I'm
NOT feeling insecure today! For the first time in a long time I've
gotten to work on my book, and it's been amazingly fun.
My
first novel is a space opera (I think), but it has a lot of sci-fi,
and some double agent intrigue stuff. So one of my readers said,
“space opera meets Tom Clancy” and that would work except I
actually hate his books. They have too many tiny details. Love the
movies though, and I think the action in Worlds Colliding
(that link is for the post I wrote about finding the title) is a bit
like those.
My story also has a love angle to it. So I've been saying space
opera/sci-fi/double agents/romance and that's just too long. If I
say space opera, does that include all of the above? Or is there
another genre which better describes it? Carol Kilgore calls her
books “crime fiction with a kiss”, which is so perfect. Short,
sweet, and conveys the point. I want a phrase like that...any
thoughts?
Here's
the current version of my synopsis, tinkered with a bit since the
W(h)IP It Good Blogfest.
Leah
has been slowly building a cover and infiltrating the TIA, as a
double agent. Her mission is classified, and very personal.
With
Ian as her lifeline to the FBI on First Earth, she's getting closer
to the truth, and closer to the top rungs of the Titan Patrol. If
she's honest with herself, she's probably too close to Ian, too.
Can
she hold on? She's slowly succumbing to the pressure, and some of her
old demons are coming back to haunt her. Will she be able to control
her personal issues long enough to complete her assignment?
So
yeah, please, what's my genre?
***
Thank you, Alex J. "Ninja Captain" Cavanaugh for this group. If you want to join, we post the first Wednesday of the month, and you'll find the linky in Alex's tabs.
18 comments:
Well first off I really like the sound of your book, so many elements and genres colliding. I may not be the best person to offer specific advice on classifying it as it is something I have struggled with in the past, but I am sure another of your visitors today maybe able to offer some help. I'll pop back if anything comes to mind later though. Best of luck.
Suzanne
IWSG co-host
Sounds like a great story. I'm no good with genre, though. I don't even know what genre my stories fall into.
I also like the sound of this book!
As regards genres, space opera tends to deal with heightened threat and melodrama. Good vs evil, immense battleships and dogfighting starfighters, strange worlds, a focus on action over hard science.
Based just on your summary, this feels more like a sci-fi thriller, not a space opera at all. The conflict is more personal and small-scale, and there's a little too much focus on your heroine's undercover work and duties to consider it a romance.
What Paul said - more of a science fiction thriller. Space opera is lighter.
SciFi/Fantasy? Just the blurb I read here, it sort of reminded me of Anne McCaffery's stuff.
Sci Fi Thriller sounds good to me too.
JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE
dont let them pigeon hole you into a genre...smiles...woot...glad you got to work on it as well...gonna be good tina...
Hi Tina .. Sci-Fi Thriller with double-agent intrigue ..
No idea - but so good to read you're settling down and writing .. that's the main thing ..
Sounds like the blogging world is coming up with ideas ..
Cheers and keep on going .. Hilary
And I think space opera usually implies lots of flying around out in space in space ships. I could be wrong about that, but that's what I think of. Of course, with that, you have Star Wars fitting space opera but Star Trek not. So, evidently, there's a line there somewhere.
The distinction isn't limited to spaceships, any more than the defining feature of an action movie is that people use guns.
It's to do with the overall tone of the story. Space opera is essentially epic fantasy in space. It has larger than life heroes and villains clashing with worlds, even the whole galaxy, at stake.
Star Trek is more traditional science fiction, dealing with deeper themes of the nature of humanity and broader social issues.
I'm not sure it really matters. I got a book deal for three fantasy/historical/romance/crime books. We still don't know what genre they are but the characters and story works so Random House bought them! Write the story you love.
Good question, but like Brian said, good writing knows no genre. Of course, you have to classify it for the world and the action/suspense part would probably make it a thriller. Sounds really good.
Thanks all, especially the definition of space opera in a way I could understand - by comparing it to Star Trek. I'm a huge fan of both, and I totally get the difference now, and agree that I'm not space opera. Thanks too for saying just write it and classify later, if at all...I'll be by to visit you all later this afternoon. House full of hungry teenage boys...
~Tina
The story line has plenty of elements for exciting reading potential. I'm going with "Futuristic Thriller".
Lee
Wrote By Rote
Sounds like a great story, I like the premise. Sounds intriguing.
Nas
Hey Tina,
Just wanted to thank you for bringing further awareness of "IWSG" aka "I Was Seeking Gary". Ha ha!
It seems you have a mishmash genre happening there, Tina. I have to agree that mostly you could classify it as a Space Soap Opera, with several sub-plots.
Before I go, I don't do blog hops, or blog fests! :)
Smile and stay positive, my friend.
Gary :)
I think many of the commenters nailed it with Sci-Fi Thriller, I am thrilled you are feeling good about your progress, way to go!!
Lucy from Lucy's Reality
I tend to ignore labels but if I had to choose a box for your story it would also be Sci-Fi thriller and for exactly the reasons Paul laid out. Regardless, the main thing is, it sounds good and I'd like to read the book based on your story line. I like a mix, makes for a better read. :)
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