Cross-Genre

[queenoftheskies]

Is it acceptable these days? Or is it the kiss of doom?

Some of you who have read my LJ for a while have seen me discuss my trouble with choosing a genre for my work before.

I have aliens. I have magic. Some of the novels in my series take place on other worlds. Most do not.

I consider my work fantasy, because of the magical element and a few other features.

However, I have to admit that there are SF elements present. I don't emphasize them, but they are there nonetheless. There are, in a few of the novels, space craft. There are advanced civilizations. BUT...that's just the setting, not the story, if that makes sense.

It's all about the characters, who they are, what they are, what they face, and how they deal with conflict as they set out to fight this particular evil. They use magic more than they use weapons. There are magic artifacts and spirits and various accoutrements you'd find in fantasy stories.

Am I cross-genre? Will it come back to bite me in the butt? Do I have to pick ONE to market?

Comments

[annathepiper]

There were a lot of interesting panels about this very issue at the last Writer's Weekend, as I recall. I liked one panelist's recommendation that you think about your book as baby food--there's a difference between "peas with carrots" and "carrots with peas".

With books, there's a difference between "fantasy with SF elements" and "SF with fantasy elements". From what you say here, I'd say "fantasy" is your dominant genre, and that's the one a publisher would be putting on the spine. Where you get shelved at the bookstore would still be SF/Fantasy, since I think I've been in exactly one bookstore in my life where they actually split those out into two different sections.

So when you query your stuff, at least for these things, call 'em fantasy. If you write something that turns out to be more "SF with fantasy elements", call that SF.

[shawn-scarber.livejournal.com]

Never let some schmucks categories keep you from a good story. My rule of thumb--if it's probable in our universe with our existing understanding of physics, then it's science fiction. Everything else is fantasy. Of course, this is why I tell people I write speculative fiction--it just covers all the bases.

[zellandyne.livejournal.com]

I will simply repeat what I have heard from many agents and editors: You worry about writing a good story, they'll worry about what to call it.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I think there's a lot of crossover between the two, especially when you ask people to define them. Ask 12 people, you'll get 12 different answers. :)

I would look at other works that are similar to yours and see what they do.

I tend to respond more to fantasy (or a hybrid) than straight SF. But that's by my definitions of the two. ;)

[greatsword.livejournal.com]

Given that fantasy and SF are shelved together, I think you're good.

There are a lot of examples of SF with magic - Star Wars is probably the most famous, but I like Doyle and McDonald's Price of the Stars - probably thought of as SF, but I think of it more as heroic fantasy.

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

I can think of two published YA writers who had never submitted any YA novels. That's what the publishers decided they were.

There's a mystery series in which the detective is a dinosaur disguised as a human, and a number in which vampires and/or werewolves are detectives, criminals, or both.

Now: recently, novels which include both spaceships and magic have mostly been classified as science fiction. Even if the spaceships run on magic -- see Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald's Mageworld series. A few decades ago, they were labeled as "science fantasy" (a term also used for several other things) or "Spaceship and Sorcery". Who knows what they'll be categorized as a couple of years from now?

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I like that baby food analogy.

The really strange thing is that I suspect the first few would be considered SF with fantasy elements, because they take place on planets other than Earth, and that the remainder would be fantasy with SF.

I hope that doesn't end up being too confusing, you know?

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like that definition. :)

So, when you query novels, do you just refer to it as speculative fiction? There's no need to pin it down any further than that?

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

I've heard that, too. But, do you have to refer to your genre in the query letter? Or just include what the story is about?

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Mine is definitely NOT straight SF. The ones set on Earth are more urban/contemporary fantasy. Only a few take place offworld.

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Isn't it strange how times change?

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Amazing how difficult it is to peg some stories, isn't it?

And, you know, in spite of the magic, I do always think of Star Wars as SF. I wonder if that's because there's so much OBVIOUS tech in there.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

Urban fantasy is my most favoritest genre. :)

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Mine, too!!!

How are your favorite authors?

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Uh...that was SUPPOSED to be...

WHO are your favorite authors?

I'm stupid tonight.

[annathepiper]

Are all of these books connected/part of a series? If so, I think that if it were me, I'd look at the series as a whole and see what the "dominant" genre is, and go with that. Because it would definitely be confusing to switch genres in the middle of a series. :)

And you're quite welcome!

[greatsword.livejournal.com]

I consider Star Wars and Price of the Stars to be heroic fantasy. Despite the technology, the course of events turns on the actions of a small group of heroes. The magic-like powers involved help set that tone, but for me it's got more to do with the structure of the story.

[ultharkitty.livejournal.com]

I'm not an expert, but as far as short stories go, cross genre and spec fic seems to be the way of it nowadays. :) I'm not sure about novels, although there seem to be a lot of cross genre stuff out there and most bookshops around here house Sf and F together.

[aberrant1.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hope it's not the kiss of doom, because otherwise my futuristic southern-gothic urban fantasy is very, very doomed.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming you mean who are my favorite authors. :)

Off the top of my head, my faves are Charles de Lint, Peter S Beagle, Emma Bull, and Terri Windling. I'm always open to suggestions for new ones, though! :)

[icepicklobotomy.livejournal.com]

My advice? Write the book first and worry about the genre later.
Who cares what they think?
Have fun and write the book.