Last week we went over Consumer Genres and how readers are drawn to certain ones, and now I want to look at Content Genres. These twelve Content Genre categories divide stories into types based on what the protagonist wants in the story. Since readers follow the protagonist and live the story with him, they often get the same things out of the story as the character.
Content Genres
This list of Content Genres is from Shawn Coyne’s method called Story Grid. He has an entire website dedicated to helping authors with his method, and you can visit his site to read more about the method overall. I am only going to highlight key overarching points to his genre list, but he also lists important scenes and conventions that should be in each of these genres.
1. Action
Life is preserved when the protagonist makes a sacrifice to overpower or outwit their external and internal antagonists. But death results when the protagonist lacks the courage to sacrifice for the survival of self and others.
Shawn Coyne
Action genre stories focus primarily on an external plot arc of life and death. The underlying question is: How do I overcome powerful external forces intent on killing other innocent victims and me? The protagonist’s core need is survival. He wants to defeat the antagonist and save everyone else, while avoiding harm or death himself. On a deeper level, he wants to achieve a life with high vitality and meaning. An example of an action genre story is the movie Star Wars.
2. Crime
Justice prevails when the protagonist overpowers or outwits his/her antagonist to reveal the truth. But tyranny reigns when the perpetrator outwits the investigator by rigging or outwitting the system.
Shawn Coyne
The crime genre focuses on an external plot line of justice and injustice. It asks the question: How do you expose defectors from society’s norms, laws, and codes and then punish wrongdoing? The protagonist’s core need is safety. A crime breaks the safety provided by society, and it must be corrected. Often the protagonist is seeking order internally too with a personal flaw or past experience. One example of a crime story is Murder on the Orient Express.
3. Horror
Life is preserved when the ordinary person overpowers or outwits a monster, facing limits of human courage. But death or damnation results when we cannot muster the courage to face our fears to overpower or outwit the monster.
Shawn Coyne
Horror stories are about an external plot of life and damnation. It’s similar to a life and death story, but in horror the protagonist can often be faced with situations worse than death. The underlying question of this genre is: How do we secure and maintain the safety of our lives, our homes, and our grip on reality when we are victimized by a manifestation of our deepest fears? The core need is safety, both for the protagonist and any other victims. Unlike the action genre though, horror stories have an antagonist who cannot be reasoned with and embodies evil. On a deeper level, the character needs to find his courage to overcome the monster. A horror story example is Alien.
4. Love
Love triumphs when lovers overcome moral failings or sacrifice their needs for one another. Love fails when the lovers don’t evolve beyond desire.
Shawn Coyne
The love genre focuses on the external plot arc of love and hate. These stories’ main question is: How can we attract a mate, avoid heartbreak, and maintain a lasting relationship through a lifetime? The protagonist’s core need is connection with someone. They want to feel intimacy and know someone sees and understands them. One example of a love genre story is Pride and Prejudice.
5. Morality
We transcend our own selfishness when we share our gifts for the benefit of others. We are damned when we selfishly withhold our gifts or use them solely for our own gain in the world.
Shawn Coyne
Morality stories follow an internal plot arc of selfishness and altruism. The underlying question for this genre is: When given a chance to behave selfishly or altruistically, which will the protagonist choose? The core need for the protagonist is self-transcendence. They need to overcome their own desires and do something for the greater good. An example of a morality story is The Emperor’s Club.
6. Performance
We gain respect when we commit to expressing our gifts unconditionally. But shame results when we hold our gifts back for fear of criticism and/or reprisal.
Shawn Coyne
Stories in the performance genre deal with the external plot arc of shame and respect. The question is: Will the protagonist do what is necessary to pursue and fully express their unique gifts, despite physical, psychological, or emotional difficulties? The protagonist’s core need is esteem. He is seen as highly talented and strives to master a sport, art, or profession for the prestige. An example of a performance story is Cool Runnings.
7. Society
We gain power when we expose the hypocrisy of tyrants. Tyrants can beat back revolutions by co-opting the leaders of the underclass.
Shawn Coyne
A society genre story is an external story arc focused on the idea of impotence and power. The underlying question in this genre is: In the face of tyranny, do we stand against it or comply? The core need for the protagonist is recognition. An oppressed character or group tries to overthrow the current power and take control. The protagonist is fighting for agency in his own life. A society genre story example is Anna Karenina.
8. Status
Staying true to one’s own values, whether or not this leads to social betterment, defines success. But if one sells out—exchanging their values for meaningless rank, praise, or acquisitions—the result is failure.
Shawn Coyne
Status genre stories focus on internal plot arcs of failure and success. The main question is: Will the protagonist be able to find satisfaction and achieve society’s definition of success, or will they discover and embrace their personal definition of success and stay true to their values? The protagonist’s core need is respect. They want others to admire them without losing their own values. One status genre story is the movie Gladiator.
9. Thriller
Life is preserved when the protagonist succeeds in unleashing their unique gift, but death or damnation triumphs when they fail to do so.
Shawn Coyne
Thrillers are external plot arcs about damnation and life. This genre’s underlying question is: How do we deal with ever-present and often incomprehensible forces of evil in everyday life? The core need is safety, for himself and others. This genre blends elements from the horror genre (faces an antagonist who embodies evil) and the crime genre (the protagonist must identify the antagonist who committed a crime). Unlike in crime, the protagonist is usually targeted by the criminal and can face a fate worse than just death. An example of a thriller story is Gone Girl.
10. War
War derives meaning from the noble love and self-sacrifice of warriors, and it lacks meaning when leaders corrupt warriors’ sacrifices on the battlefield.
Shawn Coyne
War stories are external plot arcs focused on dishonor and honor. It provokes the question: How do we secure our group’s survival while maintaining our humanity in the process? The protagonists’ core need is safety from the antagonistic group battling them. Often though, these characters seek not just their safety but the protection of their society and loved ones as well. One example of a war genre story is Saving Private Ryan.
11. Western
Justice prevails when an uncompromising individual sacrifices for the good of others, but tyranny begins if the individual is betrayed by those they defend.
Shawn Coyne
This genre focuses on an external plot arc of subjugation and freedom. It asks: Is the autonomous, self-reliant individual in society dangerous to law and order or necessary to protect the powerless from tyranny? The core need of the main character is individual sovereignty. The protagonist must move above his own self-interest and unconditionally sacrifice for the good of others. It’s the conundrum of being under societal rule for the peace it can offer to civilization. An example of a western story is Tombstone.
12. Worldview
We gain new wisdom when we share our gifts with a multicolored and imperfect world that’s neither all or nothing. We descend into meaninglessness when we fail to mature past a black and white view of the world.
Shawn Coyne
Worldview genre stories are about an internal plot arc regarding ignorance and wisdom. The genre’s underlying question is: How can we solve problems we don’t yet understand, and how do we cope with events our existing beliefs cannot process? The protagonist’s core need is self-actualization. He will be challenged, and he must grow in his beliefs to actualize his potential in the world. One worldview genre example is The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Final Thoughts
These Content Genres are just another way to look at your story and search for the key elements you need to make the tale work. They aren’t the traditional genres, but I think they make more sense in regards to character arcs in your story. See which one fits your current protagonist’s character arc, and then check the Story Grid website to see if you have the key elements Shawn lists for that genre. It shouldn’t take long to go over his checklist, and it will help double check your story for possible flaws.
Thanks for reading!
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