It’s easy as a reader to stick to one genre, maybe occasionally branching out to adjacent genres or subgenres, but a single genre is comforting. You know what you’re getting. But I fully believe in switching genres now and then, and I try to read a wide range. And if you’re a writer, maybe you shouldn’t, either.

Horror is great. Horror has so many different things to offer, occasionally borrowing from other genres, picking and choosing elements to emphasise those scary moments. But you can’t do that if you are only reading horror, and you can’t recognise it when it does happen, either.

As broad as Horror is, I can’t constantly consume it. I go through periods when I need something else, maybe something not-as-dark, or something that is pure light. I’m a huge fan of YA, have a stack of YA Fantasy novels and dip in and out of YA Contemporary, and I’m slowly broadening to Adult Contemporary, too. I’m like this with a lot of things. I can’t stick to one type of video game, or film, TV show. I need variety. It is, after all, the spice of life.

I love Horror. It’s a genre I’ve always been attracted to. Even when I was a scardy-cat kid who got freaked out by Edward Scissorhands, I could never bring myself to turn away from Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark? My brother had a collection of Goosebumps and Point Horror books, and I read these, despite the nightmares they gave me. But the last few years, I have read a lot of Horror. The majority of it indie rather than mainstream. And I will never stop singing the praises of the indie horror scene.

It's here we see a talented collection of writers, great publishers, diverse voices. I am surrounded by the genre, and I love it. I edit horror fiction, I read blogs, and I watch horror films. But sometimes, just sometimes, my mind needs a break.

A lot of people are probably well aware of what is going in the UK right now. We’re coming to the end of this particular lockdown, and it has been a hard one. My reading levels overall have dropped, I hit a slight slump, my reading time replaced by playing my Switch or watching film/TV because I’ve needed something that allowed me to tune out. There has been some already horrific scenes playing out, at protests especially in London, so why would I want my reading to contain more horror? In these situations, it helps to change up my reading.

I ‘regained’ my reading time by starting with something far from the realm of horror. Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli was the ideal book for me to read. It’s by an author I know, though I admit I’ve only read Simon Vs previously. It’s contemporary, no supernatural dangers lurking around the corner, no life-or-death situations. And it’s a romance, fluffy and light though still with tense moments as these teenagers navigate their friendships and the way their lives are changing. 

I followed this with something that was horror, but aimed at a younger audience – Tunnel of Bones, by Victoria Schwab. I loved City of Ghosts, and this second instalment allowed me to slip back into horror without the elements that might, well, be upsetting. I can handle a lot in horror, but unfortunately sometimes the territory comes with some content that, when I’m not in the right headspace, can put me in a bad place. And when trigger warnings aren’t as common as they should be, it makes it difficult to trust whether or not I should pick up a particular book, especially if it’s by a cis het white man.

So, something lighter, like Middle Grade fiction, can provide a good balance. At least here I know there’s not going to be extreme violence and/or sexual assault. It works, too. I’ve always been a broad reader, and very much a mood reader. I have plenty of horror books waiting when I feel ready, but I also have a lot of non-horror titles, ranging from fantasy to romance, YA and Adult. It’s always good to have options.

And as for the other point I opened this with, reading a variety of genres can always help strengthen a writer’s skill. Some writers shift from different genres with ease, but even if you’re exclusively writing in one genre, it always helps to have different tools in your kit. It might even spark off a new idea. Reading Romance can help deepen understanding of characterisation, reading Fantasy can help with elements of worldbuilding – and yes, even novels set in present day, real locations need some element of worldbuilding – not to mention the different types of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance that often share elements with Horror.

Not to say excellent characterisation and world-building can’t be found in Horror anyway, but seeing how other genres handle different elements can help you recognise what you enjoy, or give you new ideas. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve had an idea sparked off by engaging in something seemingly unrelated! Or when I’ve been reading something else, and a tiny part of my own work has clicked into place.

I, for one, can’t live in one genre. I can’t surround myself totally with one single thing, and that’s a good thing! Sometimes I disengage from the genre in order to protect myself and my mental health, and it means I come back to it with fresh, bright and eager eyes. Sometimes it’s just that a book of a different genre has been sitting on my shelf, calling to me. But there is always a guarantee: I will return, and when I do, I find I can enjoy Horror a lot more.

By Elle Turpitt

Twitter: @elleturpitt

Website: elleturpitt.com