Creative Writing 101

Lesson 2: Genres

Which Genre? (3) Fantasy and Science Fiction.

FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION.

Fantasy and science fiction are not interchangeable. They are separate genres with plenty of sub-genres between them. As with the other genres it pays to be familiar with the usual specifications before you begin to write.

FANTASY.

Fantasy is fiction about events or characters that could not exist in the world as we know it. The explanation for unusual events is usually magic. There is sometimes a clash between good and evil.

Occasionally, fantasy is used to describe possible but improbable fiction; for example, much category romance is "fantasy". This definition is dealt with more fully later in this lesson.

Fantasy novels exist at different levels, each of which might be seen as a step away from the world-as-it-is.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FANTASY.

Quite close to realistic fiction is the psychological or daydream fantasy, in which the fantasical events might be "real", or might be imagined or made up by the characters.

Romantic suspense and gothic have a lot in common with psychological fantasy. A gothic plot often hinges on something the heroine thinks she knows, or (less common in modern books) on a ploy by someone else to make her doubt her sanity.

On some levels 'Translations in Celadon' is psychological fantasy. Rosanna and Sari both have power that is partly illusion. Rosanna "sees" things that sometimes become reality while Sari's talent is for lying. All five teenagers in 'Translations' have alter egos whose significance is partly psychological. Thus diffident, fearful Rosanna "becomes" a dun mare while confident, imperious Sari "becomes" Princess Fame-Bright. Secretive Rafe's other self is a werewolf. This might be read as a reference to self-image or to hidden violence/power.

Daydream fantasy is gentler, younger and probably less common in modern times. Fantasy on the whole has moved away from prettiness and the easy "it was all a dream" ending is all but dead.

If planning to write psychological fantasy you need to plot your story on several levels. This will be dealt with in Lessons 3 and 4.

SIMPLE FANTASY.

The simpler kinds of fantasy usually introduce just one fantasy element into our world, or else introduce one normal human character into a fantasy world.

In the former case the storyline usually develops around the human protagonist's efforts to deal with the elf, animate whirlwind, unicorn, dragon or whatever that has turned up in his/her vicinity. S/he will probably have some kind of obligation to the fantasy element.

In the latter case the situation is reversed as the human protagonist adventures through the fantasy world and tries to complete a quest and/or find the way home.

You can make a non-human character the protagonist of a simple fantasy, but it is very uncommon. Human readers find it easier to identify with human protagonists. Even if your human character has some kind of power (as Rosanna has in 'Translations in Celadon') you will need to show that s/he is still humanly vulnerable in some way. Thus Rosanna, who has the power to remake reality and bring a world to life is so diffident and socially inept that she is easily duped by Sari's lies and pretended friendship.

The idea of the inept magician or clumsy witch is not only a sop of sour grapes for the reader who can never have such power (see- power doesn't make you any better than we are!). It is also a necessary bond between protagonist and reader. The reader cannot share the magic, but can still relate to the clumsiness, allergies or tactlessness.

GHOST STORIES.

Simple fantasy is related to ghost stories, but these usually form a sub-genre of their own. In traditional ghost stories (where the ghost is "real" rather than "fake") the ghost is either the villain, the victim or a kind of co-protagonist. If the ghost is a villain, the human protagonist will be fighting for safety and survival. If the ghost is victim, then it will probably need the help of a human character to clear its name, avenge its murder etc. The co-protagonist ghost will be a developed character who will instigate adventures or accompany the human protagonist in some way. It may be mischievous, wistful or cranky. Occasionally a ghost is used as protagonist. This is acceptable, but uncommon.

QUEST FANTASY.

Another branch of fantasy is the quest fantasy, in which a character, or collection of characters, goes on a quest to discover or save someone or something. The quest/journey usually takes place in a fantasy landscape, and the novel may or may not begin and end in our world. Quest fantasy has quite stringent (though unwritten) rules. The protagonist is almost always young and inexperienced and will always face appalling danger along the way. The cast of supporting characters usually includes some archetypes. This will be covered more fully in Lesson 5.

The main thing to remember about quest fantasy is that the reason for the quest and the reward or punishment for completing or failing to complete the quest must be strong enough to make it seem likely that the character(s) would go to so much trouble. It is also useful if the quest object is important to someone other than (just) the protagonist.

MAGIC REALISM

Magic realism is a kind of fantasy that takes place in a world (which may be a version of our own) in which magic is accepted and widely used.

URBAN FANTASY

Urban fantasy is fantasy that takes place in urban surroundings. It may be closely related to magic realism.

PARANORMAL.

The term "paranormal" (or "para") is most often used when referring to romance-fantasies and other blended genres. Some paranormals are thrillers, mysteries etc, with added supernatural or paranormal elements. A "dark para" is a paranormal novel that tends towards horror.

HORROR.

Horror comes under the fantasy umbrella when paranormal elements are added to the horror. For example, vampire horror and werewolf horror are fantasy related, slasher horror is (usually) not.

SCIENCE FANTASY.

Science fantasy lies somewhere between the poles of fantasy and "hard" science fiction. Usually it has a science fiction setting with some fantasy elements. The explanation given for the fantasy elements may be scientific rather than paranormal. Just as an example; a science fantasy novel might have a haunting in which the ghost turns out to be a character from another dimension.

SCIENCE FICTION.

Science fiction is fiction about events or characters that do not yet exist in the world as we know it. The explanation for unusual events is usually scientific. There is sometimes a clash between morality and science.

Science fiction is usually divided into soft s-f and hard s-f. Soft s-f novels are often romances, family stories or adventures that just happen to take place in the future or on a different planet. In hard s-f, the science itself is important. There will be quite a lot of scientific fact or pseudo-fact, and most of the reasoning will be in line with what scientists expect will happen in the future.

Whichever kind of s-f you choose to write, there are a few givens. Main characters are usually human or quasi-human, although groups will often include one or more alien or robot characters. Quests are quite common, but these will usually be scientifically based. Clones, genetic engineering, inter-planetary unrest, future societies, marked changes in social behaviour, new ethics, suspended animation, cyborgs, invasions and inventions and developed mental powers are all common elements in science fiction.

TIME TRAVEL AND MIND POWER.

With time travel and telepathy (or telekinetics) we have elements common to both the fantasy and science fiction genres. It is usually possible to assign a time travel or telepathic-character novel to one branch or the other, by looking at the explanation. If time travel is the result of scientific discovery (time machine or inter-dimensional travel) then the book is science fiction. If time travel is the result of magic, standing stones, a spell etc, then the book is fantasy.

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