Things That Go Bump In The Night

G'day folks! I didn't forget my book this time. Yay me.

But first I need to make mention of Camy Tang's blog today over at Seekerville. If you haven't checked it out yet....go NOW! She is always so informative. She doesn't just talk about galleys..she shows you examples. How cool is that?

Today I'm going to bring you some crazy headllines. This hits home for me, since there is a collection of them where I work. All written by our talented copy desk team:) These however are the work of others:

"Woman Missing Since She Got Lost" (Chicago Sun-Times, 5-17-2011).

"Teen Dies of Shaken Baby Syndrome" (Chicago Tribune, 3-9-2011).

"Man With Clown Nose in New Cumberland Poses No Serious Threat" (Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa., 7-3-2011).

Gotta love it.

Now....who doesn't love a good horror, eh? I know I sure do. Today is my last post in the series of genres...lets look at horror.

Dark fantasy: usually less graphic than other horror subcategories and features more traditional supernatural or mythical beings, i.e. vampires, werewolves, zombies etc..

Hauntings: stories of ghosts poltergeists and spiritaul possessions.

Psychological horror: a human monster with horrific but not necissarliy supernatural aspects.

Splatterpunk: very graphic depction of violence, often gratuitous.

Technological horror: monsters in these stories are the result of science gone wrong.

There you have it folks. The different categories within genres. I hope this has been helpful. I'm not exactly sure what my nest series will be about. If there are any suggestions...let me know.

Don't forget to check under your bed tonight ;)

Science Fiction

Hello, hello, hello. I'm back for another post.

I just love the writers over at Seekerville. They inspire me so much!

But on to some fun and interesting facts. I've got some weird news of the day to share.

Real life British superheroes find crime hard to find.
Two self-styled superheroes – The Dark Spartan and his sidekick The Black Void – have vowed to fight crime and deploy justice to their neighbourhood.

Just when you thought all the good guys were gone.

Sometimes odd news can help with a story idea, not to mention its pretty darn interesting. I once read about a woman who had sat on her toilet for around a year. Never leaving it. Her boyfriend would bring her dinner and everything. How's that for weird. I will be sharing odd news from now on....I think:)

OK, now to continue with genre descriptions, here is science fiction categories.

Hard science fiction: based on real science in the future. Scientific background may be as or more important than the characters.

Social science fiction: focus on how the character reacts to their environment.

Military science fiction: about war that feature traditional military organization and tactics in the future.

Cyberpunk: characters are tough outsiders in a high-tech society where computers have changed the way society functions.

Space Opera: traditional good guys vs. bad guys western. Puts emphasis on sweeping action and larger-than -life characters.

Alternate history: fantasy and sometimes some science fiction elements that changes history.

Steampunk: specific type of alternate history science fiction that is set in Victorian England in which characters have access to twentieth century technology.

New age: deals with subjects such as astrology, psychic phenomena, spiritual healing, UFOs etc...

Science fantasy: blend of traditional fantasy with scientific support.

Science fiction mystery: can be a traditional science fiction story with a mystery as a key plot point.

Science fiction romance: another blend with romance aspects threaded in.

Next up will be fantasy categories. Stay cool everyone. I know I'm trying...but it's not working. 109 degrees today :(

Alright, continuing from last time, lets look at romance subcategories.

Category or series: These are published in “lines” from individual publishing houses. Each has its own requirements.

Christian: With an inspirational, Christian message centering around faith and relationship with God. Sensuality is played down.

Glitz: Feature wealthy, high-powered characters in careers considered to be glamorous and set in exciting or exotic locals.

Historical: Can cover any historical period.
Gothic: Strong element of suspense and feeling of supernatural events although these events usually have a natural explanation. Dark, moody, and suspenseful.
Fantasy: elements of magic and magical beings, frequently set in a medieval society.
Early American: Usually Revolution or Civil War, set in New England or the South, but frontier stories set in the American West are popular.
Native American: One or both of the characters are Native American; conflict between cultures is a popular theme.
Regency: set in England during the Regency period from 1811-1820.

Multicultural: Most currently feature African-American or Hispanic couples.

Paranormal: Containing elements of the supernatural or science fiction/fantasy.

Romantic comedy: Has a comic premise or perspective in the author’s voice.

Romantic suspense: mystery or psychological thriller subplot in addition to romance.

Single title: longer contemporaries that do not necessarily conform to the requirements of a specific romance line and therefore feature more complex plots and nontraditional characters.

Young adult: focus on first love with very little, if any sex.

Next we will take a look at Science Fiction categories.

Genre Definitions

I saw a great sign today posted at a church:
Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet Him.

Isn’t that great?

Now on to business. As I was searching through the lists of agents that might be interested in my writing, I came across several genres that I wasn’t familiar with. I thought there might be other writers out there who might be confused as well, here are some definitions from Writer’s Market. These are just a basic definition.

Mystery:
Classic Mystery, the whodunit: A crime is solved…mostly murders. All the clues are available to the reader.

Amateur detective: Detective is not a pro.

Courtroom drama: Takes place primarily in a courtroom. Protagonist is usually an attorney trying to prove her client’s innocence.

Cozy: Frequently features a female protagonist. Less violence. Protagonist usually quirky or eccentric. Plot is often wrapped up in a final scene rather than the detective identifying the murder and explaining what happened.

Espionage: International spy novel.

Heists and capers: The crime is the focus. Its planning and execution are detailed. There is one obvious leader of the group.

Historical: Emphasis is on setting and details. Research is very important.

Juevenile/young adult: written for 8-12 age group. Or 12+ age group. The protagonist is the same age as the reader. No graphic violence.

Medical thriller: Involving doctors or medical professionals involved in a medical treatment or can be a patient, family or friends who uncover a plot and try to bring down the villain.

Police procedurals: Conflict between the detective’s partners or his or her superiors is the most common plot.

Private detective: When described as hard boiled, violence is more prominent, characters are darker and there is open resentment toward law enforcement.

Suspense/thrillers: Deals with the intricacies of the crime; what motivated it and how the villain is caught and brought to justice. The crime may not involve a murder. May be a threat to the global economy or technology gone wrong.

Technothriller: These are replacing the espionage novels and feature technology as an integral part of the plot.

Woman in jeopardy: Focus is on the woman or her children that are currently at risk because of murder or other crime that was committed.

Next time we will look at the categories under romance….my favorite ;)