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Ok...please don't hate me sci-fi/fantasy fans


Andie P

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I am an absolute obsessive about anything to do with horror, films, documentaries, novels, short stories...(paranormal probably my favourite)..well you get the point!)

 

Anyway, I am getting a bit fed up with being put into the 'sci-fi and fantasy' genre...not just on this forum but it seems a consensus with publishers and other similar forums alike.

 

I can't read fantasy/sci-fi but love love love anything to do with horror. Although I must admit that sometimes the genres can overlap.

 

Is it just me or would you like to see horror as a stand alone genre on it's own??

 

Andie P x

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Andie, I know it's a general comment as well, but as far as the forum is concerned, we had to reach a consensus on how to divide the genres, without confusing people with too many sections. It was changed slightly, but this is just what we finally decided on.

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I am an absolute obsessive about anything to do with horror, films, documentaries, novels, short stories...(paranormal probably my favourite)..well you get the point!) Anyway, I am getting a bit fed up with being put into the 'sci-fi and fantasy' genre...not just on this forum but it seems a consensus with publishers and other similar forums alike. I can't read fantasy/sci-fi but love love love anything to do with horror. Although I must admit that sometimes the genres can overlap. Is it just me or would you like to see horror as a stand alone genre on it's own?? Andie P x

Andie P - you can always start a topic on Horror within Sci-Fi.

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Andie, I know it's a general comment as well, but as far as the forum is concerned, we had to reach a consensus on how to divide the genres, without confusing people with too many sections. It was changed slightly, but this is just what we finally decided on.

 

Aww Michelle, please don't think I was moaning about the forum because I love it! :wub: And I realise I wasn't around when this brilliant creation was being made. It's just hard as a horror fan to search for a new book and then trawl through what is fantasy/sci-fi as they are so regularly grouped together. As Timstar said, they do have a tenancy to overlap but I think 'horror', if that is what the author intends it to be, should be able to stand out as a stand alone genre. Just my humble opinion!! :blush2:

 

Andie P x

Edited by Andie P
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I think it does stand out on its own, the problem authors face (I guess) is that they have two basic choices to produce scares, normal and paranormal. If they choose the paranormal the range is limited without moving towards the sci-fi/fantasy end whereas if they choose the normal it is difficult to keep it in horror without moving towards the crime/suspense end of the genre.

 

So it is a bit of a double edged blade, and if all horror was confined right to the middle of the spectrum then the range of descent horror would be severely limited.

 

I do know what you mean though, it doesn't really bother me as I like it all, but maybe they should just try harder ;)

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mmmmm......this really is interesting, making me think :blush2: ! Timstar, when you say when writers choose the 'paranormal' range, how would that fall into the sci-fi/fantasy side of things, are you including things like vampires into the supernatural genre? I see what you mean though about the other side of 'normal' type of horror but then where does thriller come into it? Could a serial killer horror be called a thriller? Interesting stuff.

 

I'm interested because I write horror (mainly) and would never class it as fantasy or sci-fi, but I could probably put it into a sub genre as supernatural.

 

Ha ha...what do you mean they should try harder? :P ...how do you think it could be improved?

 

Andie P x

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ok first of all I'm not a writer, never have been, never well be. So if someone wants to write a horror novel in my opinion it should be frightening and/or horrific.

 

First point choosing the paranormal range. There is a fine line between paranormal horror and paranormal sci-fi. Generally things like hauntings/ghosts/spirits/apparitions etc fall under paranormal horror. Whereas things like alien abductions/mind reading/other worlds could all extend to paranormal sci-fi. Going even further you could say that vampires/witchs/wizards is entering the fantasy genre.

 

So I think choosing what sort of paranormal thing you base you story on shouldn't determine what genre it fits into. I guess it would be how you structure you story around that topic... I.e. to get scares or to just to thrill and entertain.

 

I don't think serial killer novels can be described as horror very often, mainly because they fit so firmly into the crime category. I think it can be one end of the spectrum for horror but not a very good one in my opinion, not a fan of authors who use graphic murders and/or autopsy's to make a book horrific (eg. Karin Slaughter), not a very sophisticated approach.

 

This is why I don't like pigeon holing horror/sci-fi/fantasy because there is such natural cross-over.

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What example would you give of paranormal crossing over with sci-fi?

 

I write to scare/spook hopefully. I am nowhere near a successful writer and have never had anything published (well apart from this forum!!) so I can't pretend to be an expert! I write what I think would scare me but with good entertainment value too so a good story helps!

 

I totally agree that graphic murders etc isn't an approach I like either, I don't think I explained myself very well. When I said serial killers I meant things like Michael Myers etc...not really something with a crime investigation but just pure psychological/thriller entertainment.

 

I suppose most novels can cross over can't they? Such as historical romance, erotic thriller, etc. I suppose it's very subjective really.

 

I imagined myself writing a story about a witch, if I had the out look I used to have (before this conversation) I would have thought it was a fantasy based story but then I thought about my plot and suddenly realised that if I had to class it myself it would become paranormal/fantasy/horror!!! What I am saying is that I think you're right, we shouldn't pigeon hole genres so distinctively. Hey I would never have said I was a fantasy writer!

 

It's only because I love horror and I am very protective over the genre so wanted it to stand alone by itself.

 

Thanks for the enlightenment Timstar!

 

Andie P x

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Not sure I have specifically read any paranormal/Sci-fi crossovers myself, it was more of a hypothetical reasoning.

 

I suppose straight forward serial killers will be in the horror genre, don't think I have ever read one though. They probably work better on film.

 

I think a lot of people just associate fantasy with the sub-genre of 'high fantasy' I.e. set in an invented world. But there are many forms, so nothing wrong with classing your book as a paranormal/fantasy/horror.

 

On seconds thoughts I would say Dreamcatcher by Stephen King would be a good example of a paranormal novel that then stretches to sci-fi. Starts with people who save a child who has visions and other paranormal powers, becomes an 'invasion of the body snatchers' type sci-fi to full blown alien invasion. I, for one, really enjoyed it.

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