Writing must come from the emotional side of one’s intellect. Various genres help the writer and the reader identify their interests. I believe to write in a non-specific genre, the writer may find himself or herself writing all over the place. The reader is seeking out the writer to learn in some way, his truth. The pros, which are few and far between, is taking a memoir and infusing it with elements of other genres, i.e. thrillers, romance, etc.
An example is Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood.” Both the book and the movie are a blending of various genres including Comedy, Drama, and Thriller, with infused aspects of the Spaghetti Western film genre. I believe these blends are very challenging and can go awry when the blend goes sour. Some genre elements are not meant to blend and those are like oil and water, two separate parts, disconnected. Like a historical accounting of a political figure done partially as an espionage thriller, like Oliver Stone’s “Nixon,” or Christopher Nolan’s ticking time bomb technique seen in historical war films like “Dunkirk,” these pairings can sometimes feel very fresh and exciting.
One blend that I think can and has worked very well is the non-fiction memoir. Either way, the writing of non-specific genre’s or mixed genre’s is very mechanically difficult for a writer. They also lose what is so great about writing, that ability to write “stream-of –consciousness.” Without plans, these blends can fail.