An Introduction to. . . Contemporary/Realistic Fiction

Ah, contemporary fiction. The genre full of everything from heartbreaking stories to trashy stories; with a tale for almost anyone. I don't have anything against contemporary fiction, I enjoy most of the ones I've read, but if forced to chose between reading contemporary and fantasy for the rest of my life, I'd chose fantasy. Anyway, let's get started on this month's genre.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Contemporary, or realistic, fiction, is all about the real world and generally takes place in the modern era. There's no magic or advanced science here. Instead, the stories focus on topics like growing up, real world problems, and personal dilemmas. Basically, if it's something you or someone you know is likely to face, then it's in these books.

Sub-genres

• Romance. Romance can also be it's own genre, but it and contemporary fiction overlap almost all the time. There are all types of romance books (most of which I wouldn't read) so go look that up if you want more.

• Coming of age. These stories deal with growing up and entering a new stage of life. You can find this type of story in almost any genre, but it's especially tied to the realistic fiction one.

• Humor. Basically, a funny book in a realistic setting. There's nothing funnier than humor you can relate to.

• Crime. Mysteries and crimes of all kinds can show up in realistic fiction, normally tied in with lots of drama. It also seems the more gory the murder, the better for some reason.

• Sports. For me, this is a yawn, but lots of people love sports books. Baseball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse. And it always seems to be a story of a triumphant underdog, for some reason.

Tropes

• Family. Mostly family drama, but families populate realistic fiction. Sadly, many of these families are broken and fighting, dealing with issues like divorce and whatnot. (You can work on changing that, though.)

• School. If it's a contemporary YA book, it will be high school. MG, middle school. Adult, probably college. It's impossible to escape, but a realistic setting since most of our first twenty years are spent in school.

• Diversity. There has been a big push in literature for more diversity of all types. I'm all for that, mostly. Racial diversity, neurological and disability diversity, religious diversity. I'd like to see more people like me, though. More homeschooled Christian girls, anyone?

• Social issues. This goes along with the diversity one. A lot of books anymore like to deal with things like racism, gender equity, and all that stuff. Another one that can be good or bad.

• Relationships. Even a story about wanting to get on the basketball team can't escape romance. It's understandable, since love is a major part of our lives, but I personally could do with a little less.

To Avoid

• Mary/Gary Sues. These are boring characters with no personality that think of themselves as plain (but are beautiful) and talent-less (while they're genius at something). Please, give your characters some flaws, some dimension.

• Instalove/love triangles. There are a heck of a lot of love cliches to avoid, but these are the biggest two. Almost no one falls in love at first sight and definitely no one falls in love with two people that they absolutely can't pick between.

• Cliche characters. The brooding jock. The queen bee cheerleader. The glasses, bow-tie wearing geek. There are so many cliche character types that need to be avoided at all costs.

• Super smarts. Ever notice how many geniuses populate realistic fiction books? There really aren't that many out there. Also, things like AP students or honor roll kids. Let's have more normal people, please.

• Annoying younger siblings. A personal pet peeve of mine. The character has younger siblings who are brats and annoying as heck. Siblings aren't like that, at least not all the time. Your siblings are your best friends, and even when you're mad at them, you love them.

Example Books

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Wonder by R. J. Palacino

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd

Have you ever written realistic fiction? What's your favorite contemporary book? Tell me in the comments.

An Introduction to. . .

Fantasy
Science Fiction
Historical Fiction