Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Addicts discussion
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What genre do you write and why?
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Kiersten, Mod
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Dec 15, 2015 09:41AM
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Okay, I'll bite... I self-publish and have the advantage of a readership who seem to like my writing style as much as my characters, so I get to write in whatever genre/subgenre I wish. Primarily I've stuck with urban fantasy and (relatively) hard sci-fi.Why? More complicated than it seems...
I started out writing urban fantasy, with a bit of a sci-fi twist in that the lead character was a scientist who specialised in uncovering the physics behind magic.
I switched over to science fiction because I'd just written eleven fantasy books and needed a change, and also because I'd spent about two months playing Mass Effect until my fingers bled. But the thing was that the sci-fi sold (gasp!). My theory is that there just isn't as much sci-fi being written. Fantasy is saturated (with teen-angst vampire fiction) and the sci-fi fans are harder-pressed to find something to read. This may well change now that the new Star Wars is out (sigh).
So, I still write both, and enjoy writing both, but I write sci-fi for money and fantasy for love. And I did one Steampunk novel, because I wanted to.
Niall wrote: "Okay, I'll bite... I self-publish and have the advantage of a readership who seem to like my writing style as much as my characters, so I get to write in whatever genre/subgenre I wish. Primarily I..."I agree with you that fantasy outweighs sci-fi. I think movies have a huge influence on stories in general, so I'm counting on there to be spike in sci-fi fiction after Stars Wars comes out.
I write mostly urban fantasy, just because I love mixing the extraordinary with everyday life. I used to write stories about supernatural creatures living in Washington D.C., the area that I'm from, but I found it more fun to create my own setting rather than spend a bunch of time fact checking street names.
I write science fiction and paranormal urban fantasy. Since I've loved science fiction since I was a child, and paranormal urban fantasy since I was introduced to it some years ago, I suppose that's why I write in these genres. But then I'm fond of horror too, but I don't write it. Guess my mind doesn't run in that direction.
Whilst much of my work contains elements of speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, horror), my writing is very fluid when it comes to genres and frequently crosses one or many. My first poetry collection was a merger of literary and fantasy (myth, legend and fairy tale). My second poetry book was SF and literary. My first novel has been called horror, dark fiction, dark fantasy, magic realism and gothic, whilst my second novel is probably the simplest in terms of genre as it is paranormal with a touch of romance. My short stories straddle horror, SF, fantasy, crime and literary fiction (not ALL at the same time, but sometime times two or three). I relish the fluidity and freedom that writing cross-genres brings. To my mind it allows the stories to breath ( or choke and gasp, if I'm writing horror). Having said all that, I've a new poetry collection out in 2016 and its primarily literary - very little genre elements at all. What can I say? I like the freedom.
I write fantasy romance, which isn't really a genre but that's what my series is. It doesn't really fit perfectly into any genre.I love writing fantasy because I get to set the rules. Instead of making my story fit inside the world, I build the world around my story. I also love writing romance because, let's face it, romance is where the "feels" are. I try to balance the two in my series, the best I can.
I do intend to write a *gasp* YA series later on, mostly because I want to have something my daughters can read when they get older and I have an itch to finish a series I started in high school. Then again, I was reading full-blown romance novels in high school so a lot of YA novels bore me. I need some spice! It will be a challenge for me...
J.S. wrote: "Whilst much of my work contains elements of speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, horror), my writing is very fluid when it comes to genres and frequently crosses one or many."This. I actually hate genre assignments. I get forced into them by Amazon and Smashwords, but it's sometimes very hard to pick a couple of categories which define what I've written. Reality Hack went in under urban fantasy, but it had elements of horror and sci-fi/cyberpunk.
Niall wrote: "J.S. wrote: "Whilst much of my work contains elements of speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, horror), my writing is very fluid when it comes to genres and frequently crosses one or many."This. I ac..."
Hi Niall, you are not alone. Fuzzy or fluid genre demarcations are fine. True, it throws some publishers, but others relish it!
I'm just starting, and I have chosen romance as my main genre. I thought I was doing paranormal romance, which isn't technically wrong, but I realized my book fits more closely to contemporary romance, with a few supernatural bits thrown in! Thus, I'm inclined to think I write contemporary romance. I agree with Niall that genre assignment is a pain in the hippopotamus.I do intend to write pure contemporary after the completion of my paranormal series. Or maybe before I'm finished, hmmm...
Taylor wrote: "I agree with you that fantasy outweighs sci-fi. I think movies have a huge influence on stories in general, so I'm counting on there to be spike in sci-fi fiction after Stars Wars comes out..."Fans of sci fi consider Star Wars to be Fantasy. :P
I write a mix of fantasy and sci-fi. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what it fits in better. I guess it depends on people's definition of one and the other. (It has aliens and vampires in them) Why I do? Because that's what I like to read. I always loved stories with extra terrestrials so of course I had to write some. When my hubby told me that both ET and vampires were never seen together, it gave me an idea. I don't know what I'm going to write once my characters are done telling me their stories.
My two primary genres are Mythical and Paranormal Romance, but I write across a spectrum of genres. I also publish parenting and relationship anthologies, which are mostly non-fiction (parents do tend to exaggerate!).
Although I write several genres (sci-fi, paranormal, steampunk etc), my most favourite is sword and sorcery fantasy. I love creating brand new worlds where I can think up my own legends, faiths and societies for this place. I can spend hours thinking about these different worlds :)
The current series I am writing has been listed as paranormal romance, but truly I don't believe it to be romantic. There is a love story, but it's not vampire boy meets human girl. It's been done to death. Risen again, and been done to death. Again.
Instead, there is a connection between them. More than friends, closer than family. There could be love, but it's still up in the air.
Mostly I try not to be defined by genre. I have mystery, sex, violence, language, humor and an alt take on history.
If I could sum it all up, just Paranormal :-)
I wrote
And here's an article I wrote about why I chose werewolves http://www.ismellsheep.com/2015/12/wh...
I write across the board. My first Series Vampire Whisperer is a Paranormal Romance. Second book Twice the Regret Mystery/Romance.
Because I like writing sex scenes I'm trying my hand at Erotica and Romantica.
Of course as a stay at home mother of two toddlers I wanted to write children's books that would keep them entertained.
For pure soul work I write Self Help/Astrology.
I write YA/PNR/Fantasy because I like all these things. I also enjoyed being 18-24 and perhaps I mentally want to stay there even though I'm in my 30s.
My Novels have all been along the Supernatural, Young Adult, genre. But I have many short stories that cross all genres, from straight drama, thriller, comedy and I've even dabbled in erotica (under a different name).The sad thing is, when published online, it was always the erotica that got the most reads. Make of that what you will!
While Im not published yet i have had the chance to but turned the offer down. My book didnt feel ready yet. I write all genres just not mystery and horror because reading those genres (or watching those genres in fact) holds no interest to me. But a subplot in my novel is ALWAYS romance.
That being said ive written two paranormal romances, dystopian romance, contemporary upper YA romance with magic realism, ive started a peter pan retelling adventure story with heavy romance and am currently revising a YA contemporary romance that was previously written long ago
My problem is that I keep writing but I have no desire to revise. Yet I want to so I can query or self publish
Paranormal and SciFi, depending on the series. I'm currently trying my hand at a YA series because some of my younger relatives wanted me to. Never thought I would do that but it's been interesting and I've enjoyed it.
N.R. wrote: "Paranormal and SciFi, depending on the series. I'm currently trying my hand at a YA series because some of my younger relatives wanted me to. Never thought I would do that but it's been interesting..."As yet, I've not felt tempted by YA. What are you finding the differences to be, compared to writing for adults?
Stephanie wrote: "I write across the board. My first Series Vampire Whisperer is a Paranormal Romance. Second book Twice the Regret Mystery/Romance.
Because I like writing sex scenes I'm trying my hand at Erotic..."
Thanks for sharing! I write "The Supernatural London Underground", which is Urban Fantasy, but am wondering if I can switch to Paranormal Romance for the second book in the series. Since genres overlap, i think it is okay, but have wanted to see someone else who is doing the same thing.
Linda wrote: "I write YA/PNR/Fantasy because I like all these things. I also enjoyed being 18-24 and perhaps I mentally want to stay there even though I'm in my 30s."I feel you! There's something magical about that age range in the genre for me, atm.
Ultimately, my writing centers on romance. However, some of it is contemporary and most is paranormal. I guess I like inventing colorful worlds and characters that don't exist in real life. So I prefer the fantasy romance. It's more fun to not have to follow the rules. : )I'm currently working on a young adult paranormal romance trilogy that I intend to self-publish using KDP and Createspace.
When it comes to erotica, I only read and write paranormal. I've always been more geared toward fantasy, and I like the character choices available with paranormal stories. I just find real life boring. I don't really read non-erotic romances, although I probably should. I would eventually like to do a paranormal non-erotic romance but I don't have any inspiration for one yet. For now I'm focused on books for grown ups who like spicy sex. It's a fun thing to do on the side. I'm trying to get published in other genres under my real name, but I like having the Chessela Helm identity for fun and self-publishing.
I've been all over the place on the Fantasy scale but have recently settled down into Urban Fantasy. It was driven more by inspiration than any particular desire to write in a genre, although I spent a lot of time reading Urban Fantasy before that, which is probably why I went in that direction.I've been told romance is where it's at if you want to make a whole lot of money, and I could probably do it, but meh.
I've always loved writing fantasy simply because the possibilities are endless, and that's really exciting to me. I love world-building and creating characters that are relatable even though they couldn't possibly exist in our world. It's really challenging, and that's part of the fun :)
Oh my yes. In my younger days, I filled an entire journal with world building once---including various languages, with tenses, declensions, and everything.At some point, though, I realized I didn't have the attention span or serious enough character for high fantasy. So, now I write books about lost angels working at coffee shops. :)
As a reader, I've always gravitated toward stories that open up new worlds for me, fantastic places and ideas. I crave escapism and the unusual, plus I'm a sucker for a good romance. So my writing has been similar, romances set in fantasy worlds, characters with special abilities and unusual lives...I want to be them when I grow up. ;)
I've got more of a plot type that I'm obsessed by which is the Modern Epic, where an individual battles a corrupt authority, typically married with a maturation plot for the main character.Recent common examples of those two plots in action are Star Wars, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, The Matrix, the Allegiant series, etc.
I wasn't settled on precisely what genre I've been working in, but I've come to the conclusion that essentially I'm writing Urban Fantasy, mashed up with Techno-Thriller, with a large side order of Vampires with attitude.
Mindy wrote: "I've always loved writing fantasy simply because the possibilities are endless, and that's really exciting to me. I love world-building and creating characters that are relatable even though they c..."I enjoy the world building aspect. I use our current one with modifications and set forward about a decade in technology.
I write urban fantasy and science fiction. I consider urban fantasy as a hybrid genre that lives at the crossroads between fantasy, horror, science fiction, hardboiled, thriller, and romance. One might say that urban fantasy is a liminal genre; it exists where the other genres meet.
