I've never been good at figuring out precisely what genres I write. In fact, when a professor asked me what kind of stories I write, I took a moment and replied, "Anything that could never happen in real life."
Of course, that mostly puts me in science fiction and fantasy, but now there are so many subgenres of those that I still don't know where I fit. Steampunk is more of a cosy niche, but those I label with that genre can be questionable because most of them really aren't that "punk." Macbay, of course, would have to count because he goes against the government basically his whole life and for the whole story, but Mount? I think it only follows the steampunk aesthetic without really being a steampunk story. So what on earth does that make it?
Then there are the handful of story ideas that don't even fall into one of those broader categories. Generally, I'll label them horror because, being myself, I usually end up killing or otherwise harming everyone. But is that really what constitutes a horror novel? What about thriller? Where's the line? Four Walls is trying to be literary—can that even work hand-in-hand with the horror genre? Or is it horror at all?
And what difference does it really make? I'll judge a book by its cover and synopsis before I ever see what genre it's assigned, but I suppose those in turn are based on the genre. But what if it's more of a general feel of the book? Is that or genre more important? And how does genre affect audiences on ebook sites, like Smashwords, where I'll be publishing? If I label my books incorrectly, will those interested not be able to find it? How specific a genre/subgenre does the average reader prefer?
Basically, genres confuse me, but they're necessary. Do tell me about them, if you like.
Showing posts with label four walls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label four walls. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
New Fiction Idea #38
This struck me in the middle of a lecture. More specifically, I saw the MC struggling to carve her name into a wall already riddled with others' in an attempt to leave something of herself.
Slightly related to my Hunger Games ripoff.
Working Title: Four Walls
Genre: Horror/maybe even Literary
Protagonist: Elizabeth, a 19-year-old Midwestern American WASP. She has frizzy, medium-brown hair that she keeps in a low ponytail, and she's rather skinny but average height. She's only talkative around friends, although she doesn't mind being around people.
Other Main Characters: Raj, a 20-year-old American of Indian heritage. He's a bit boy-faced and a people-pleaser, although he can get fairly pushy with his Christianity. He had recently been accepted into medical school, which is a huge deal at this point in time.
Liliána, a 27-year-old Hungarian woman with thin, dark brown hair that curls to her shoulders. She knows a bit of English but stays silent for (as far as I can see at this point) the entire story and spends
most of her free time sitting on her bunk.
Thulani (name could be changed), a 15-year-old African (country not yet determined, but not a well-off one) boy who's quite
obviously been underfed his whole life. He speaks some English and is quite cheerful and plucky.
Adil, a 30-year-old Saudi Arabian man with hair of average length and a broken nose. He's a Muslim and generally quite kind, but when he gets angry, run. He's fluent in English.
Momo, a 14-year-old Japanese girl who's from the country and knows little to no English. She's very small-framed and wears her hair without adornment to her shoulders. She is loosely Shinto, the lonely type, and cries easily.
Others will be added.
Antagonists: Sometimes the guards assigned to keep them where they are, but most often each other.
Setting: On a wide scale, future Earth with a disturbing population problem. The story itself is contained in a dilution camp with bunk-bed cabins that hold about sixteen but are often crammed much tighter.
Plot: Elizabeth and the others have been selected randomly (well, by stratified sampling—randomly chosen after being divided into groups based on race, gender, class, and religion) to be allowed to starve in a system that has been around for some time to curb population growth. They don't exactly all hold hands and quietly wait for the end.
Point of View: First person (Elizabeth).
Slightly related to my Hunger Games ripoff.
Working Title: Four Walls
Genre: Horror/maybe even Literary
Protagonist: Elizabeth, a 19-year-old Midwestern American WASP. She has frizzy, medium-brown hair that she keeps in a low ponytail, and she's rather skinny but average height. She's only talkative around friends, although she doesn't mind being around people.
Other Main Characters: Raj, a 20-year-old American of Indian heritage. He's a bit boy-faced and a people-pleaser, although he can get fairly pushy with his Christianity. He had recently been accepted into medical school, which is a huge deal at this point in time.
Liliána, a 27-year-old Hungarian woman with thin, dark brown hair that curls to her shoulders. She knows a bit of English but stays silent for (as far as I can see at this point) the entire story and spends
most of her free time sitting on her bunk.
Thulani (name could be changed), a 15-year-old African (country not yet determined, but not a well-off one) boy who's quite
obviously been underfed his whole life. He speaks some English and is quite cheerful and plucky.
Adil, a 30-year-old Saudi Arabian man with hair of average length and a broken nose. He's a Muslim and generally quite kind, but when he gets angry, run. He's fluent in English.
Momo, a 14-year-old Japanese girl who's from the country and knows little to no English. She's very small-framed and wears her hair without adornment to her shoulders. She is loosely Shinto, the lonely type, and cries easily.
Others will be added.
Antagonists: Sometimes the guards assigned to keep them where they are, but most often each other.
Setting: On a wide scale, future Earth with a disturbing population problem. The story itself is contained in a dilution camp with bunk-bed cabins that hold about sixteen but are often crammed much tighter.
Plot: Elizabeth and the others have been selected randomly (well, by stratified sampling—randomly chosen after being divided into groups based on race, gender, class, and religion) to be allowed to starve in a system that has been around for some time to curb population growth. They don't exactly all hold hands and quietly wait for the end.
Point of View: First person (Elizabeth).
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