COMPONENT 3 - What if we get an odd genre?

I am going to provide you with some resources which outline suggested conventions of some of the more likely genres. However, it is possible they might throw you a bit of a 'curve ball' and give you a genre that makes you think, 'What the heck is that?' or 'How the flip am I supposed to know what the conventions of that are?'


Again, remember our number one rule - REMAIN CALM.


If this happens, it is likely they are testing your common sense. It is also likely that everyone up and down the country is feeling the same as you. So, the best thing you can do is to think it through logically, be decisive, and come up with your conventions anyway.


One example question in the SAMS says, 'Write the opening to a murder mystery novel...'


Being totally honest with you, I have never read a murder mystery novel. I'm assuming most of you have not either.


Does this mean we panic? cry? throw up? No! Of course not - because most people reading the question will not have read one either.


What we do is stay calm, and decide what FOUR/FIVE likely conventions of the genre will be.


So how do we work this out?


Well, firstly, are you familiar with any similar genres? Yes - short stories! So we can borrow at least a couple of conventions from there.


Aside from that, just use your common sense.


*It is likely to be quite mysterious, so my first convention will be to use a semantic field of mystery in my writing.
*There will be a detective of some sort, who will be a strong character, so I will characterise him or her as strong, inquisitive and decisive.
*The setting will be important - usually (I imagine) these novels will be set somewhere very atmospheric like a castle or stately home, so I'll set it there.
*There will normally be lots of foreshadowing that something bad will happen (remember it is the START of the story, so the murder might not have taken place yet). So I'll use pathetic fallacy (mist/ thunder and lightning), sounds and descriptions to add tension.


And there we have it - the conventions of a murder mystery! And I've never read one! But I can guarantee my suggestions will be as valid as anybody else answering the exam.


All you need to do, whatever the genre, is stay calm, and be decisive. You can't go wrong if you do that.


Nick