Pulp Fiction

It's a good movie, but the books are what we're talking about here.  For the unfamiliar, pulp novels are the type of thing you could buy for a dime in the drug store in the old days.  Many of them were written under pseudonyms, sometimes because the writers themselves were only in it for the money, or didn't believe that the stories represented their best efforts.  The normally consist of formulaic stories, big on action and short depth.  Literary junk food, if you will.  In spite of their shortcomings, I think the pulps have something to teach us as writers.  A lot of famous writers got started writing pulp novels, and there are a few of them that have certain moments of genius.  If you haven't read any pulp novels, I recommend you do so.  They're usually fairly short, and a fun read.  Used book stores are a great place to find vintage pulps.  You might even find some old works by familiar writers, if you dig enough.

Pulp fiction comes in a few different flavours, which I will explain below.

Crime Stories

These are probably the most common of the pulp genre.  Usually about private detectives or policemen, but occasionally from the view of a roguish criminal, these stories were usually concerned with bullet holes and broken hearts (that might even be the title of one of them!).  As with most pulps, the characters were stock types:  the gangster, the con man, the gun moll, the hard-boiled cop, etc.  A few notable writers in this area are Ed McBain (the 87th precinct novels) and Elmore Leonard.  All of their work has elements of pulp, but you should look for older works if you want the genuine pulp experience.

Adventure Stories

Adventure pulps are the most common after crime.  These come in a few sub-genres:  First, there are war stories.  These are pretty straightforward tales of the battlefield.  They were fairly common in the post-WWII era, but are seldom seen today.

Second, there are spy stories.  This is sort of an offshoot of war stories, I suppose.  These sort of stories were common in the 50s and 60s.  The most notable of these would be Ian Fleming's 007 books.  

Finally, there are the more generic adventure books.  These books usually featured a handsome and resourceful leading man, coupled with a team of experts of various sorts.  Most often, these stories involved exploration and/or mystery of some sort.  Sometimes, there were discoveries of lost civilizations, or science fiction elements as well.  This type of story is exemplified in my personal favourite, the Doc Savage series.  Note:  Although the Doc Savage series is credited to one Kenneth Robeson, the series was written by several different writers, including creator Lester Dent.

Science Fiction

In this case, I'm referring to the 'golden age' of sci-fi.  There are two types of pulp sci-fi.  The first is fairly straightforward, focusing on men with rockets and ray guns, often featuring some sort of monster battle.  These stories weren't the most cerebral material, but some of the biggest names in sci-fi started out writing these pulp novels.  The other type, sometimes known as the 'space opera', was similar to the standard space pulps, but with more imagination.  These stories often featured grand, complex plots spread out over a series of books.  A good example of this is Edgar Rice Burroughs's 'John Carter of Mars' series.  (incidentally, he also wrote the Tarzan books, which are a great example of adventure pulps)

Sword and Sorcery

Finally, there is the fantasy genre.  Anyone familiar with fantasy know this genre inside out.  These stories almost always involve a warrior, saving a damsel from some sort of evil wizard or warlord.  They are simple, uncomplicated stories, but there is a certain power to these images all the same.  (see my post "The Language of Legend" to learn more)  The undisputed master of the 'S and S' was, of course, Robert E. Howard, creator of the Conan series.  If you want to write fantasy, whatever your ideas, you should read at least one of these stories.  Although his stories were often predictable, and even simplistic, you can tell that Howard knew exactly what he wanted to do with these stories.  Conan is a simple character, but it's because he's simple that these stories work so well.

In conclusion, I hope some of you budding writers check out a 'trashy' novel or two in your readings.  You might learn some unexpected lessons!