One thing I appreciated in the talk - though equally disliked - was the importance of categorising literature and, by doing so, finding your audience. But it did get me thinking: What on earth is my book?
Well, it's definitely Historical Fiction. The research which went into it is something I'm quite proud of - one of my favourite parts being a throwaway line about a position advertised in a newspaper, just because I know how intricately I searched to find this fact. And, while the story remains fiction, it weaves in real people and true situations.
Great! I've categorised it!
No, wait. Apparently there is such a thing as a sub-genre, and a sub-sub-genre. And so the never-ending prefix goes on.
It's Mystery, then. Not exactly Supernatural (although it is implied that some characters believed in such things), nor Espionage, but a mystery of learning what people truly are and the lengths they are willing to go to for king, country, honour and love. In essence it is a mystery of humanity.
And, of course there is the argument that it's Romance. After all, it follows affairs of the heart very closely all the way through. I have a friend who lectures around this subject in Erlangen and am waiting eagerly to see what her take is on my book.
So, here's my advice, writers: categorising is important, but you can categorise wherever you wish as long as that is how your think your audience can interpret it. And don't stop there. If a conventional genre doesn't match, make your own. It's better to break the mould than to be pigeonholed.
Finally, as it's Valentine's Day, here's what my characters have to say about love:
You might have loved him from the first day that you knew him but not seen it yourself. The words you have just spoken are what love is. To be unable to see a life without someone, to value their views over anything else. If you cannot bear the thought that you might never hear him say your name, or see his smile, then you do love him.
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