tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post6525148349348802935..comments2024-03-22T12:11:58.453-06:00Comments on Michael Offutt: With regard to genre, are you an elitist snob?Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-27578855678766537142012-07-08T15:16:37.778-06:002012-07-08T15:16:37.778-06:00I don't think it's an accident that writer...I don't think it's an accident that writers often get labeled science fiction/fantasy writer rather than just science fiction writer or fantasy writer. The borders between these genres are very murky. I identify a lot with what you're talking about because in my own WIP, the alien technology is so ridiculous it's basically magic and honestly, if I was being really accurate I would call it fantasy but because it has aliens and space ships I'm inclined to label it science fiction. <br /><br />If you're a reader gets so enraged though, they're missing the point. It's about the story, not the label.Annalise Greenhttp://annalisegreen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-10409476651278023782012-07-06T13:59:39.223-06:002012-07-06T13:59:39.223-06:00Fantasy is one big umbrella. There's high fan...Fantasy is one big umbrella. There's high fantasy, in which it's a whole other reality. Contemporary fantasy, which takes place in modern times (Harry Potter). Paranormal (gag, Twilight), and science fiction--to name a few. There are many books that cross genres too--paranormals with mystery, and so on. The one thing I get snobby about is urban fantasy. People will use it because they think it sounds cool, but it actually needs to have a city setting.Theresa Milsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477761307315565259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-87933606824682591152012-07-05T06:18:10.387-06:002012-07-05T06:18:10.387-06:00I suspected some people would say that about your ...I suspected some people would say that about your book. And to those people I have this to say - HIS DARK MATERIALS. I mean, THE GOLDEN COMPASS was on the big screen. That makes it basically mainstream.Callie Leuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09535505792102190920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-31778202548108507932012-07-04T08:13:00.703-06:002012-07-04T08:13:00.703-06:00Enjoy your break Michael.
Me, at the risk of sound...Enjoy your break Michael.<br />Me, at the risk of sounding an elitist snob, prefer the non mixing of a particular religious ideology, which a lot of sci fi authors clandestinely indulge in. philosophy is fine as long as it isn't preachy, the basic concept of good versus evil makes the world go round and so it stays, myth, legends, beliefs without taking sides or being subtly racist or xenophobic, homo/hetero/gender phobic is very good, political leanings which don't cast their dark shadows is ok. But it is a fine balance which, when lost can burden the book with "having a hidden agenda - so avoid" label.<br /> My tuppence. The reason, why even (classified as realistic fiction) Ayn Rand books have people either loving her or hating her. While I realise her Objectivism is a bit too much, the truth is, merit and talent often gets a bad treatment under incompetent, power hungry hands.Rek Seshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13484322426994645221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-9342619816756204362012-07-02T12:21:12.303-06:002012-07-02T12:21:12.303-06:00I think you've hit on why sci-fi and fantasy a...I think you've hit on why sci-fi and fantasy are in the same section of the book store; often, people can't differentiate them. <br /><br />I hate when someone says, "I don't like sci-fi," because what does that even mean?<br /><br />I don't have a better answer, though.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-69822242081396809402012-07-02T11:26:14.295-06:002012-07-02T11:26:14.295-06:00After reading most of Slipstream. Yep, almost done...After reading most of Slipstream. Yep, almost done. :) I would call it sci-fi. I would not call it YA even though the prag is 17. One of the best things about your book is the Science behind it all. I love the fact you back your plot with such interesting science.Ciarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15628488753277495111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-8414587613480424882012-06-29T15:48:54.324-06:002012-06-29T15:48:54.324-06:00what if i sue for theft of a term? :P lol
aw, wha...what if i sue for theft of a term? :P lol<br /><br />aw, what the hell? go for it!laughingwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873675614347328116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-44201893279797639862012-06-29T08:25:59.764-06:002012-06-29T08:25:59.764-06:00Elitist Slob ... heh. I want to steal that and ch...Elitist Slob ... heh. I want to steal that and change my screen name on everything to that. Only two words but it says so much.<br /><br />I know there's supposed to be a formula to writing these days but it seems to me that most of the best works come when authors break the rules. Of course that creates a "new rule" and the cycle continues.<br /><br />I saw Legend of Korra on the list. If anyone hasn't seen it or its precursor, Avatar: The Last Airbender (The movie did not exist!) you should try to pick up a copy. Avatar's 3 seasons are streaming on Netflix and Korra just finished its first season on TV. It's on Nickelodeon but don't let that fool you. The story is a great mesh of science fiction and magic but the stories are so timelessly human that anyone will love them.Kevin Longhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01092721842140433268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-50349483468674512232012-06-29T06:00:08.771-06:002012-06-29T06:00:08.771-06:00i AM an elitist snob [maybe slob, too?]... i refus...i AM an elitist snob [maybe slob, too?]... i refuse to do the publisher's work and put my stuff in any particular genre... they change it to what they want to, anyway...laughingwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873675614347328116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-19449351423923902382012-06-29T03:13:38.245-06:002012-06-29T03:13:38.245-06:00"Any sufficiently advanced technology should ..."Any sufficiently advanced technology should be indistinguishable from magic" - Arthur C. Clarke.<br /><br />You're right that fantasy and sci-fi, and all their sub-genres, are like many sides on the same die. To a certain extent, ALL fiction is fantasy because it deals with some aspect of the unreal and the imaginative.<br /><br />I'm not sure how true this is, but I've been led to believe that until very recently no one actually know how aspirin worked. They knew that it DID work, but not how. Isn't that a reliance on magic? You take this magic pill and your head pains go away. What's not fantastical about that?<br /><br />People like to put labels on things, and labelling created these eltist snobs. Can't we all just get along?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02548680159204361401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-46085565724650028432012-06-29T01:23:59.685-06:002012-06-29T01:23:59.685-06:00You've got me thinking now. I quite like sub-g...You've got me thinking now. I quite like sub-genres because they can help to give you a better idea of what to expect from a book. But I won't not read a book just because it falls into a specific genre if I like the sound of the blurb. So I'm thinking that spares me from the tittle 'Genre Snob'. Would you agree?Cally Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08313803959936813426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-88551988964801572012012-06-29T01:06:24.952-06:002012-06-29T01:06:24.952-06:00I have a hard time querying my writing because I w...I have a hard time querying my writing because I write short stories in: fantasy, twisted fairy tales, erotica, women's fiction, contemporary, sci fi, horror, thriller. <br /><br />I read in all those genre's too. Not that I enjoy every story in them, but I'll read just about anything, regardless of the label, because you never know what might be interesting. Lately I pick up a book, read the book blurb/synopsis, and buy it or not, regardless of where it sits on the virtual shelf.<br /><br />You have a good point Michael. I think an author just needs to write, and figure out what genre to plug it into when querying/marketing. The world has changes so much since the Big Six controlled all the gates to publication.<br /><br />........dholedolorahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715849844092553699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-84345174232961328642012-06-28T22:43:33.580-06:002012-06-28T22:43:33.580-06:00It seems that genres have become so intermixed now...It seems that genres have become so intermixed now, it's probably hard to call many new works one genre. I think book sellers do this to categories things for their ease, as publishers probably do to. But ultimately, it's a blend of genres.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-76245500493005723912012-06-28T22:33:41.310-06:002012-06-28T22:33:41.310-06:00Your post certainly peaked my interest Michael.
I...Your post certainly peaked my interest Michael.<br /><br />Interesting topic. I guess I am more the purist... not snob. I believe fantasy is with magical creatures, Druids, wizards, dragons, and being earthbound. <br /><br />Sci-fi always meant to me some sort of space travel, other planets, aliens, that sort of thing.<br /><br />Can there be crossovers? Of course, it they are done well. Good writing wins out always. A good story will always hold true whether it's paranormal, magical realism, scifi/fantasy, etc.<br /><br />I think if we bring it back to the basics, writer's and readers might be less confused. <br /><br />It's like the classics in design. SO MANY trends have spun from clear and simple basic design.Michael Di Gesuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17047267262428143113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-33824028391284218582012-06-28T22:13:40.206-06:002012-06-28T22:13:40.206-06:00I was looking at comic books today and wondering ....I was looking at comic books today and wondering ... what the heck are they? They're superhero books. They say the people get their powers from radioactive spiders or other planets, not from magical amulets, but come on, they're totally doing some non-spell magic. Is Spiderman "Fantasy"?<br /><br />(Read this in a crotchety old lady voice:) Why, when I was a kid, you just had your straight-up spaceship stuff over here, and your dragon stuff over there, none of this crazy crossin-over-stuff the young folks are into these days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-1897858527077830402012-06-28T21:40:00.326-06:002012-06-28T21:40:00.326-06:00I'm hearing a lot more use of "speculativ...I'm hearing a lot more use of "speculative" fiction to cover all of the above. Even with all the division, bookstores still keep scifi and fantasy in the same section, so why do publishers need to market them as different?Brent Wescotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08313269993916969201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-30869209034662651802012-06-28T19:44:52.356-06:002012-06-28T19:44:52.356-06:00There is definitely a lot of cross-genre going on....There is definitely a lot of cross-genre going on. Yes, it's hard to distinguish what it really is. <br /><br />I think "they're" coming up with new genre's, though, since so many people are crossing genre's. New Adult (NA) for one, for writing that fits between YA and A.Gwen Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13132836346305559246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-32516106010183850272012-06-28T18:46:24.432-06:002012-06-28T18:46:24.432-06:00To be honest the ridiculous amount of genres and s...To be honest the ridiculous amount of genres and sub genres today just confuse me. I think of fantasy/sci-fi as being in the same tree with all the sub genres branching out from them. <br /><br />Luckily since I don't write I don't have to worry how to classify anything really.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-60158726132822994842012-06-28T18:46:24.062-06:002012-06-28T18:46:24.062-06:00To be honest the ridiculous amount of genres and s...To be honest the ridiculous amount of genres and sub genres today just confuse me. I think of fantasy/sci-fi as being in the same tree with all the sub genres branching out from them. <br /><br />Luckily since I don't write I don't have to worry how to classify anything really.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-16701848764614195792012-06-28T18:39:47.509-06:002012-06-28T18:39:47.509-06:00I think labels are meant to give the reader an ide...I think labels are meant to give the reader an idea of the story they're going to get if they read. Nothing else. That publishers famously tell some authors that they love their book but don't know what genre it fits into and then turn around and tell people they are interested in reading genre mashups makes me think that they struggle with labels too. <br /><br />So, I call what I write science-fiction. If I've written something that is more fantasy-like (with medieval villages and stuff) then I'll describe it as fantasy, but it's really science-fiction.<br /><br />That's just me though.Rusty Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09887821877521181811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-38889360556652655162012-06-28T18:30:11.657-06:002012-06-28T18:30:11.657-06:00I have also heard talk of "sci-fantasy",...I have also heard talk of "sci-fantasy", which is a deliberate combo of the two. One of last year's NaNo novels that I wrote was in that genre, or at least I considered it to be so - it had spaceships but also magic.Trishahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16927558937796802496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-53280184851631030692012-06-28T17:58:23.159-06:002012-06-28T17:58:23.159-06:00Maybe I'm a genre whore. I'll read anythin...Maybe I'm a genre whore. I'll read anything.<br /><br />I don't really pay attention to genre, and I enjoy stories that mix it up. I just want a good story, with three-dimension characters, and maybe excellent writing that makes me think. <br /><br />Easy to please.Jay Noelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04757777693161610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-16438927969663197552012-06-28T17:28:36.868-06:002012-06-28T17:28:36.868-06:00I usually view the difference between Science Fict...I usually view the difference between Science Fiction and Fantasy to be the development of technology in the former. Regardless of specific categories, however, I would say that both good SF and F have to deal with human stories, in the end.Golden Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08721520451194318436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-72481138715375584842012-06-28T17:02:43.095-06:002012-06-28T17:02:43.095-06:00I guess fantasy can be anythingI guess fantasy can be anythingAdamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08051255914419363819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-24387676249487009882012-06-28T15:56:13.218-06:002012-06-28T15:56:13.218-06:00There are some genres you forgot or didn't con...There are some genres you forgot or didn't consider. There is magical realism and surrealism... <br /><br />I think trying to pinpoint genres is ridiculous. I write what I need to write and whatever happens within that context just is what it is. If it must be categorized for publishing then I would say "surrealism/magical realism/fantasy/syfy. That should take care of it, I think! :) Cheers!Danettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15043881305977386629noreply@blogger.com