The Verostic Genre

verostic /ˈvɛr.ɒst.ɪk/ adj.

Origin: Latin veritas (truth) + stylistic suffix

A literary genre or descriptive tone characterised by raw emotional realism, unflinching psychological depth, and grounded human truth. Often gritty, sometimes painful, but always sincere. The hallmark of a story that bleeds... and still finds beauty.

Definition

Verostic fiction is a genre defined by emotional rawness, psychological intensity, and unfiltered human truth. It explores trauma, morality, resilience, and connection through unapologetically honest storytelling. Gritty, intimate, and unflinching, Verostic works don't shy away from darkness... yet always make space for tenderness, hope, and truth.

Verostic fiction doesn’t just tell the truth, it makes you feel it.

The Verostic Manifesto

It doesn’t flinch, doesn’t tidy things up, doesn’t protect you from pain. It trusts the reader to witness the mess, and find meaning in it.

It’s emotionally intense, sometimes harrowing, but never gratuitous. Its power lies in the tension between raw exposure and quiet humanity.

Plot follows truth. The story bends around the emotional journey, not the other way around.

You’ll find crime, romance, psychological twists, even moments of joy. But these are tools, not rules. Truth decides the shape.

Amid trauma, there is tenderness. Amid fear, hope. Amid silence, connection. Verostic fiction doesn’t just show wounds... it shows how people live with them.

It can be modern, reflective, or rooted in time. Whether it's today’s truth, yesterday’s echo, or tomorrow’s reckoning... the soul is the same.

Visual Genre Chart

Verostic
Neoverostic

Modern emotional realism, digital identity, intersectional trauma

Postverostic

Reflective, fragmented, aftermath of truth

Aeverostic

Era-rooted (1980s), cultural grit, timeless emotional truth

Verostic isn’t a style. It’s a vow.