 For Authors: March 15, 2017 Issue [#8185] |
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This week: Ultra-Specific Fiction Genres Edited by: Jeff  
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"In three words, I can sum up everything
I've learned about life: it goes on."
-- Robert Frost
Trivia of the Week: The Inklings was an informal literary discussion group at Oxford University, which existed for nearly 20 years beginning in the 1930s (and resurrected as of 2006). It featured a whole host of now-famous authors, including, most notably, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. If you think it was a serious affair, though, you'd be wrong. Most nights, they amused themselves by reading notoriously bad prose and seeing who could go on the longest without laughing.
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ULTRA-SPECIFIC FICTION GENRES
Over the last few months, I've made a study of different Amazon fiction genres, particularly the unusually specific subgenres that Amazon has determined are popular enough to warrant their own section. In a nutshell, what happens is that Amazon has particular popular genres that help readers navigate to subject matter of particular interest to them. The mystery genre, for example, is broken down into Crime Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller. Science Fiction and Fantasy has both, well, Science Fiction and Fantasy.
But within each of those larger genres are a bunch of smaller and much more specific subgenres. Within Crime Fiction, there are categories like Heist, Kidnapping, Organized Crime, and Vigilante Justice. Within Fantasy you can find Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fairy Tales, and Superhero. And those categories, from what I understand, come from Amazon's algorithms determining that there's a sustained and high demand for works in that particular subcategory.
Not all subcategories are represented. In Science Fiction, for example, you can find specific categories for Cyberpunk and Steampunk, but you won't find Dieselpunk, Biopunk, Splatterpunk, etc. What many authors will do, however, is "take over" an existing category that's tangentially related to the topic they're writing about. LitRPG for example (a genre largely popularized by the success of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, which often feature virtual-reality roleplaying games and specifically focuses on stats, power-ups, and leveling) doesn't have a genre of its own, so authors of those books have all but dominated the Cyberpunk genre to find a somewhat related home for their work. Similarly, the Heist genre inside Crime Fiction currently features a large number of biker/motorcycle club bad boy romances.
Will LitRPG and Biker/Motorcycle Club Romance eventually get their own subcategories? I suppose that depends on whether those genres remain popular for an extended period of time, or whether they're impermanent trends.
What's amusing to me, though, are the very specific genres that do have their own subcategories already. For example, under Military Science Fiction, there are enough books to warrant both Space Marine and Space Fleet sections. In the Thrillers section, you can find anything from Financial to Legal to Medical to Psychological Thrillers. Paranormal Suspense has subdivisions for Psychics, Vampires, and Werewolves & Shifters.
If you're the kind of person who enjoys the challenge of reading or writing something new, I'd encourage you to give the ultra-specific fiction genres on Amazon a try. I've tried a few this year already, and it's fascinating to see how a Space Marine book differs from other Military Sci-Fi, which differs from other kinds of Sci-Fi like Space Opera or Galactic Empire or Colonization. It's really fun to see the nuances of horror versus occult versus paranormal. The next time you're feeling adventurous, I highly recommend checking out a very specific subgenre on Amazon and seeing what kind of story is waiting for you.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: Ever since we were young, my twin brother, Adrian and I had been best friends. We used to surf together at the beach near our house, you see, we lived in California where it’s always sunny. But then he made new friends, he changed. Sometimes we build a blanket fort and watch movies together like we used to after surfing, but the last time was six months ago and we haven’t surfed together since he made his new friends, three years ago.
EXCERPT: I’m at the garden center, contemplating the bleeding hearts when Maisie King finds me.
“Olivia!” she shouts. I close my eyes and gather strength, then turn to face her. There’s no maliciousness in Maisie and she’s always been a good friend, but she does love to talk.
“Maisie,” I say, and quickly try to redirect the flood of gossip she’s about to unleash on me. “How’s that husband of yours?”
She blinks and looks lost for a moment. They were high school sweethearts—married forty-eight years. The dementia means he’s leaving her by inches, but I envy her. All her life she was part of something great.
EXCERPT: All seven of them gathered in the hotel lobby after their flight was cancelled due to a massive snowstorm.
The receptionist took a deep breath and raised her hand to the people who were all talking at once. “Please, we will take care of each of you as soon as we can but you will have to form an orderly line so that I can deal with you individually. Your patience is appreciated. Thank you.”
“I arrived here first,” shouted a pompous elderly man. I should be first in line.”
EXCERPT: We have all heard the tales of the spectral and the supernatural at some point before in our lives. Some of these ghost stories can be quite scary, and others are not so scary. Some of these ghost stories date back three centuries or more in time, but why haven't we seen some of these same spirits today? Why do some ghost seem like they are on the move?
EXCERPT: “Great party, ain’t it?”
“Great party, indeed.”
“And who are you supposed to be? I don’t recognize the costume.”
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Feedback from my last newsletter about measurable writing output ("For Authors Newsletter (February 15, 2017)" ):
hbk16 writes: "These are some interesting advice for being a real professional writer.Indeed most freelancers, I guess, write spontaneously.There is no real timing to write as it is guided by inspiration.Sometimes, in order to make someone writing evolve we must do some measurements so that we render it organized.It is not wrong to join spontaneity to "rationalism". The goal is to promote writing."
I think spontaneity is incredibly important for writers as well. For me, there has to be a bit of discovery to the process or else I just feel like I'm a typing rather than writing. I always compare writing preparation to going on a road trip.
Acme  writes: "I am so going to try those tips on increasing output, but I have noted I can't type for toffee on my iPad. I need to go old school when it comes to a keyboard!"
Yeah, as much as I love my iPad and other smart devices, I only ever type on my laptop... there's no substitute for an actual keyboard. At least not yet! My wife got a bluetooth keyboard to use with her iPad and she seems to really like that as well. 
Quick-Quill  writes: "Great admonition. I'm going to attempt to put it into practice. I'm still a bad typist because I can't touch type. I can't start over because it is too slow to break old habits. Maybe some year I will start by pacing my keyborad in a box and foring myself to practice scales, oops old habit. practive typing from the basic beginners mode."
I took a keyboarding class in high school that was only 40 minutes three times a week and I was a proficient touch-typer by the end of the semester. In my opinion, two total hours a week for four months is totally worth your time if it means developing a skill that will help you type faster and more accurately for the rest of your life. 
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