For social novel writing, I think a fantasy/sci fi setting is our best option. Setting our novel in our own world gives us the most freedom for everyone to be creative. Also, the people I've spoken with offline while conceiving this new blog prefer fantasy, sci fi, and horror.
So, my friends, what sort of genre/setting would you like to use? Here are some popular examples to help stir up your creativity:
- Epic or high fantasy - the classic sword and sorcery novels. Elves, dragons, magic, etc. in a sudo-medieval world. E.g., Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.
- Dark fantasy - a cross between horror and epic fantasy, often includes dark supernatural creatures, some very nasty villains, or an anti-hero as the protagonist. E.g., R.A. Salvatore's Underdark novels, Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy, Brent Week's Night Angel trilogy.
- Dark urban fantasy - dark fantasy in a contemporary setting. E.g., Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series (see below), Kim Harrison's The Hollows/Rachel Morgan series.
- Contemporary fantasy - elements of high fantasy in a contemporary setting. E.g., Terry Goodkind's The Law of Nines, Neil Gaiman's American Gods.
- Steampunk - early 1900's or Victorian setting where steam power is widely used. E.g., Cherie Priest's Boneshaker or the Final Fantasy video games.
- Cyberpunk - advanced technology (e.g. cyborgs) in a post-modern setting where there's a breakdown of the social order. E.g., the anime series Trigun, the Matrix movies.
- Futuristic fantasy - combines the advanced technology of sci fi with the magic of fantasy. (Technology powered by magic? High-tech elves?) I don't think this genre actually exists yet, but it could be fun to write.
Tangent: The Development of a Genre
The best novels mix the author's original ideas with aspects from several different genres and/or mythology. Successful mixes sometimes even father new genres. For example, you can easily track the relatively new and currently popular dark urban fantasy genre back to its origin with Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897).
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) - Combines mythology (vampires) with a contemporary setting; establishes the horror genre. (You could go back further to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818), but that is more psychological suspense than horror, and at that point in history, the novel itself (i.e., a long work of narrative prose) was considered a genre.
Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (1976), the first of her Vampire Chronicles - Breaks new ground by presenting vampires as sympathetic protagonists. We'll call this contemporary paranormal fiction.
Laurell K. Hamilton's Guilty Pleasures (1993), the first in her best-selling Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, is one of the first dark urban fantasy books as we know them today. Hamilton combined contemporary paranormal fiction (i.e., vampires and lycanthropes in a modern urban setting) with horror and crime fiction. She also added a good dash of humor and gave us one of the first hard-as-nails, plucky female protagonists that have become so popular in novels today.
P.S. If you haven't read Hamilton's Anita Blake series, you should. It's one of my favorites!
