Probably these are two questions you ask yourself when planning out your latest novel. Then you just get the rest of the song stuck in your head and there goes a whole day of writing. However, the NEXT day you can pick up from this and decide what kind of setting and genre you wish to write. The main literary genres when writing fiction are defined by these topics:
1. Fantasy
2. Westerns
3. Romance
4. Thriller
5. Mystery
6. Erotica
7. Detective Story
8. Dystopia
These are very general definitions, which have so many sub-categories (or sub-genres) that it would take far too long to name them all right here (though it would add to the word-count… hmm perhaps it is a good idea…)
This is also not to say a novel can’t be more than one genre, in fact in my opinion, a good novel should not be restricted by one genre and include elements of many. Obviously having an overall theme can give you a better understanding of the setting. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is very clearly Fantasy, but there are so many comedic elements throughout that I would also consider it a Comedy (which may perhaps be a sub-genre, but I believe an important one to know beforehand when both writing or reading a book. A comedy fantasy is very different to plain old fantasy.) Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights splits many readers as to it being either a Tragedy or Romance, with definite Thriller elements. Most likely it is a Tragomanciller.
Now, your novel, what do you want it to be? I would always say (and most other writers would agree) write what you know. This does not mean you cannot write sci-fi because you’ve never been to space, or write a Western because you’ve never had a Mexican standoff in the blazing sun. Experience comes in all forms, and it is easier than you think to transfer that idea onto paper. Have you ever been in a tense situation, been utterly scared by a film, gone on a walk through a nearby forest? How did they make you feel? Well now imagine your character is in a similar situation, are they like you in any way? Would they be scared, intrigued, angry? I understand this is less about setting and more about character building, but if you are writing a novel you should always be thinking about your character, and in this sense how do they belong in your world.
Back to the genre, and I have to say that drawing a lot of inspiration from tv, films and books is absolutely fine. This is the only “real” way to experience out-of-this-world settings, be it fantasy, horror, sci-fi, dystopia etc. If you have seen a lot of, say, Sci-Fi and you feel you have a good grasp of the genre, then go ahead and write Sci-Fi! You likely know more about it than you think, and if you enjoy the subject you shall enjoy what you write. You like Monster Movies? Well you’ve got a good grasp on Thriller, Fantasy, Sci-Fi maybe even Horror or Mystery. Picking the genre is an excellent way to start, and you’ll soon find yourself adding in additional details as you go along.
In a series we would like to start writing soon, we will go over some the specific genres and start breaking them down. The pros, the cons, the fun stuff and tricky stuff and hopefully everything you need to know if you want some advice on the subject. We probably can’t cover them all in great detail, as just like I said before, write what you know. And boy we know fantasy and sci-fi, but not so hot on Romance (and while some like it hot, we prefer our romance to be a part of our novels but not the entire genre. Just our personal preference. Maybe we haven’t read enough good romance, so please do suggest some good ones for our better understanding!)
Now if you will excuse me I have a Queen album to listen to.