Below are detailed descriptions of the genres Wattpad offers with examples and suggestions to learn more about each genre.

I invite you to comment your favorite books you can categorize in any genre listed below. And if you know of a book on Wattpad that helps writers and readers to better understand a genre, let me know so I may add it in to this part!

Action:

"Looking for danger, risk, and excitement? Find your hero in the best action books for teens and adults from your favorite authors."

Action fiction is the genre that includes spy novels, adventure stories, tales of terror and intrigue, and mysteries.

This kind of story utilizes suspense, the tension that is built up when the reader wishes to know how the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist is going to be resolved or what the solution to the puzzle of a thriller is.

Example: "The Hunt for Red October" by Tom Clancy.

Adventure:

"Go on an epic journey with these free adventure books. Travel to the realm of heroes, villains, pirates, and other fairy folk."

Adventure fiction is a genre of fiction in which an adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, forms the main storyline.

Think of an adventure as a journey.

Example: "The Lord of the Rings" series by J.R.R. Tolkien.

ChickLit:

"Discover your next favorite chicklit author with these tales of dating, drama, and disasters. Book your next experience in classic trials of modern womanhood."

ChickLit or Chick literature is genre fiction, which "consists of heroine-centered narratives that focus on the trials and tribulations of their individual protagonists."

The genre often addresses issues of modern womanhood–from romantic relationships to female friendships to matters in the workplace–in humorous and lighthearted ways.

New Adult fiction (also known as NA or post-adolescent literature) is a recent genre of fiction aimed towards post-adolescents and young adults ages 18 to 30.

The genre tends to focus on issues prevalent in the young adult genre, as well as focusing on issues experienced by individuals in between the area of childhood and adulthood, such as leaving home for university and getting a job.

To learn more about how to write new adult fiction, check out NewAdultReads' book, "Writing New Adult Literature."

Example: "The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger.

Classics:

"Immerse yourself in must read classic novels and literature that have stood the test of time."

A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or noteworthy. The ability of a classic book is to be reinterpreted, to seemingly be renewed in the interests of generations of readers succeeding its creation.

Example: "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll.

Fanfiction:

"From Supernatural to Harry Potter, One Direction to Percy Jackson, read the best fanfiction from whatever fandom you are in."

Fanfiction (also abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction about characters or settings from an original work of fiction or real-world entity, created by fans.

Fanfiction is defined by being both related to its subject's canonical fictional universe (often referred to as "canon") and simultaneously existing outside it.

Most fanfiction writers assume that their work is read primarily by other fans, and therefore presume that their readers have knowledge of the canon universe in which their works are based.

To get a better grasp on how to write fanfiction, I suggest checking out this great book by Fanfic, "How To Write Fanfiction."

Fantasy:

"Enter the realm of magic, dragons, princesses, elves, and faraway kingdoms, where a series of most unexpected events come to life."

Fantasy is a fiction genre that uses magic or other supernatural elements as the main plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common.

Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three, all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction.

There are too many subgenres of fantasy to list them all here. If you're interested in getting to know which subgenre you'd narrow your work down to, check out Fantasy's book, "Fantasy Sub-Genre Guide."

Example: "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin.

General Fiction:

"Get your fix of contemporary fiction. Experience a new perspective with the best free fiction from your next favorite author."

General Fiction is pretty broad. Books that fall into the general fiction genre are often ones that straddle so many genres that it's hard to place them in any specific one, or even two. The books in the general fiction genre can be a combination of any three or more genres of fiction that cause them to be outside the limits and rules of those specific genres.

Example: "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Historical Fiction:

"Fall back in time with fictional period pieces, war stories, and tales of vikings, kings and queens that capture the essence of history."

Historical Fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting located in the past. An essential element of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions, and other details of the period depicted.

Authors also frequently choose to explore notable historical figures in these settings, allowing readers to better understand how these individuals might have responded to their environments. Some subgenres, such as alternate history or historical fantasy, insert speculative or historical elements into a novel.

Example: "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker.

Horror:

"Feeling brave? Prepare for a scare with these creepy tales of eerie encounters, urban legends, and the unknown."

Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to, or has the capacity to, frighten, scare, disgust, or startle their readers or viewers by inducing feelings of horror and terror.

Example: "The Shining" by Stephen King.

Humor:

"From tongue-in-cheek satire to literary comedy, enjoy these funny stories for adults and teens."

Also known as a comic novel, a novel that falls under the Humor genre is usually a work of fiction in which the writer seeks to amuse the reader, sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative, sometimes above all other considerations.

It could indeed be said that humor fiction is literary work that aims primarily to provoke laughter, but this isn't always as obvious as it first may seem.

Example: "I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual" by Luvvie Ajayi.

Mystery / Thriller:

"Welcome to the world of mystery, crime, and intrigue. Investigate psychological thrillers, blood boiling murders, and detective stories."

Mystery fiction is a genre of fiction usually involving a mysterious death or a crime to be solved.

In a closed circle of suspects, each suspect must have a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. The central character must be a detective, or act as one, who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts fairly presented to the reader.

Sometimes mystery books are nonfictional. Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution. Mystery fiction can be contrasted with hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism.

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, having numerous subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation, and anxiety.

Thrillers generally keep the audience on the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer is a common element. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.

Suspense, often confused for as horror, is a feeling of pleasurable fascination and excitement mixed with apprehension, tension, and anxiety developed from an unpredictable, mysterious, and rousing source of entertainment. For Wattpad genres, I would include it in this genre.

Example: "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold.

Non-Fiction:

"Read fascinating biographies, intimate memoirs, real stories of personal growth, and other non-fiction books."

Books that fit into Non-Fiction genres are made up of prose writing based on facts, real events, and real people. Books in non-fiction genres are based on true facts and information. They can be narrative accounts or other communicative works that impart knowledge or information to the reader.

Example: "Why Not Me?" by Mindy Kaling.

Paranormal:

"Beware: ghosts, zombies, demons, clairvoyants, and ghouls. Read these free paranormal stories at your own risk."

Books in the Paranormal fiction genre are set in the real world, but they include experiences that defy scientific explanation. For example, stories set on earth that include things like angels, demons, ghosts, psychics, vampires, werewolves, etc.

To learn more about paranormal subgenres and writing tips, check out ParanormalCommunity's book, "How to Write Paranormal." They also have a few tips in here on how to write horror.

Example: "City of Bones" By Cassandra Clare.

Poetry:

"Immerse yourself with the best poems online about love, life, and the human experience."

They are just that. Books in the Poetry genre contain words that follow a rhythm or structure, and sometimes rhyme, that are designed to evoke emotion and thought.

Example: "100 Selected Poems" by E.E. Cummings.

Random:

"Read stories that defy definition. Whether you are looking for things to do when you are bored, top 10 lists, guides, rants, diary entries, or contests, find your fix here."

If you categorize your fiction story as Random, personally, I would consider you lazy. I would also point out that you're not going to get a lot of reads that way because the readers that are out there looking for a story like yours aren't looking in the random section.

Wattpad put a random genre on their website for those who post 'books' about fan art, covers, contests, writing prompts, guides on how to do the perfect winged eyeliner, or a top 10 list of the best animes from 2010 and on.

If your book is a work of fiction, it should never fall under this category.

Romance:

"Discover free love stories for any passion or persuasion. Book a date with your favorite author and read everything from sweet young romance to steamy new adult."

Romance genre stories involve chivalry and often adventure. The prevailing type of story in the romance genre consists of a love relationship between two characters. There is always conflict that hinders the relationship, but is resolved to a "happy ending."

I find that romance novels are the broadest on Wattpad, because, let's be honest here, the majority of the 45 million monthly Wattpadders are hopeless romantics, myself included.

So, if you were to head on over to the romance genre, you would find a variety of books from college kids finding love to girls meeting their possessive werewolf alpha mates to erotic billionaire bachelors to high schoolers freaking out about their "forever single" status.

Example: "A Walk to Remember" by Nicholas Sparks.

Science Fiction:

"Travel to the interstellar worlds of science fiction. Discover free books about space odysseys, time travel, dystopian futures, alien planets, and post-apocalyptic universes."

Science Fiction is a genre of speculative fiction typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.

Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations. It usually avoids the supernatural, and unlike the related genre of fantasy, historically, science fiction stories were intended to have at least a faint grounding in science-based fact or theory at the time the story was created, but this connection has become practically non-existent in much of science fiction today, as you find zombie apocalypses being a popular storyline.

Just like fantasy, there are way too many subgenres of science fiction to list here. So, to educate yourself, and perhaps help narrow down what type of science fiction you're writing, check out ScienceFiction's book, "How To Write Science Fiction."

Example: "2001: A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke.

Short Story:

"On the go? Read these slice-of-life short stories that span across genres."

The Short Story category is here to make it easier for readers to find just that, short stories. They can be in any genre with a multitude of different themes, but the main reason for this genre is convenience.

Although a short story could be as long as 30,000 words, stories of that length begin to become too bulky for their genre. These days, short stories are approximately 3,500 words. Short stories published online are often held to even smaller word counts, sometimes as little as 1,000 words or less; this is also known as flash fiction.

Spiritual:

"Embark on a spiritual journey with stories that nourish the soul. Find your answers through self-reflection, healing, and spirituality."

Books in the Spirituality genre are about the belief and processes of personal or character transformation involved with believing in a power greater than one's self, over the universe.

The books in this genre involve techniques and journeys about finding and believing in something beyond one's self and becoming linked with something bigger (a god or deity).

They don't necessarily have to do with religion because spirituality is often separated from (but sometimes connected with) religion in that it's based on subjective experience and psychological growth.

Example: "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Teen Fiction:

"Ride the emotional roller coaster of young adulthood with these free coming-of-age stories on love, friendship, high school drama, popularity and awkward teen moments."

Also known as Young Adult fiction (YA), Teen Fiction is fiction published for readers from 12 to 18. However, authors and readers of "young teen novels" often define it as written for those aged 15 to the early 20s.

The subject matter and storylines of young adult literature are typically consistent with the age and experience of the main character, but this literature spans the spectrum of fiction genres.

Example: "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" by Judy Blume.

Vampire:

"Sink your teeth into these vampire books about century-old love, coven drama, and paranormal transformation."

Books in the Vampire genre are stories that have vampires in them–reanimated bodies that feed on the blood of the living.

Example: "Vampire Academy" by Richelle Mead.

Werewolf:

"From alpha to omega, find your one true mate with these free werewolf books that will make you howl."

Books in the Werewolf genre are stories that have werewolves in them–humans with the ability to shapeshift into wolves.

Example: "Bitten" by Kelley Armstrong.

When considering the genres of the publishing industry, the Vampire and Werewolf genres would be considered a part of the supernatural subgenre under the Fantasy genre umbrella. However, since these two are widely popular nowadays, Wattpad has made them into their own categories so readers may easily find them.

Please give this part a vote if you learned something new!