 Action/Adventure: August 23, 2006 Issue [#1224] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: Edited by: John~Ashen  
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Action/Adventure! It comes in many forms, not just books and movies. However people get their thrills, in this genre it's our job to bring more excitement into their lives through writing. In this newsletter, I'll scroll through a short list of different types of adventure. Enjoy  -- John~Ashen |
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Types of Adventure
One problem with the adventure genre is that it too often spills over into the other major genres. That got me to wondering about what the pure subgenres were. I have assembled a short list from various sources below.
Disaster adventures feature natural or man-made disasters like fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and meteor strikes. If it hasn't happened yet, the story focus is on whether or not the disaster can be prevented. If unpreventable, the action revolves around trying to survive. Titanic, Armageddon, The Towering Inferno
Espionage adventure is basically a spy story. Governmental agents seek to protect or steal State secrets, or corporate agents attempt industrial espionage. Often, the decisions are dilemmas since not everything is black and white. The Art of War, Enemy of the State, Hackers
Exotic adventures detail a character's journey through wild lands to far-away places. Adapting to the various environments becomes a challenge in such stories. Swiss Family Robinson, The Wizard of Oz, Raiders of the Lost Ark
Military adventure concentrates on military conflicts. If historical, the plot uses factual events often mixed with fictional interpersonal subplots. If not historical, the plot usually focuses on near-future problems involving state-of-the-art technologies. Pearl Harbor, The Dirty Dozen, The Hunt for Red October
Male action adventure is a no-brainer. It focuses on a stereotypical male living out a fast-paced life of intrigue, romance, and power. James Bond, Triple X, The Destroyer
Western adventures usually take place in the American Old West, though they can also take place in countrysides or post-apocalypse. The plot focuses on the strict personal honor codes of individuals against the lawless situations resulting from non-existent or far-off government. Tombstone, Lord of the Flies, The Postman
Of course, there are other ways to divide up this genre. I thought this was a good, basic, intuitive list of groups. There are no hard-and-fast rules for writing adventure stories, so feel free to mix and cross over genres.
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Rooster Roo  comments: I am sorry but I slightly disagree with your theory about maintaining suspense by keeping the reader in the dark. What about dramatic irony?
E.g., a scene where two characters are conversing in a cafe, and a bomb, which had been planted under the table, suddenly goes off; the reader only experiences surprise. On the other hand, if the reader knows a saboteur place a bomb under the table, then is told that it will go off in fifteen minutes, plus there is a clock in the scene, the mundane conversation between two cafe patrons now becomes one of intense suspense, as the reader holds his or her breath waiting for the explosion.
Response: Why yes, I had forgotten about dramatic irony. Good point! When the reader knows about something dangerous that the characters don't, that too creates good suspense. It is certainly much better than blatant foreshadowing which ruins the surprise without stringing the reader along.
~*~Damiana Returned~*~ asks: When writing A/A is it best to balance the action/adventure or put more emphasis on one genre?
Answer: Action and Adventure are grouped together because they often share qualities. I'd say that if you want to have your characters change over time, then focus on Adventure. It is dealing with new things which helps define and transform a character through reactions. If you strictly want the reader to stay interested, then put more emphasis on action. Non-stop, exciting activity will make people not want to look away from your addicting story.
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