satire
Slapstick
Social Commentary Humor
Travel Humor

Children and Young Adult (YA)

Adventure for Kids
Animal Fiction
Children’s Picture Book
Coming-of-Age
Early Reader / Chapter Book
Graphic Novel for Kids
Fairy Tales / Fables
Middle Grade Fiction
School Stories
Young Adult Fiction

Experimental / Miscellaneous

Choose Your Own Adventure / Interactive Fiction
Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction)
Epistolary Fiction (letters/journals)
Food Writing / Culinary Fiction
Hybrid Genres (mix of multiple genres)
Metafiction
Stream of Consciousness
Surreal Fiction
Travel Memoir / Travel Writing
Urban Fiction / Street Lit

What is a Sub-Sub Genre of Fiction

One example of a sub-sub genre of fiction is to write a Sherlockian, which is a sub genre of mystery fiction—and submitting that fiction to an H. P. Lovecraft publication. The Sherlockian sub genre is in the realms of the Lovecraft sub genre, which belongs in the horror genre. These sub genres of fiction are considered mystery and horror, as well as sci-fi in the case of Lovecraftian tales.

Whenever you are writing for a sub-sub genre of creative fiction, look for publications, like magazines, specifically interested in the same topics. Chances are you will find Sasquatch-Sci-Fi/Romance somewhere.

Keywords for Creative Fiction Genres

Consider building a word bank of your favorite keywords in the genres you are writing. Use this word bank to flesh out a thesaurus of like-words and you will greatly improve your verbiage.

In general, fiction keywords often focus on:

Emotional resonance
Sensory details
World-building constraints

Here are (350) focused and researched keywords to help you create stronger creative fiction in your preferred genre—hybrid, sub, or otherwise.

50 Fantasy and Supernatural Sub Genre Keywords

Here are 50 fantasy and supernatural keywords focusing on magical or paranormal elements:

Ancient settings
Archaic terminology
Battle axes
Battle-mage
Bloodlust
Broadsword
Cartography
Chainmail
Chosen one trope
Cursing a princess
Dangerous forests
Dark fantasy
Djinni
Dragonkind
Elves
Enchanted realm
Epic journey
Extradimensional
Fairy tales
Fireballs
Forbidden magic
Golum
Guildhouse
Kingdoms
Legend
Lore
Magecraft
Magical forest creatures
Magical realism
Magical systems
Medieval retellings
Melee spell casters
Mythical retelling
Paranormal technology
Prophesy
Paranormal activity
Quests
Royal demesne
Sagas
Scrying
Sellsword
Spellbook
Subterranean
Sword and sorcery
The Hero’s Journey
Trolls
Wineskin
Witches
Wizardry
World building

50 Words for Science Fiction Sub Genres

Science fiction writing deals with futuristic concepts, advanced technology, and societal shifts. See these 50 science fiction keywords emphasizing speculative technology, futuristic societies, and scientific divergence:

Aliens
Alternate world
Android
Ansible
Apocalypse
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Astronomy
Biomes
Cryptocurrency, i.e., bitcoin
Cybernetics
Cyberpunk
Cyber-slums
Cyberspace
Cyborgs
Dystopian
Environmental ruins
Event horizon
Extraterrestrial (ET)
Faster-Than-Light (FTL)
First contact
Forcefield
Future possibilities
Generation ship
Genetic engineering
Gravity well
Grok
Hard science fiction
Hive mind
Hyperspace
Intergalactic
Interstellar
Mad scientist
Nanotechnology
Neural link
Oppressive government
Plasma drive
Prototypes
Replicator
Quantum
Sentient AI
Singularity
Space exploration
Steampunk
Subspace
Technology
Terraforming
Void space
Waldo
Warp drive
Wormhole

50 Sub Genre Words for Historical Fiction

Historical fiction includes fictional stories that are based on actual, documented people, settings, or events. Read through these 50 keywords pertaining to historical fiction as a sub genre:

18th-19th Century
20th Century
Alternate history
American Civil War
Ancient world
Archaic
Artifact
Biographical fiction
Boat cruising
Canal life
Cold War
Communities
Costume jewelry
Cotswolds
Cultural norms
Cultural relations
Eras
Edwardian
Egyptian
Georgian
Gilded Age
Great Depression
Greek
Highlands’ societies
Librarian reading groups
Lineage
Medieval times
Monarchy
Narrow-boating
Period piece
Pioneer
Regency
Revolutionary War
Renaissance
Roaring Twenties
Roman Empire
Royalty
Social norms of the past
Specific time eras
Sweeping saga
Tradition
Tudor / Elizabethan
Train transportation
Uprising
Victorian
Villages
Viking / Norse
Vintage
War times
Western

50 Keywords Related to the Sub Genres of Horror in Fiction

Horror in fiction is written to provoke fear, dread, or horror in the reading audience. Review these 50 words related to the sub genre of horror in creative fiction:

Autumn
Bleak
Cannibalism
Chilling
Claustrophobic
Cursed
Demonology
Dread
Eerie
Evil
Fall
Foreboding
Ghosts
Ghouls
Gore
Gothic
Halloween
Haunting
Lurking
Macabre
Madness
Menacing
Mediums / Psychics
Murders
October
Occult practice
Otherworldly
Paranormal investigation
Poltergeist
Possession
Pumpkins / jack-o’-lantern
Psychological
Rotten
Screaming
Seances
Serial killers
September
Sinister
Slashers
Stalkers
Supernatural
Suspense
Torture
Uncanny
Vampires
Viscera
Voodoo practitioners / witch doctors
Werewolves
Witchcraft
Witches

50 Words About the Sub Genre of Magical Realism Fiction

Magical Realism takes realistic and mundane events and twists them with fantastical or magical elements in a literary sense. Usually, magical realism is applied to social or political issues that are sensitive and require a different style of interpretation.

A great example of a fantastic novel centered around magical realism is "One Hundred Years of Solitude.” This novel written by Gabriel García Márquez is considered one of the greatest achievements in world literature. Recently, the book from 1967 was turned into a television show in Columbia.

While I prefer to learn about and utilize magical realism and present-day realism in my fiction, I find this sub genre of fiction to be quite difficult—compared to the other genres. As a result, you will likely find these 50 keywords for magical realism to be more technical or high-brow:

Archives
Atmospheric / Dreamlike
Authorial reticence
Baroque-style details
Blurred boundaries
Chance
Columbian authors
Cyclical timeline
Dreams / Nightmares
Extraordinary sensory information
Family saga
Fantastical
Folkloric
Fractal geometry
Hauntings
Hybridity
Imaginary beings
Invented words
Indigenous beliefs
Infinity
Intensely sensory prose
Jarring
Labyrinths
Made-up languages
Magic as a metaphor
The marvelous real
Metamorphosis
Metaphorical
Metaphysical
Mirrors
Narrative restraint
New Objectivity
Normalization of magic
Paradoxes
Phenomenal world
Philosophical doctrine / Pseudo-philosophical doctrines
Plentitude
Political critique
Reserve
Social critique
Supernatural traits
Surrealism
Suspended timeline
The Limit State
Time distortion
Uncommunicative narration
Underlying air of mystery
Understatement in tone
Unsettling doubt of events
Mythology

50 Sub Genre Words Pertaining to Crime and Mystery Fiction

Mystery and crime fiction writing is resolved around solving a crime, typically a murder, often known as “whodunnits.” Set up the perfect crime scene with these 50 mystery and crime creative fiction keywords:

Alibi
Black’s Law Dictionary
The Bluebook
Crooked attorneys
Betrayal
Cat-and-mouse
Civil cases
Claims
Cliff hangers
Clinically dead
Cold case
Corporate espionage
Criminal cases
Dossier
Deduction
Enigma
Ex-military detective
False endings
Femme fatale
Forensics
Gritty
Heist
Heroic protagonist
Hidden information
High stakes
Investigation
Jury duty
Lawyer teams
Legalese / Legal code
Legal thriller
Missing persons
Nail-biting
Noir
Occultism
Ominous
Political thriller
Procedural
Puzzles
Psychological
Red herring
Secrecy
Sidekick
Spy and action
Suspenseful
Taking the stand
Tension
Ticking clock
Unreliable narrator
Victims
Whodunit

50 Sub Genre Keywords for Writing Romantic Fiction

Romance relishes in the development of a romantic relationship between characters. Amish Romance is the most popular creative fiction found in public libraries and little libraries from coast to coast. In addition, here are 49 other words that are quintessential to writing romantic fiction:

Alien love
Alpha male
Amish romance
Arranged marriage
Bad boy
Bedroom decor
Biblical dating rules
Billionaire boy toy
Catfished
Christmas wedding
Church wedding
Climax
Cryptid romance
Cute couple
Dark / Gothic romance
Dating experiences
Divorce
Emotional response
Enemies to lovers
Eroticism
Fake dating
Feelings
Halloween themed wedding
Happily Ever After (HEA)
Harlequin romance novels
Haunted wedding
Hora
Hugs / cuddles
Jewish wedding dance
LGBTQ
Love triangle
Loving actions
Online dating sites
Marriage
Mixed relations
Monster romance
Nuptials
Polyamorous lifestyle
Relationship dynamics
Second chance romance
Secret baby
Sensuality
Separation
Sexual desire
Sexual orientation
Single mom / dad
Small town romance
Steamy forced proximity
Vampire romance
Young love

*As a bonus, this is a resource I have compiled following my long desire to submit a romance novel to Harlequin. This is a beat sheet that includes all of the major aspects required by romance book publishers:

Bonus Credit: Free Harlequin Romance Writer Beat Sheet

The Hook/Opening Image (0–10%)

The protagonist is introduced in their previous world, highlighting their emotional need or flaw.

Meet Cute (10%)

The heroes meet, creating immediate tension or sparking a connection.

No Way / No Relationship (15%)

Characters establish the reasons behind their inability to be together, whether they are internal or external obstacles.

Adhesion / Forced Proximity (20-25%)

A situation compels them to collaborate and achieve a common objective. This initiates the Fun and Games phase.

Inkling of Desire (Mid-point of Act I)

The allure becomes undeniable.

Midpoint of Love (50%)

A false high creates a sense of closeness, often resulting in heightened intimacy.

The Turning Point/Doubt (55%)

External factors or internal fears can create doubt.

Dark Night of the Soul (75%)

The breakup or lowest point, where it appears that the relationship is doomed to fail.

The Climax/All Hope is Lost (80-90%)

A final, high-stakes conflict compels them to confront and overcome their flaw in order to mend their relationship.

Resolution / Happily Ever After (100%)

The couple reconciles, showcasing their growth and unwavering commitment to a fulfilling and lasting relationship.

Keep Writing!

I hope this information helps you get moving with thinking, writing, or editing your next grand masterpiece. Please check out the Sources Section next that showcases all the resources utilized in this blog post. Return next week for Blog Post # 02.

Best Regards,

Miranda Yearwood