On Genre: Dystopian vs. Sci-Fi

Monday, I wrote on what I feel is the exact difference between fantasy and paranormal.

Today, I want to go into more detail, and outline two more genres: dystopian and sci-fi.

Genre has always seemed like a strict rule, with clear boundaries: there is this, and there is that. But with more and more hybrid books and sub-genres out there, genre strikes me as less a strict rule and more an ambiguous identity, where the boundary between two genres is one thing to one person and something completely different to another.

What does that mean? What effect does that have on literature? You already see the influence: think of books labeled wrong. I once read a book I thought was strictly paranormal... until I realized it was romance, with paranormal elements. But the summary didn't mention any romance -- the central element -- at all! (needless to say, I was a bit ticked off.)

The beauty of it, though, is that you draw the line. Usually, I think the author's right, or the publisher or the bookstore/library, in deciding genre. It's a lot easier to walk through a library and let a book catch your eye when it's labelled with that purple unicorn that means fantasy, or the two hearts that mean romance. Because, well they've read the book.

And after YOU'VE read it, you can sort that book into what you think its genre is, in your little mental library.
 
(Did anyone else automatically think of Sherlock's "mind palace" when they read that? Ooh, a "mind library" where you store all the books you've ever read and sort them into the genres you think they are.)

[Anyways. Back to my genres -- as a disclaimer, I say again: this has little to nothing to do with AGE GROUPS. I realize there can be some elements or tropes different between YA and, say, MG, within the same genre. And I read mostly YA, so my opinions are decidedly biased toward YA, but I do think, overall, it applies to all age groups.]

SCIENCE FICTION: 
def. -- type of fiction that often focuses on technology, with a sub-focus on society or worlds. A different world, but little to no magic or supernatural elements like in fantasy. A lot like dystopian, but less focused on the negative aspects and it's a lot older as a genre. 
often seen -- new types of weapons (light sabers, etc); new types of conveniences or luxuries; the kick-butt hero whose sides are dripping with weapons; future or otherworldly settings
common plots -- saving the world, high-action-y sort. (I admit, I don't read as much sci-fi. Sorry.)
Examples: Star Wars, War of the Worlds, (Doctor Who? It's a bit hazy, with the paranormal elements)

Some Science-Fiction Sub Genres:

• Sci-fi/fantasy, where those two genres mix. (Decently common, especially in YA.)
• Steampunk, where history and science fiction meet! (That sounded like an ad.)
• Dystopian/sci-fi, where there's a balance in focus on government and technology. 

   
DYSTOPIAN:
def. -- type of fiction that focuses on government and society, typically set in the future. Specifically, it focuses on the negatives or downsides of a certain government/society, with a sub-focus on the downsides of technology.
often seen -- war, death, brainwashing; set in the future of an already existing society (ex: America); struggling, world-weary, rebellious characters
common plots -- overthrowing a government; saving the world; struggling to remain a human in inhumane societal conditions.
Examples: The Hunger Games, numerous YA novels or novels from the 20th c. looking forward (ex: Animal  Farm/1984, two of Orwell's novels)

Some Dystopian Sub Genres:

• Sci-fi/dystopian, because these two are pretty interwoven.
• Dystopian fantasy, in which fantasy elements -- such as magic or otherworldly settings -- are included.
• Dystopian romance, in which characters struggle to maintain a relationship in a strict or inhumane societal condition.  

These two genres, to me, are very interrelated and the boundary's even more ambiguous than others. I think the pulse here is that dystopian highlights the negative aspects of a way of being, while sci-fi will focus more on technology and futuristic society and is less... how do I say it... negative-oriented. Dystopian is a warning for the future; sci-fi is action that happens to be set in futuristic elements.

How about you? Where do you draw the line between these two? And what do you think on the boundaries between genres?

Have a blessed Friday!

Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Jennie feels the tingling prescence of something unnatural in the house now that Will is dead.
Her heart aches without him, and she still doesn't know how he really died. It seems that everywhere she turns, someone is hiding yet another clue. As Jennie seeks the truth, she finds herself drawn ever deeper into a series of tricks and lies, secrets and betrayals, and begins to wonder if she had ever really known Will at all.

Printed copy, 258 pages
Published 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire

Honestly, I didn't expect much from this book. Romance, a girl obsessively sniffing out other people's secrets... I actually picked this up on Saturday because I didn't want to be seen with it at school. Shameful, I know.

I was surprised at how well it was written. The main character, Jennie, was an outcast in this prissy house, with filthy clothes, running about, getting engaged at sixteen. Her twin brother, who had died in the Civil War, had always wanted to be a spy, and after his death she took to sleuthing about, stealing things to put in her scrapbook.

One thing I was confused with at first was Will. Apparently, Will is both Jennie's fiance and cousin, which I figured out after the first chapter or so. Being the person I am, I accepted this and moved on (the Ancient Egyptians married full brother/sister, even father/daughter; why not two cousins?).

Another thing I couldn't tell was where this story takes place. I know it's during the American Civil War, but are they Yankees or Southerners? It took me a good half of the book to realize they were from Massachusetts.

I liked the pictures, though. in my printed copy, there are pictures at the end of each chapter that foretell the next chapter. It made it feel somewhat middle-grade, despite the fact that she's sixteen, but I did feel that it helped my opinion of the book. I'm a sucker for pictures.

Also, there is a good deal of research on photography: really early photography from this time period, which involved lots of chemicals, and exposure to the right amount of light, and so forth. This is called tintype photography, I believe. I know next to nothing about this early process, and don't feel like Googling it, so I'll take its word.

I debated at first between rating this 2 and 3 stars. I felt that a lot of this could've been solved with a simple conversation, and that the authors were simply avoiding getting these characters to talk. And then when the Conversation happened, the romance happens, too, within that one conversation. As in, Jennie figures out pieces of things from Will's spirit, and confronts this boy about it. (I'm not spoiling it.) Then, when he confesses this story about Will's shameful death, they kiss, and she realizes this boy - who she's known forever - might be the one she loves. They end up engaged, before Will's funeral.

Even to my asexual eye, romance does not happen like that. And who gets engaged before their ex-fiance is buried (metaphorically, since his body wasn't even recovered)?

I wanted to smack Jennie up the head. She starts bathing and looking pretty for him. Ick. But then, something happens that turns this story on a dime. And all of a sudden, she realizes the full truth, the boy she engaged herself to is a psycho, and just everything changes. This bumped my opinion of it up quite a bit.

Overall, it was somewhat good. The bad and the good weighed about the same. I give it three stars.

(By the way, Happy Labor Day! And to those who don't celebrate it, Happy Monday!)

Wednesday Writings: Setting

Setting: the time and place your story takes place.

Maybe your setting looks like this:

Perhaps your setting looks like this:

Either way, your setting is special. (Well, you can have WAY more settings than just those two, but I'm sticking with the basics.) Without a well-detailed, clearly-visualized setting, your story will fail. Worse than that, it'll crash and burn like those movie-style car crashes.

Tips on strengthening your setting:

1. Don't forget to sneak in a few details in the beginning. For example:
Suzy woke up with a start. Around her, everything was normal: her alarm clock stood innocently on the nightstand beside her bed; the desk was still littered with scraps of paper and broken ink pens. The clothes on the floor remained untouched. But then she realized what was missing: the walls of her bedroom...

2. Every now and then, introduce a new place, or something out of ordinary, that causes the character to notice and comment. Perhaps your character wandered away from home and found a new dimension. What is different about this dimension? What does your character find so strange about it?

3. Add in details about culture and the layout of your town/city/rural village/etc. Don't make it obvious; rather, subtly hint at it. If you slip in some cultural reference, don't immediately explain to your reader exactly what you mean. Perhaps your cityperson needs direction to a new shop or club; have them ask for directions, and the person s/he asks elaborates a little.

4. Well... most of my advice is to SUBTLY DESCRIBE THE IMPORTANT BITS. If your setting takes place in some obscure Scottish village during the late 1600s, don't make your dialogue sound sound like a modern American teenager. Perhaps add some real Scottish slang in there from that time period. And for sanity's sake, don't over-describe your person's village. You don't need to know the names of the flowers your MC walks by, or the exact temperature otside in degrees Celsius (I'm doubting they used Celsis at that point. Note: When were thermometers and degrees Celsius first used?)


I hate to cut my 8-point list down to 4, but I don't really have anything else to tell you. Only you can uniqely describe your setting. You either over-do it or under-do it, and balancing it out is up to you. It makes the difference between "meh" and "OH-MY-CHOCOLATE-THAT-WAS-AMAZING". No pressre or anything.

Have a wonderful Wednesday and continue writing! ;D

"Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian mst also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car." -Garrison Keillor