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Genres
Apr 7, 2014 5:22:33 GMT
Post by Kristoffer Hansen on Apr 7, 2014 5:22:33 GMT
So, the book I'm writing. Editing. Whatever.
It takes place in the near future (speculative fiction), when the United States is getting desperate for water (dystopian), and invades Canada to get at Canadian fresh water reserves (contemporary war? thriller?). It follows two young twenty-somethings as they form a relationship (love story/romance), struggling through the war (survival), and dealing with the fact that the male lead's brother is associated with terrorists (political thriller? wha?). It deals with the themes of extended adolescence in an environment where that's impossible, growing up and discovering oneself (Young Adult/New Adult) and has some gory violence but hand-waved sex. The leads are white, cis, hetero, but there's a lot of diversity in the supporting cast (not a conscious choice, and if I had it to do over again, I might change the leads, but I don't feel like writing this book a fourth time right now).
What genre is this book? Who do I send this monstrosity to? People looking for SF? Or people looking for Dystopian YA?
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bunni
Junior Member
Posts: 55
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Genres
Apr 7, 2014 14:52:42 GMT
Post by bunni on Apr 7, 2014 14:52:42 GMT
So, the book I'm writing. Editing. Whatever. It takes place in the near future (speculative fiction), when the United States is getting desperate for water (dystopian), and invades Canada to get at Canadian fresh water reserves (contemporary war? thriller?). It follows two young twenty-somethings as they form a relationship (love story/romance), struggling through the war (survival), and dealing with the fact that the male lead's brother is associated with terrorists (political thriller? wha?). It deals with the themes of extended adolescence in an environment where that's impossible, growing up and discovering oneself (Young Adult/New Adult) and has some gory violence but hand-waved sex. The leads are white, cis, hetero, but there's a lot of diversity in the supporting cast (not a conscious choice, and if I had it to do over again, I might change the leads, but I don't feel like writing this book a fourth time right now). What genre is this book? Who do I send this monstrosity to? People looking for SF? Or people looking for Dystopian YA? I would say YA dystopian. This is because a lot of the themes you're mentioning (though not the specifics) can be found there. But it's definitely not my call! Which direction are you leaning, can I ask?
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Genres
Apr 7, 2014 15:25:28 GMT
Post by Kristoffer Hansen on Apr 7, 2014 15:25:28 GMT
Um... "Literary," I guess. Like, I'm not entirely certain it's a genre work at all. It pulls some elements from a bunch of genres, but none of those really define it. Which is horrifying, because literary works are held to a much higher standard of craft than genre work. Like, in sci-fi, you can get away with a certain amount of laziness in your prose, because the prose isn't the point. And my prose is fairly straightforward and a little lazy. Lemony Snicket I am not. ^_^
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Genres
Apr 7, 2014 19:38:47 GMT
Post by Mariah E. on Apr 7, 2014 19:38:47 GMT
The best bet, I think, is to send it to a publisher who publishes YA dystopian and SF. The publisher will package it and market it in a way that suits them anyway, so even if you branded it as a literary work, they might want to package it and market it for the YA crowd.
I know, finding just the right term to define your novel is excruciating.
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Melissa S
New Member
So close to graduating I can taste it.
Posts: 35
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Genres
Apr 7, 2014 21:23:50 GMT
Post by Melissa S on Apr 7, 2014 21:23:50 GMT
Last semester, my professor that headed my Novel-writing class (Yes! there is such a thing! I was surprised too) pretty much said send to to as many people as you can. (within reason). So If you are unsure of the exact genre your novel is leaning towards, send it to every type of genre you listed above. Even if you aren't accepted the first time around, it will leave you with more feedback to work with. Plus, beta readers can always help with what they found to be the most common theme throughout. Sometimes authors will miss things or focus too much on one thing because they are biased. An outsider's view is always a great solution.
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bunni
Junior Member
Posts: 55
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Genres
Apr 8, 2014 3:10:31 GMT
Post by bunni on Apr 8, 2014 3:10:31 GMT
Last semester, my professor that headed my Novel-writing class (Yes! there is such a thing! I was surprised too) pretty much said send to to as many people as you can. (within reason). So If you are unsure of the exact genre your novel is leaning towards, send it to every type of genre you listed above. Even if you aren't accepted the first time around, it will leave you with more feedback to work with. Plus, beta readers can always help with what they found to be the most common theme throughout. Sometimes authors will miss things or focus too much on one thing because they are biased. An outsider's view is always a great solution. Sounds like good advice to me, actually -- particularly per 'An outsider's view'. That's helpful! Meanwhile, I'm sat here just sniffling at the very idea of Novel-writing class. I wish I'd managed something like that in Uni. DANG.
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Melissa S
New Member
So close to graduating I can taste it.
Posts: 35
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Genres
Apr 8, 2014 3:21:36 GMT
Post by Melissa S on Apr 8, 2014 3:21:36 GMT
It was sooo much work, and we didn't finish a novel. but our goal was to have about 20,000 words (this includes actual writing and pre-writing stuff). And it was fun and totally worth it. I hope more schools start to offer it because it really does help.
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bunni
Junior Member
Posts: 55
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Genres
Apr 8, 2014 23:32:12 GMT
Post by bunni on Apr 8, 2014 23:32:12 GMT
It was sooo much work, and we didn't finish a novel. but our goal was to have about 20,000 words (this includes actual writing and pre-writing stuff). And it was fun and totally worth it. I hope more schools start to offer it because it really does help. Wow, I wish I'd managed to do such a course! I had no opportunity, but it sounds amazing and a lot of work! I do sort of wish I could have gotten a MFA in writing though. I ran out of funds and now I work full time. Guh! But I still wonder if there could be a way to fit it around my schedule. <-- wishful thinking! What's the 'pre-writing' stuff, can I ask?
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Melissa S
New Member
So close to graduating I can taste it.
Posts: 35
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Genres
Apr 8, 2014 23:42:55 GMT
Post by Melissa S on Apr 8, 2014 23:42:55 GMT
I'm only an undergraduate. Just a Bachelor of Arts degree for me. MFA would be too expensive for me as well. And when I say "pre-writing" it means she gave us a lot of room to do whatever we needed to do to get our novel started and continue with the plot lines. I, personally, did a lot of character development through character worksheets. When I get the time (when I'm not doing homework), I will post some of the worksheets I used and some of the writing prompts she used to get us writing.
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