I think we all here have a pretty good grasp on what we think speculative fiction is, but what about genre mashing?
Genre Mashing: Not a technical term, but quite simply defined as a collaboration of two or more genres. It differs from speculative fiction in that it’s not limited in which genres obtain the major influence of these works. An example of a genre mash might be a historical romance detective thriller.
Many have taken to think of science fiction, fantasy, and horror as being siblings of the speculative fiction household, which I think is quite nice. As far as I know, there is no such umbrella term for other closely related genres. So when other genres get together, I call it a genre mash, and when all those other genres get together with the spec-fic family, I call it a good time. Then there are the added ingredients of faith values and religious influences. I personally am excited about the growth of what some are calling speculative faith fiction, but I guess that’s all in how you look at it (a topic for another day).
Even though I think it’s a good time, there are some dangers to genre mashing.
As a writer, it can be pretty tricky developing a story that flows naturally when combining genres that differ greatly. You have to stretch the limits of your skills to give each genre it is due respect while allowing the story to shine and feel organic. Here’s a few tips:
- One way to help with this would be to consider the reason for your particular genre mash. Are you putting these genres together just to be edgy or does it really all apply to story you want to tell?
- You should research other stories and authors who’ve written stories with that particular genre mash to see what worked and what didn’t work. Get your beta readers involved, and experiment with different techniques.
- It’s always good to know your audience. You don’t want to alienate fans of one genre in order to reach another. Do lots of homework and market research to figure out how best to present this genre mash to multiple audiences. Conduct polls and offer samples and ask for feedback.
- Have fun with the whole process. If you’re not enjoying the process of developing your genre mash, odds are readers aren’t going to enjoy reading it.
Consider this: a work of paranormal fiction, but with heavy science fiction and a smidge of horror influences, might be right at home under the speculative fiction umbrella. However, if there is also a very strong love and romance theme that drives much of the story forward, it would definitely be a genre mash.
I’m currently working on my own speculative faith fiction series with influences from Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, The Holy Bible, Beauty and the Beast, Brave New World, and so much more. How could this not be a genre mash?
I’d love to know your thought on genre. Consider taking my poll: Does Genre Matter?
What are some of your favorite Speculative Fiction Stories?
Do you make the distinction of Speculative Faith Fiction or is it all the same to you?
Author Bio:
A self-proclaimed techie and foodie, Toi Thomas was born in Texas, but considers Virginia to be home. She enjoys reading, cooking, baking, painting, collecting vinyl records, and spending time with her family. Currently working as a special education teacher’s assistant while blogging and writing fulltime, Toi finds comfort and peace of mind in chocolate, green tea, and naps. For some reason, Toi admits has escaped her, she married a frat boy who has continued to be her best friend and love of her life. She and her husband are now tackling video production and Comicons to promote the release of her second novel, Eternal Curse: Battleground. Visit The ToiBox of Words to learn more about Toi and her writing.
I am intrigued by genre mashes and I think they can be wonderful. I would only add one word of caution: Editors don’t like genre mashes b/c they’re hard to sell. Where do you shelf a romantic science fiction mystery? How do you categorize it online so it can be found? I’m not saying it shouldn’t be done, I’m just saying that when approaching an editor/agent, you should declare your work one particular genre and maybe add “with a strong element of __”. (ex. SciFi with a strong element romance.) I’ve tried pitching a genre mash and it took me ten minutes to un-confuse the editor who then politely declined to take a look. I like your ideas on doing your homework first so you can do it right!
My response is very similar to Katie Robles. I love reading genre mashes and love writing them–but editors (and my own personal agent) told me over the years that my genre-mixing was keeping me from landing a publishing contract. I turned to indie publishing, but even there you have to choose a category on Amazon, and when you advertise on a website you have to identify a genre. So I see where the publishing companies and agents were coming from. I hope it gets easier because to me, narrow genres aren’t as interesting.
I like that there’s the umbrella of speculative fiction but category breakdowns below science fiction, fantasy, and horror can be bewildering. Long ago, I saw a listing of sub-, sub-sub-, and sub-sub-sub- genres for speculative fiction that went on for a couple of pages. Useful, I suppose, but a lot of folks might pass over a novel categorized as, say, slipstream, magical realism, cyberpunk, historical horror, etc. just because they’re not sure what it is. Editors/publishers are aware that if the category is too narrow or obscure, marketing the work will be much tougher. The key to promoting any subcategory or mashup is to identify the dominant genre. Katie’s suggestion of adding “with a strong element of…” is a good one for pitching to an editor. Beyond that, careful attention to wording of blurbs and synopses carries the message more clearly than saying “this book is a historical science fantasy romance mashup.”
Regarding the questions, I have a tough time limiting the number of my favorites but a sample of what consistently hits the top of my list are:
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart — a fantasy of an Ancient China that never was
Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, Genevieve Valentine — steampunk, literary, experimental
The Odd Thomas series, Dean Koontz
The Dark Tower series, Stephen King — talk about genre mashups!
Moonwise (and sequel Cloud and Ashes), Greer Gilman — fantasy, literary, experimental
As for Speculative Faith Fiction, I’d have to say that I cut my reading teeth in a time when there was no separate Christian category for any fiction. A work stood or fell on it’s own merit/quality, and faith-themed fiction had to stand shoulder to shoulder with secular. With some notable exceptions (Becky Minor, Robert Mullin, and Grace Bridges for examples), I’ve been severely disappointed with most Christian spec fiction since it separated from the mainstream. The pendulum seems to be swinging the other direction, though, with more Christian authors realizing they don’t have to evangelize to write in a Christian worldview and that excellence in quality honors God, too.
Thank you so much for allowing me to share some thoughts yesterday. I’m glad to know that genre mashes aren’t just a thing for me. It also seems that everyone agrees that they are quite tricky to edit and market.
I think modern literature needs to explore and MASH Genres , great piece, I PRESSED it for you.