Formulaic Fiction: Love It or Hate It?

A Broken Record

I mention frequently how much I dislike formulaic fiction. That's my biggest problem with my first book, Amelia's Children. It's a murder mystery and it unfolds the way any murder mystery would. In other words, it's formulaic, which my mind automatically translates as "lacks originality." 

Amelia's Children also happens to be my most popular book, so apparently a lot of people are looking for stories that follow a formula.

I do love a good mystery. I just can't get into, for example, shows like Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, or even those with a slightly darker feel to them, like Criminal Minds. I can watch one or two episodes, but after that I start to feel like I'm watching the same story over and over. Which I am. 

My disdain for stories that follow formula too closely is the primary reason I give for not reading a lot of romance. That genre carries the weight of too many fan expectations, and writers cater to those expectations. I mean, they want to make a living, right? Can't go making the fans angry. So there are things that have to happen, and they have to happen at specific times in the story. And of course there must be a happy ending.

Honestly, I think it's the guaranteed happy ending that's the biggest turnoff for me. Look, I like love stories. Love Story, for example, is a movie I've seen multiple times and still enjoy. (Okay, it's a seventies movie, and I really like seventies movies, so maybe that's the allure, who knows?) I also like The Time Traveler's Wife and Wuthering Heights. What do all of these have in common? Well...in each one, one of the main characters dies. You see, if there's not a real possibility that the characters will either die or break up at the end, I can't make myself care about them. What's the point, if I know going in that they're going to live happily ever after?

A Big Glaring Exception to My Rule

I've also said numerous times that I'm a horror movie buff. But I'm a picky one. I don't like just any horror. I have very specific parameters within which a horror movie must fit, or I will not like it.

Basically, I like formulaic horror.

If a horror movie goes overboard trying to shock me with death and gore, like the second Halloween movie, I will not like it.

If a movie tries to pull off some convoluted twist ending, like The Brood, I will not like it.

If a movie shows the monster too soon, like Lights Out, I will not like it.

I recently watched the new movie The Open House on Netflix. That's something of a confusing title because there's another movie, called simply Open House, which came out in 2010 and is available on Amazon. I haven't seen Open House. I've seen The Open House. I don't know if the newer one is based on the older one in any way or if it's just a coincidence, but I need to make sure you know which movie I watched.

I loved that movie. I read a review of it before watching it. The review called it predictable and cliché. Well guess what? That's what I look for in horror.

Give me a painfully slow build-up of tension, to the point where you almost begin to think nothing bad is going to happen at all, like the first Halloween movie.

Give me an old fashioned haunted house story, like The Conjuring.

Give me a movie with an evil child, like The Ring.

You see, for me, good horror has more to do with pacing and mood than with story. Yes, originality can be nice. The Ring was a darn original idea, and I loved that. But The Ring also spends time setting up the story and creating the right mood. The result is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. The Brood, on the other hand, tried to be original but turned out to be just weird.

Okay, your turn. Do you have a favorite genre that just has to follow the formula or you won't like it? Please tell me in a comment.

Oh, and before I go, I have some news items to share:

I'm now offering a proofreading and critiquing service for authors. You can find out more about that here.

I also have a newsletter now. If you'd like to subscribe, please fill out my sign-up form.

And finally, I have Amelia's Children available on Instafreebie for a limited time. If you'd like a free copy, check it out here.