What's Your Writing Genre?

*This quiz was adapted from the book, "So, You Wanna Be a Writer?" by Vicki Hambleton and Cathleen Greenwood. Read on to find out what your writing genre is:

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1. At parties I like to:
a) talk intensely about a current event in the news to find out what other people know.
b) people watch. It's fun to see how the "popular kids" act and figure out who is the "rebel" in the crowd. People are so fascinating!
c) observe the drama between my friends -- what they are saying and how they are saying it.
d) get lost in the sound of so many people talking at once. I can pick out words here and there and make a collage of them in my head. The words don't make a lot of sense, but the weird combination fascinates me.
e) wonder if the people around me look human, but are really alien species.

2. My imaginary friend is:
a) a kid detective.
b) an encyclopedia with two legs and two arms.
c) a cat in a hat whose name is Pat.
d) You're kidding, right? Who needs an imaginary friend?
e) Chewie from Star Wars.

3. If I got a $20 gift certificate to a bookstore, I'd race out and buy:
a) the newest book by Steven King. I've already read all his earlier stuff.
b) Jewel's poetry book, "A Night Without Armor".
c) a copy of "Romeo and Juliet" or a book about the making of "The Matrix" movie.
d) "Katie.com" or the biography of my favorite hero.
e) "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton or "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.

4. My philosophy is:
a) "Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story."
b) "May the force be with you."
c) "Poetry is the eloquence of truth."
d) "All the world's a stage."
e) "Truth is stranger than fiction."

5. At the state fair I would spend most of my time:
a) riding the Gravitron. It feels like you're on outer space on that thing.
b) learning about all the different animals on display.
c) eavesdropping on kids in the Sno-Cone line.
d) on the Ferris Wheel. I love watching all the colors of the sunset and feeling the wind in my hair from up there.
e) watching the various performers onstage.

6. My favorite thing about writing is:
a) interviewing people and asking hard questions about important issues.
b) getting my innermost thoughts across in the fewest, most beautiful words.
c) imagining fantastic creatures and faraway lands.
d) creating interesting characters that feel real.
e) imagining how people will become my characters on stage and how the audience will react to my words.

7. When I daydream in class, I:
a) imagine myself as a reporter, traveling in a foreign country to cover a world-changing news event.
b) create haiku poems from snippets of what the teacher is saying.
c) imagine that the teacher is actually a giant man-eating insect that can disguise itself as a human during certain phases of its life.
d) put the whole class into a movie and think up tons of exciting plot twists that could happen.
e) think about all the stories I could write on the subject being discussed.

8. My idea of a great weekend afternoon is:
a) visiting a local garden and writing a long poem about a just-blooming rose bush.
b) going to a triple-header movie marathon. Who cares if it's sunny outside?
c) sitting at a cafe downtown with my journal, watching people go by and live their lives, while I write it all down for story material.
d) coming across a reporter filming a news story. Maybe she'll interview me and I can speak my mind on the issue.
e)playing a complex fantasy game with my friends, where we each get to play different wizards.

9. My favorite game to play is:
a) Scrabble
b) Life
c) Charades
d) Trivial Pursuit
e) Dungeons and Dragons

10. When a teacher calls on me and I don't know the answer, I:
a) create an elaborate story that sounds like it might be an answer, but is mostly just my imagination
b) tell her my pet dragon burned up my homework
c) tell her the truth: sorry, I don't know the answer
d) put my hand on my forehead and sigh dramatically; my sickness act always works
e) tell her that all answers are debatable anyway

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SCORING:
Add up your points for each answer you circled, then check out the meaning of your total below:

1. a) 1* b) 3 * c) 2 * d) 5 * e) 4

2. a) 4* b) 1* c) 5* d) 3* e) 2

3. a) 4* b) 5* c) 2* d) 1* e) 3

4. a) 3* b) 4* c) 5* d) 2* e) 1

5. a) 4* b) 1* c) 3* d) 5* e) 2

6. a) 1* b) 5* c) 4* d) 3* e) 2

7. a) 1* b) 5* c) 4* d) 2* e) 3

8. a) 5* b) 2* c) 3* d) 1* e) 4

9. a) 5* b) 3* c) 2* d) 1* e) 4

10. a) 3* b) 4* c) 1* d) 2* e) 5

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KEY TO THE CATEGORIES:

10-17 points: You are intrigued by real life and history. Research important current events and get to know more about JOURNALISM and NONFICTION writing.

18-25 points: You love drama! You'll probably enjoy PLAYWRIGHTING and SCREENWRITING. Get involved in your school's drama scene and keep your eyes open for local workshops for beginning screenwriters or playwrights.

26-33 points: You have a talent for observing your world and developing what you see into stories. You would be great at writing FICTION and SHORT STORIES.

34-41 points: You read each Harry Potter in one sitting, think J.R.R. Tolkien is a genius, and wish Steven King would run for President. You are a
SCI-FI/FANTASY/MYSTERY nut.

42-50 points: To you, all the world is a poem. Feed your soul and go check out a book of POETRY.