Know thy Genre

After being on the road for a couple weeks, it is always nice to get back to my office to write. Know Your Audience
Writers write what they know or so the cliché goes, on the other hand, how could you or why would you write about something you are clueless about? Unless, of course, it is simply for amusement and silliness, and sometimes that type of writing can serve a purpose too, but your readers should know and understand “what” and “why” you are writing. A writer should also know the needs and wants of his/her audience.
If writing “just” for writing sake or for practice, it is probably a good idea you limit sharing this type of writing and put it in your personal journal. If, however, you are writing for a specific purpose in a specific genre, you must know your audience (the reader) and give them what they want. Understanding genre is a way to help you know and give your audience what they want.
Genre (kind or type) was originally created by publishers to help categorize published literature into a system to make it easier for customers to purchase a particular genre (type) of story. If a customer enjoys reading fiction, what type of fiction do they enjoy? Perhaps they enjoy a focus on science or history. Do they enjoy a romance, an adventure or a fantasy? Or do they enjoy a combination of them all? This helps the book dealer and publisher find books and writers that directly give the reader what they want.
Genre, although a simple idea created to meet a simple need, is often difficult to understand. If you put the reader or audience first, however, it will help you as a writer have a clearer understanding. Start first with the age of the reader that you are writing for. What are their needs?
If writing for children, you must always remember vocabulary, description and content. Age groups for this type of genre usually break down: 0-5, 5-7, 7-11 and sometimes 7-9 and pre-teens. Each group has its own vocabulary level and its own content level that must be appropriate or else a wise parent or teacher will discover your work and make sure it is no longer made available for their youngsters to read.
Writing for children does not mean dummying down your work or simplifying, it is often more difficult to write for children because children “learn” when they read even though they might be reading to be entertained. Be careful and responsible when writing for this level of reader (as with all levels of readers) as an error in judgment for this audience can sometimes ruin a writing career. Be mindful of age appropriate vocabulary, storylines, settings, and characters. A young reader, if they are to like your stories and request them over and over again, must identify with the story, even with limited life experiences (and their parents must like the stories, too).
Writing for the Young Adult age level is a slight bit easier as there are fewer limitations to this category. Generally, these types of short stories or novels portray a teen main character, rather than an adult or young child. The storylines typically reflects the age and experience of the main character, but after that, most YA stories cover nearly every level of fictional genre.
Adult fiction covers all genres, and there are as many genres and styles of writing as there are writers, books and categories. Adult fiction is thought to be, of course, more sophisticated with a developed use of words, vocabulary, settings and storylines. On the other hand, I have worked with publishers and editors who have reminded me to make sure, even if I am writing for an adult audience, to keep my writing level and vocabulary to an understanding and age limit of about a High School graduate. If too sophisticated, you lose readers. The simpler the better is often their motto. I personally disagree, but the publisher/editor does have the last word in all purchases and sales.
My best advice to writers: know your reader and their needs before you begin writing your story.

Suggested reading:
Teaching Genre by Tara McCarthy
Writing and Reading Literary Genres by K. Buss & L. Karnowski
Passport to Genre by Debbie Connolly