Literary Fiction
Character, language, and the interior life.
Psychological · Domestic · Campus · Experimental · Social novel · Quiet realism
Catalogue
Genres and sub-genres
Every category Storywell will write into — fiction plots and non-fiction outlines. The short line under each name opens a longer note on what that genre tends to do. When you are ready, pick one on the compose page and add your own themes, locations or ideas.
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Stories set in the recognisable now.
Slice of life · Relationship · Workplace · Small town · Upmarket · Ensemble
Historical Fiction
The past, researched and inhabited.
Ancient world · Medieval · Tudor & Stuart · Georgian & Regency · Victorian · First World War · Second World War · Twentieth century · Biographical
Romance
Two people, a barrier, a satisfying ending.
Contemporary · Historical · Romantic comedy · Romantic suspense · Paranormal · Dark romance · Romantasy · Second chance · Slow burn
Mystery
A question that must be answered.
Cozy · Detective · Amateur sleuth · Police procedural · Locked room · Historical mystery · Noir
Thriller
Pressure, pace, and a ticking clock.
Psychological · Domestic · Legal · Political · Spy & espionage · Techno · Action · Medical
Horror
Gothic · Folk horror · Cosmic · Psychological · Haunted house · Survival · Body horror · Quiet horror
Science Fiction
What if the future, or the science, changed everything.
Space opera · Hard SF · Cyberpunk · Dystopian · Time travel · First contact · Military SF · Climate fiction · Solarpunk
Fantasy
Magic, other worlds, and the rules that bind them.
Epic / high · Urban · Dark fantasy · Portal · Sword & sorcery · Mythic · Cozy fantasy · Romantasy · Low fantasy
Crime
The job, the gang, the courtroom, the aftermath.
Heist · Noir · Courtroom · Gangland · Caper · Vigilante
Adventure
Movement, landscape, and the test of nerve.
Survival · Quest · Seafaring · Exploration · Lost world
Western
Frontier, dust, and the law at the edge of it.
Classic · Revisionist · Weird west · Frontier
Magical Realism
The marvellous treated as ordinary.
Lyrical · Political · Family chronicle
Young Adult
First loves, first losses, first real choices.
Contemporary · Fantasy · Dystopian · Romance · Thriller · Historical
Middle Grade
Wonder, friendship, and a world still being learned.
Adventure · Fantasy · School story · Mystery · Animal
Children's
Picture books and early chapters.
Picture book · Early reader · Chapter book · Bedtime
Humour & Satire
Comic novels, farce, and the well-aimed needle.
Comic novel · Satire · Farce · Parody · Absurdist
Women's Fiction
The lives of women, told from the inside.
Book club · Friendship · Mother & daughter · Midlife
LGBTQ+
Queer lives at the centre of the story.
Romance · Literary · Young adult · Historical · Speculative
Gothic
Houses, secrets, weather, and the past that will not sit.
Classic gothic · Modern gothic · Southern gothic · Gothic romance
War & Military
Combat, aftermath, and the home front.
Combat · Home front · Veteran · Naval
Family Saga
Generations, houses, and the debts they pass on.
Multi-generational · Dynasty · Immigrant saga
Coming of Age
The self assembling under pressure.
Bildungsroman · One summer · School years
Alternate History
One changed fact, a different century.
Political · Military · Literary
Steampunk & Gaslamp
Brass, steam, and manners with teeth.
Steampunk · Gaslamp · Dieselpunk
Myth & Fairy Tale
Old stories retold, or newly unearthed.
Fairy tale retelling · Myth retelling · Folklore · Arthurian
Speculative
The uncanny without a full secondary world.
Slipstream · The weird · Near future
New Adult
The first years of independent life.
Romance · Contemporary · College
Short Story Collection
Linked or standalone pieces with a single pulse.
Linked stories · Thematic collection · Novella
Graphic Novel
Story told in panels as much as sentences.
Autobiographical · Fantasy · Literary · Superhero
Inspirational Fiction
Faith, hope, and a moral centre.
Christian · Amish · Allegory
Eco-fiction
Landscape as character; climate as plot.
Climate · Wilderness · Solastalgia
Non-fiction
Memoir
A life, shaped, not merely recalled.
Coming of age · Grief · Illness · Travel memoir · Career · Family · Addiction & recovery
Biography
Someone else's life, argued and evidenced.
Literary · Political · Artist / musician · Scientist · Group biography
History
What happened, and why it still matters.
Ancient · Medieval · Early modern · Modern · Military · Social · Microhistory
True Crime
A real case, told with care and structure.
Investigation · Wrongful conviction · Historical case · Forensic
Self-Help
A problem, a method, a change the reader can feel.
Habits · Confidence · Relationships · Happiness · Healing
Personal Development
Skills for a life that is being built on purpose.
Productivity · Mindset · Creativity · Leadership
Business
How organisations actually work — or fail.
Startups · Management · Marketing · Leadership · Career strategy · Company story
Personal Finance
Money as a set of decisions, not a personality.
Investing · Debt · Retirement · Independence / FIRE · Behavioural
Health & Wellness
The body, attended to without slogans.
Nutrition · Fitness · Sleep · Mental health · Longevity
Psychology
How minds work, in the lab and in the kitchen.
Popular psychology · Cognitive · Developmental · Social
Philosophy
Clear thinking about how to live and what is real.
Ethics · Practical / Stoic · History of ideas · Political
Science
The universe, explained without talking down.
Physics · Biology · Astronomy · Earth science · Popular science
Nature & Environment
Field, forest, ocean, and the systems that hold them.
Natural history · Climate · Conservation · Place writing
Politics & Current Affairs
Power, policy, and the argument of the moment.
Policy · Campaigns · Geopolitics · Media
Travel
Going somewhere, and coming back changed — or not.
Narrative travel · Guidebook · Place essays · Adventure
Food & Drink
Appetite, craft, and the table as culture.
Cookbook · Food memoir · Wine & drink · Food history
Parenting & Family
Raising people without pretending it is simple.
New parents · Teenagers · Learning at home · Family systems
Education
How we teach, learn, and remember.
Classroom · Higher education · Learning science
Religion & Spirituality
Belief, practice, and the questions underneath.
Practice · Theology · Mindfulness · Comparative
How-To & Practical
A skill, taught in order, so the reader can do it.
Craft & making · Home · Outdoors · Technical
Creativity & Writing
The work of making things with words — or without.
Writing a novel · Getting published · Poetry · Creative process · Screenwriting
Career
Work as a long game, not a job advert.
Job search · Career change · Freelance · Women at work
Technology
Tools, systems, and the people caught in them.
Artificial intelligence · Internet culture · Future tech · Privacy & power
Art & Design
Looking, making, and the history of both.
Art history · Design · Architecture · Photography
Music
Listening with a spine of history and craft.
History · Artist study · Criticism
Sport
Bodies in contest, and the cultures around them.
Athlete story · Tactics · Sporting culture
Essays
A mind on the page, following a question.
Personal · Critical · Lyric
Journalism & Investigation
Reported fact, structured as a book.
Investigative · Immersion · Oral history
Relationships
How we attach, leave, and stay.
Dating · Marriage · Friendship · Separation
Humour
The world, taken seriously enough to laugh at.
Comic memoir · Satire · Gift humour
Reference
Look-up knowledge, organised for use.
Handbook · Encyclopedic · Directory