Genres I don’t work with

When it comes to what genres I can help you with as a developmental editor and/or story coach, I’m somewhat flexible. While my preferred genres are mystery/suspense, magical realism, and historical fiction, I’m familiar with fiction in general and some creative nonfiction, so I might be able to help with other kinds of stories as well. (As a proofreader, I’m even more flexible and can also help with general nonfiction, but that’s a post for another day.)

However, there are certain kinds of stories that I don’t work on, and I thought it might be helpful to talk a little about these today.

So, what don’t I work on?

I’m not a fan of erotica (a few erotic scenes are okay, but I don’t work on stories where this is a major element).

Also, tech-heavy science fiction doesn’t appeal to me. This might include stories where technology plays a very central role (perhaps a novel where the main characters are robots and the implications of specific technologies are discussed, for example). If technology is part of the plot, but not the main thrust of it, then that’s probably fine. For instance, if your story involves a machine that enables time travel and the plot revolves around the characters travelling through time, then that sounds like something I could probably help with.

I’m also not keen on stories that are primarily aimed at readers of specific faiths (but elements of faith within a story are okay). This isn’t because there’s anything wrong with having faith, it’s just that because I don’t tend to read these stories, I don’t have a good understanding of them. This makes me unqualified to edit them.

Children’s fiction is another genre I don’t have a good enough understanding of to help writers with. While I enjoyed the children’s stories I read growing up, I haven’t kept up with modern-day fiction for kids.

Finally, while I love historical fiction and do sometimes enjoy romantic fiction, I’m just not a fan of Regency Romance. I want to love it, I just don’t. Because I don’t love it, I don’t read it, which means I can’t help authors who are writing it.

As you’ll probably have gathered by now, there’s nothing wrong with any of these genres, they’re just not my cup of tea (or coffee, as the case may be).

I should probably add at this point that I also don’t work on any story that sets out to glorify violence, or purposely objectify or other anyone, but this should be obvious.

So, what kinds of stories might I be able to help with, outside of my preferred genres? I enjoy women’s fiction, upmarket fiction, commercial fiction, some literary fiction, some fantasy and science fiction, memoirs (especially memoirs about travel, food, pets/animals, and family), and some romantic fiction (especially romantic comedies).

As you can see, there are far more stories that I do work with than those I don’t. Still, I always think it’s helpful to be specific.

If you’re looking for some help with a story genre that I do edit/work with, I’d love to hear from you. You can use the contact button below to tell me about your story and what you think you might need/want help with.