Out of all the genres, Institutionalised feels closest to the one I'm about to write. But rather than a group, I have one Naïf character wanting to escape the rigid rules of a one-parent family. Can this work in Institutionalized? And if so, (or if not) can you suggest other novels that are along similar lines? TIA
Hi, @mingus. I think this could work. If it has the three elements, you are able to "spice it up" in a way that best tells your story. It sounds like this one has a "group" or institution... in this case, it's a single-parent family, but that still falls within the realm of a family institution, in my opinion. Based on the conflict presented, that hero will need to make a "choice" about what is happening, and this will result in a "sacrifice"--whether to join the institution (allow things to go on in the single-parent family as-is), burn it down (change it and reject it) or commit "suicide"--a loss of self no matter what. This is a tricky genre. In Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies, there is a beat sheet for the Family Institution story of DO THE RIGHT THING. On page 123 of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, Jessica Brody cites several examples of novels that are Institutionalized. It's good that yours is something "different"... as long as it has those 3 key elements--group, choice, sacrifice--it should fit nicely. Good luck!
Thank you for taking the time to reply, @cory. I really appreciate your answer. And the DO THE RIGHT THING reference was damn useful as well as pointing out those three key elements to guide me through the spicing. Cheers, Mingus