Fantasy Genre’s . I have been reading a lot of fantasy lately. It lead me to the question of how many sub genre’s are there? So I did what every inquiring mind does. I Googled it. I’m using Best fantasy books as a guide. Then I fainted on the floor. Depending on which site you look at there are around 21 sub-genres. What! I need a glass of sweet tea.
What does that mean? It means I have a lot of reading to do before I can say I love fantasy and actually mean it. I do love fantasy, but my education is lacking. I have read: epic fantasy, coming of age fantasy,fantastic romance, and literary fantasy.
What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. I’m a firm believer in ‘if you like it read it’. As a writer, genres fascinate me, or understanding the subtle differences between them interest me. I’m particularly interested in forms of fantasy I’ve never read, but hear a lot about, such as Urban, steampunk, and alternate history fantasy. My homework assignment: find a book in one of those dozens of sub-genre’s I haven’t read and read it.
Edit: Since this post went to the great holding folder on the web, I have read an urban fantasy book. I even liked it. I’m still looking for a steampunk book. On my last library visit I crammed by bag with sci-fi, my next frontier to explore.
Row80 Wednesday update:
Reading: No new genres read this week. I’m finishing up a Victorian mystery by Charles Finch. I’ve read him before and really enjoy his writing. It’s a nice read amid the chaos.
writing: not writing this week. I’m putting that on the back burner right now.
No submissions
Revisions: I am reading through my WIP “Dead in the Water” and making notes. I’m doing a straight read for clarity and flow. Checking for holes and making notes for later. I’m on chapter 10. I still love the characters, but having put it aside for a year, I see the writing differently. I think the time out was a good thing. I’ve decided to ditch the prologue, enlarge it and make it the first chapter. The WIP is at 61,265 words now. It’s a cozy mystery, not sure what it will be when I finish.
I’m pleased with my progress. How is your progress going?
CK
I’m convinced we can subdivide things into oblivion. At the end of the day, write what you love and it’ll all work out. Actually, I don’t read in my exact genre while I’m writing in it–I don’t want it to either influence my work or scare me away from a story I want to tell.
Good luck with continued progress!
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I’m with you. I read as I write, but not the same style or genre.
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It is mind-boggling, isn’t it? All the sub-genres. It seems like any time an author pens a fantasy that is even slightly different, they must coin a new name for it. I think ‘grimdark’ is probably the latest. Unless I’m behind the times. Which is totally possible given the rate with which sub-genres appear! 🙂
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I have never heard of ‘grimdark’. That’s a new one for me. Thanks for reading.
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