Genre Terms
Biopunk/Cyberpunk: Biopunk science fiction is a subgenre of cyberpunk fiction that portrays the underground side of the "biotech revolution" which, in the 1990s and 2000s, was expected to start having a profound impact on humanity in the first half of the 21st century. Biopunk stories explore the struggles of individuals or groups, often the product of human experimentation, against a backdrop of totalitarian governments or megacorporations which misuse biotechnologies as means of social control or profiteering. Unlike cyberpunk, it builds not on information technology but on synthetic biology. Like in postcyberpunk fiction, individuals are usually modified and enhanced not with cyberware, but by genetic manipulation.Contemporary/Realistic (this definition from the Contemps website) is pretty much what it sounds like: books that feature true-to-life settings, characters, and situations.
But some of you wanted more specific breakdowns on contemporary, including the following sub-groups:
Edgy - (from suite101.com)Edgy novels are ones which publishers are not traditionally willing to publish because they deal with a taboo subject or otherwise push the boundaries of what is socially acceptable.
Literary - (from Wikipedia) a term that has come into common usage since around 1960, principally to distinguish serious fiction (that is, work with claims to literary merit) from the many types of genre fiction and popular fiction. In broad terms, literary fiction focuses more on style, psychological depth, and character
Dystopias usually extrapolate elements of contemporary society and function as a warning against some modern trend, often the threat of oppressive regimes in one form or another. Many utopias can be seen as dystopias in regard to their treatment of the issues of justice, freedom and happiness. The main point of a dystopia is to make people think about the world in which they live and to see how the idea of happiness can be perverted providing the members of society know little else.
Fantasy: a genre that uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place in fictional worlds where magic is common.
Fantasy: a genre that uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Many works within the genre take place in fictional worlds where magic is common.
A critique partner takes that same read and goes a level deeper. They question word choice, sentence cadence, motivations, use of white space, dialogue, etc...They are available to brainstorm, cheer you on, and will gently tell you when a book you're working on needs to be trunked.
A critique partner takes that same read and goes a level deeper. They question word choice, sentence cadence, motivations, use of white space, dialogue, etc...They are available to brainstorm, cheer you on, and will gently tell you when a book you're working on needs to be trunked.
A pitch is considerably longer and more detailed, and though the term used to be reserved more for verbal exchanges (like conference appointments or personal meetings) the term has begun to be used interchangeably (and sometimes confusingly) with query, though the pitch is exclusively about the story and lacks query elements like the author bio. Pitches are usually two-to-three well-constructed paragraphs and will give much more information than your logline, focusing on distinguishing your story from others already on the market with fresh characters and presenting your plot clearly.
A pitch is considerably longer and more detailed, and though the term used to be reserved more for verbal exchanges (like conference appointments or personal meetings) the term has begun to be used interchangeably (and sometimes confusingly) with query, though the pitch is exclusively about the story and lacks query elements like the author bio. Pitches are usually two-to-three well-constructed paragraphs and will give much more information than your logline, focusing on distinguishing your story from others already on the market with fresh characters and presenting your plot clearly.
Rom-Com (romantic comedy) - light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles.
Thriller - uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements.[1] The primary subgenres of thrillers are: mystery, crime and psychological thrillers. Thrillers are mostly characterised by an atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder by showing society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, though they often feature a happy ending in which the villains are killed or arrested. Thrillers heavily promote on literary devices such as plot twists, red herrings and cliffhangers. They also promote on moods, such as a high level of anticipation, adrenaline rush, arousal, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and sometimes even terror. The tones in thrillers are usually gritty, slick and lurid.
Mystery - a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective (either professional or amateur) investigates and solves a crime.
Dystopian: Dystopia is defined as a society characterized by poverty, squalor, or oppression.
Paranormal Romance: focuses on romance and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the genres of traditional fantasy, science fiction, or horror. Paranormal romance may range from traditional category romances, with a paranormal setting to stories where the main emphasis is on a science fiction or fantasy based plot with a romantic subplot included. Common hallmarks are romantic relationships between humans and vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, and other entities of a fantastic or otherworldly nature.
Historical: In YA, we're typically talking about a "period piece," meaning a work that features historical places, people, or events that may or not be crucial to the story. Because history is merely used as a backdrop, it may be fictionalized to various degrees, but the story itself may be regarded as "outside" history. A traditional piece of historical fiction takes place in the real world, with real world people, but with several fictionalized or dramatized elements.
Science Fiction: a genre of fiction dealing with the impact of imagined innovations in science or technology, often in a futuristic setting. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternative possibilities The settings for science fiction are often contrary to known reality, but the majority of science fiction relies on a considerable degree of suspension of disbelief provided by potential scientific explanations to various fictional elements. elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). Exploring the consequences of such differences is the traditional purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas"
Speculative Fiction: an umbrella term encompassing the more highly imaginative fiction genres, specifically including science fiction, fantasy,horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history.
Steampunk: Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world wheresteam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and oftenVictorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistictechnology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisionedthem; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture,architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history.
Urban Fantasy: a subset of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times or contain supernatural elements. However, this is not the primary definition of urban fantasy. Urban fantasy can be set in historical times, modern times, or futuristic times. The prerequisite is that it must be primarily set in a city, rather than in a suburban or country setting, which have their own genre subsets.
Utopian: The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal world, or utopia, as the setting for a novel.Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world, ordystopia. Many novels combine both, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take in its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures.
Industry Terms
A beta reader reads the manuscript and gives an overview opinion. It can be as in depth as they want, but their focus is on the broad issues like plot and pacing and characters.You want a beta in the beginning to gauge the interest you're generating with your story. They're also valuable at the very end after you've worked out all the kinks of the story with a critique partnerThe term 'logline' has been adapted from the movie industry, where a single line summary of a movie script is used to quickly sort the mountains of material to be considered. In publishing, an effective logline can be just as useful, since you can quickly distinguish your story from the hundreds of others vying for the agent's or editor's attention at any given time. A good logline will tell the reader the major characters, the conflict, and, done extremely well, convey the story arc in a way that seems fluid, convincing and compelling. That's a lot to ask of a single line, so you can see why this should be given a lot of careful consideration!
