What genres have you written in?

[EmilyMiller]

There's even male chick lit.

Baby rooster lit?

 

[EmilyMiller]

Pot kettle much?

Hey - total misunderstanding on my part - apologies.

Emily

 

[intim8]

Published elsewhere - short stories:
Science Fiction - psychological horror
Science Fiction
Romance (ish)
Drama - psychological
Absurdist - Non realism

Novel WIP: Thriller - Business espionage (with sci-fi elements)

Published here:
Romance
Coming of age
Humor - absurdist
Pre-Apoc
Drama

 

[Bamagan]

Is absurdist contemporary fantasy a legit genre? If so, then that. Or occasionally not quite contemporary, but so far nothing particularly futuristic or historical. Does writing about the 1990s count as a period piece yet?

 

[TheLobster]

Does writing about the 1990s count as a period piece yet?

It’s before smartphones and social media so yes, absolutely.

 

[lustychimera]

Is absurdist contemporary fantasy a legit genre? If so, then that. Or occasionally not quite contemporary, but so far nothing particularly futuristic or historical. Does writing about the 1990s count as a period piece yet?

She pulled up her Sean Johns and adjusted her bust into the stiff corset beneath her sleeveless flannel—for Tubby Phresh would be attending tonight's dinner! Her corset was well tended, a custom fit, steam clean only, but the the only washing the rest of her grimy ensemble had seen was in a tub of acid prior to its purchase.

She glued on her nails. Pantera crooned over the phonograph.

 

[intim8]

Does writing about the 1990s count as a period piece yet?

I think "period piece" is less defined by being old and more by being immersed in the distinct feel of the period. Victorian times, the 60s, the roaring 20s, and a lot of other decades, they all have a distinct feel to them, distinct cultural things that symbolize them. Music, fashion, slang, technology, politics, trends, mores, etc. All the things that define a culture.

I'm not sure the culture has really settled yet on those distinct symbols and distinct feel of the 90's to draw on. I lived through them as an adult, so I missed a lot of the cutting edge of the culture, but still, the period doesn't feel distinct to me. Even the 70's and 80s, my formative years, though the cultural things they are known for now are completely familiar to me, there were a lot of other things going on that are all but forgotten, or at least aren't notable and noted. I'm not sure I could have picked out then the ones that would stick, even if I had been thinking that way.

Solidifying the cultural references of an era is a selective process. Part of how those become culturally ingrained is through art that brings them out in hindsight. So, go be that influential writer that helps define the 90s to the current culture.

 

[Bamagan]

I think "period piece" is less defined by being old and more by being immersed in the distinct feel of the period. Victorian times, the 60s, the roaring 20s, and a lot of other decades, they all have a distinct feel to them, distinct cultural things that symbolize them. Music, fashion, slang, technology, politics, trends, mores, etc. All the things that define a culture.

I'm not sure the culture has really settled yet on those distinct symbols and distinct feel of the 90's to draw on. I lived through them as an adult, so I missed a lot of the cutting edge of the culture, but still, the period doesn't feel distinct to me. Even the 70's and 80s, my formative years, though the cultural things they are known for now are completely familiar to me, there were a lot of other things going on that are all but forgotten, or at least aren't notable and noted. I'm not sure I could have picked out then the ones that would stick, even if I had been thinking that way.

Solidifying the cultural references of an era is a selective process. Part of how those become culturally ingrained is through art that brings them out in hindsight. So, go be that influential writer that helps define the 90s to the current culture.

To some extent, the distinctiveness of eras one did not personally experience are a given, because you can only know them by study. So it seems quite natural that whatever the cultural memory of an era becomes, people who personally remember it might be inclined to quibble, or even contest, the way 'society' views it when looking back. And they can both be right, kind of like an aerial view (the 'period' perspective) versus a street view (personal recollections that don't necessarily show up at scale).
So, however rad [1] you remember them being, I imagine there are a substantial number of people in their mid-20s and perhaps early 30s who think of the 1990s as a distinct period of time, culturally speaking (if they have any reason to think of the 1990s at all). It's archival data to them, zipped or compressed in a sense, that hopefully provides enough cultural touchstones to orient oneself in time when encountering relevant media or references.
So, then, my one regret is that I don't think Lit supports footnotes, because it strikes me as pretty humorous to write a story set in 1997 or something and include dozens of annotations, like you often find in copies of Shakespeare's plays for example.
~~~
[1] The expression 'rad' was an abbreviation of 'radical' that was principally used as a synonym for good, interesting, exciting, etc. Its peak usage was actually in the 1980s, so the character's use of the term is a means of indicating that they are slightly anachronistic compared to the protagonists, and may help explain why the character's advances are rebuffed.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Horror, sci-fi, mystery, cheating wives/cuckolding, swinging, lesbian, rape/non-con, interracial, transgender, prostitution, interracial, BDSM, vampires, werecreatures, non-human, group sex, open marriage... Um, Vampires too. Also, I delved into Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm looking for previous threads about Lit categories BECAUSE this one is not about Lit categories. The title made me think it might be and I thought people here might know of one. It's not in any way a criticism of this thread.

To find Lit categories go to the bottom of this page, click on Stories then scroll down. Every category is shown there - in fact, every front page on Lit is shown there: it's the Table of Contents for the site.

 

[VallesMarineris]

To some extent, the distinctiveness of eras one did not personally experience are a given, because you can only know them by study. So it seems quite natural that whatever the cultural memory of an era becomes, people who personally remember it might be inclined to quibble, or even contest, the way 'society' views it when looking back. And they can both be right, kind of like an aerial view (the 'period' perspective) versus a street view (personal recollections that don't necessarily show up at scale).
So, however rad [1] you remember them being, I imagine there are a substantial number of people in their mid-20s and perhaps early 30s who think of the 1990s as a distinct period of time, culturally speaking (if they have any reason to think of the 1990s at all). It's archival data to them, zipped or compressed in a sense, that hopefully provides enough cultural touchstones to orient oneself in time when encountering relevant media or references.
So, then, my one regret is that I don't think Lit supports footnotes, because it strikes me as pretty humorous to write a story set in 1997 or something and include dozens of annotations, like you often find in copies of Shakespeare's plays for example.
~~~
[1] The expression 'rad' was an abbreviation of 'radical' that was principally used as a synonym for good, interesting, exciting, etc. Its peak usage was actually in the 1980s, so the character's use of the term is a means of indicating that they are slightly anachronistic compared to the protagonists, and may help explain why the character's advances are rebuffed.

It’s been my experience that a true “period piece” has to develop on its own. If you try to write something that evokes the ambience of an historical period, what you’re writing is historical fiction. A true period piece, let’s say, ripens or matures over time. It’s like an antique: you can’t make an antique today. You can make a fake antique, or a knock-off, but it won’t be the same. Let me give some examples:

— A while back I watched (again) Taxi Driver, the Scorsese film starring Robert DeNiro and (12-year old!) Jodie Foster. It was controversial for its sex and violence, won several prestigious awards. But watching recently I saw that it’s become a period piece, a snapshot of gritty, decaying NYC in the 70s. Though still a classic, don’t get me wrong.

— You can date the decade when a sci-fi story was published by noting the cool tech the story has (and hasn’t). People in the future took rockets to the Moon in the 50s, but no story had a billon people watching the first Moon landing on TV. Spaceships had computers in the 70s, but no one had a cellphone. I’m reading a space opera right now in which 34th century space navy pilots use computer tablets. Oh, and any Jules Verne novel. And don’t get me started on Asimov’s Foundation. These stories are still cool, but that's the way the future was. They're period pieces now.

— Even historical fiction novels become period pieces. For example, John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman.

— Even translations: new translations of Homer’s Odyssey keep coming out, each a product of its historical period. I recently read a new translation, in verse, by Emily Wilson (real person, classics scholar at Penn, not Em’s roman a clef character). It’s great, by the way. Given the perspective of our current time, she sees Odysseus as a much more ambiguous protagonist, a product of the brutal Bronze Age, not the wonderful, if flawed, hero of previous eras. And she includes some quite violent scenes that previous translators snipped out. This will become a period piece. And a classic.

Maybe someone can write a story so immersed in a period that it becomes a period piece instantly, so I won’t say it can’t happen. I don't think I've seen one yet.

 

[AG31]

To find Lit categories go to the bottom of this page, click on Stories then scroll down. Every category is shown there - in fact, every front page on Lit is shown there: it's the Table of Contents for the site.

I'm looking for a thread like this one that we're in. "What genres have you written in?" But for Lit categories instead of non-lit genres, which this thread is dedicated to. I want to know what AH members are up to.

And I thought a thread like the one we're in might already exist.

 

[mildlyaroused]

What's the genre about people living their lives in their world? I suppose contemporary fiction, or drama, or literary fiction, or whatever - it depends on various nuances and (sometimes arbitrary) categorisations.

Anyway, that's what most of my stuff is about. Just people's eccentric lives.

Other than that, some sci-fi/fantasy at various points, also a smidge of horror, maybe some slightly surreal tales. Plenty of novellas (because lots of my stories are born from one strong idea/setting that I then flesh out into 30 odd thousand words).

I want to know what AH members are up to.

You should make one I'm sure others would be interested too!

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm looking for a thread like this one that we're in. "What genres have you written in?" But for Lit categories instead of non-lit genres, which this thread is dedicated to. I want to know what AH members are up to.

The last thread I saw on that topic was a couple of weeks ago. Probably on page two or three of the AH threads list by now.

The only "regular" thread that might be useful is this one:

What Have You Posted Recently

It's not used by everyone here, though.

 

[Paul_Chance]

I've exclusively written contemporary fiction here on Lit.

 

[djrip]

I planned a many book fantasy epic in my teens and wrote part of the first one. I planned a many book science fiction series in my twenties and wrote the first one, along with the beginnings of lots of science fiction stories. I had near future cyberpunkish stuff, mid-future planets around the solar system set stuff, far future space opera, alternate dimensions. Threw in zombies after reading some China Mieville. I like the idea of bizarre writing where things happen with more concern for symbolism and dreamlogic than for plausibility. Think Bradbury, clouds of oxygen visibly billowing off of Martian trees, kind of mood.

But I have an easier time finishing contemporary life erotica here on lit, than any of that stuff that I've never been able to get to a state where I could do anything with it. But my stuff here has a kind of embrace the bizarre and dream-like quality about it as well. And I've been thinking of trying to eroticize some of my other kinds of ideas like some of my sci fi.

 

[orangecurious]

autobiography

 

[ElectricBlue]

Contemporary fiction
Science fiction
Historical myth
Fantasy / surrealist fiction
Gender studies (fiction)
Cafe society/suburban fiction
Horror
Erotic nostalgia
Chick lit
Twentieth century period pieces
Erotica
Autobiography
LA Noir
Disability
Humanism

 

[Devinter]

• Non-Fiction.
• Historical Fiction.
• Sword & Sorcery.
• Low Fantasy.
• Science Fiction.
• Horror.
• Mystery.
• Supernatural (Vampires, etc.)
• Dystopian.
• Ritual texts.

Never written a Romance novel, though love is a common feature and theme within my other categories.
I've also written the forewords / introductions to a few of my friends' published work, primarily in the non-fiction category.

 

[RetroFan]

• Soap Opera
• Dramedy
• Disaster
• Sick-Lit
• Chick-Lit
• Sad Romance
• Standard Romance
• Sports
• Vacation/Travel
• House Guests
• Road Story
• Slacker Comedy
• Shock Comedy
• Dysfunctional Family Comedy
• Crime Comedy
• Teen (18 & 19) Comedy of Bygone Eras (1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s)
• Body Swap Comedy
• Supernatural (Ghosts & Time Slips)
• Science Fiction (Aliens)
• Coming of Age (18+)
• Stalker Stories
• Adventure
• Historical
• Political
• War
• Shaggy Dog Story

 

[AG31]

What's the genre about people living their lives in their world? I suppose contemporary fiction, or drama, or literary fiction, or whatever - it depends on various nuances and (sometimes arbitrary) categorisations.

Anyway, that's what most of my stuff is about. Just people's eccentric lives.

Other than that, some sci-fi/fantasy at various points, also a smidge of horror, maybe some slightly surreal tales. Plenty of novellas (because lots of my stories are born from one strong idea/setting that I then flesh out into 30 odd thousand words).


You should make one I'm sure others would be interested too!

Thanks! Here it is!

 

[tenyari]

Coming of Age High School drama (not on here).
SciFi - AI robots
SciFi - Alien stories
Fantasy
Romantic Poetry (Not on here).
Superhero
Police procedural drama (not on here).

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Mostly detailed realistic modern snarky intelligent geeky Londoners.

Within that, a fair few are bisexual or gay, many kinky, some have disabilities, and they assimilate various people from elsewhere.

Some are fairly straightforward tellings of overcoming barriers and getting together (Third Time Getting Lucky, Educating Laura, both kinda 'coming of age' stories), or Into the Woods (no privacy, end up having sex in, guess where, the woods), getting together and doing BDSM just to describe it (Tell me what you want, Switching at KinkCon)

Done one fairly traditional Romance (Homesick Halloween) which is also 'American at sea in England', a genre that my I Say Ass, You Say Arse... series also explores (in between the anal sex).

Some get a lot more into the characters' heads - A Tale of Two Christmases (relationships with parents), After the Funeral (deals with death and religion), Meaningless Kisses (breakup amd lesbian sex) Undergraduate Experiments (alcoholism and gay sex), Only One Bed, Again! (sibling relationship, growing up, incest...)

Some do that and also play around with dialects and misunderstanding (Smoking Hot, Sex Swing Satisfaction - the latter could be billed as gay interracial, but the differences in the characters are way more about age and income disparity than race).

Lots present London as a character in its own right, but in particular Londoner Calling, which is erotic horror narrated by an immortal being who feeds on satisfying thoughts. Or the Palace of Westminster, in Image Nine Points Four, which gets into political thriller territory.

 

[StillStunned]

Non-Consent/Reluctance: a story of blackmail gone wrong, because I wanted to try 1P-PT.

Erotic Couplings: a few stories that didn't really belong anywhere else.

Group Sex: I wrote about a demon-fuelled orgy for the Halloween contest.

Incest/Taboo: mostly for the views, but I also wrote a 2P POV that worked best in that category.

Reviews & Essays: a WIWAW.

Erotic Horror: a vampire story, although it was more a romance than actual horror.

And now my main categories:

Sci-Fi & Fantasy: it's always been my favourite genre, even outside Lit. As I grow older, I've gravitated more towards sword & sorcery and gritty sci-fi.

Exhibitionist & Voyeur: apparently this is my kink, and my readers seem to like it. Particularly if the voyeur is a woman.

The story I'm currently finishing in fact combines two of my favourite subgenres: sword & sorcery and a female voyeur.

ETA: I also have one in Lesbian Sex, although I submitted it for EC.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Overall, a lot of what I've written is romance, as the main genre or sub. With that is drama, comedy, fantasy, scifi, angst, hurt/comfort, lgbt, coming of age, campy/humor, did one horror story, adventure, tried to write a noir and a gothic romance once.