Chaos invited me over

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sheadakota

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I usually hang out in the M/T/S forums as that is what I normally write, but I find myself in a quandry.

I seem to have written an UF- maybe-

That is where you fine people come in. I wrote a story that I thought was at first a thriller as it has all the elements of one- ticking clock, lives at risk and all that jazz- but, my MC who happens to be blind, is a profiler for the paranormal division of the FBI.
MC has this little thing he can do though - he can sense the electrical field emitting from the world around him- it takes a lot of energy for him to do this so he doesn't do it that often-
he is also very good at reading peole which makes him good at his job-

when he is mugged and left for dead he experiences two things- one - when his attacker touches him my MC can 'see' this man, not just his appearence but who he is and what he has done-
Then he begins having visions of his long dead brother- the brother that died the day he became blind in a drive by shooting- Brother tells him not to trust anyone and oh yeah BTW-I'm not dead-

So it goes- MC finds himself in a lot of trouble- everything he believed as the truth has been fed to him over the years- his memory has been wiped and reprogramed by the very agency he thought he worked for.
Turns out MC is actually the agency's main project-

SOoooo without going into more detail- would you classify th is as UF? The world is real, no fantastical creatures, no magic, but I do expalin psi energy and psychic connections between the brothers- they can also manipulate the energy around and inside them sometimes to a lethal degree-

Any thoughts? And thanks Chaos for the invite!
 

Polenth

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I'd call that urban fantasy. Even if you try to pseudo-science it up, psychic abilities and advanced electrical field sensing abilities are on the paranormal side. Urban fantasy often has elements of mystery, thriller, etc (mine's basically a murder mystery). It doesn't always have monsters and wizards.
 

sheadakota

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Thank you Polenth- I think I have been sending this to all the wrong places- in fact i think i have been writing UF all along- all my 'thrillers' have a little paranormal elements in them-
 

akaria

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I agree. From what you describe you have an urban fantasy story. The blind guy who can "see" without really seeing and strong psychic connections between ordinary humans have thrown you into the UF zone. Welcome! There are many already in the pool but there's still plenty of room for more.
 
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tarak

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See, I have the exact opposite problem. I've always classified my MS as Urban Fantasy. Basic plot is ATF team discovers that the "weapons" being trafficked are of the undead variety. One agent mentioned that it was as much as police procedural as UF (I completely agree with her on that). Another commented that it didn't strike her as UF at all, but a straight thriller. So now I wonder if I've been querying it wrong. Maybe it's a supernatural mystery? Never thought I'd be confused by genre.
 

Jess Haines

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Welcome! Thanks for coming over.

I wouldn't worry so much about genre unless you're self-publishing. Let the agents and publishers figure out how to categorize it. They'll know how to sell it to the distributors, who will know where to put it on the shelves. You can mention that it's a supernatural thriller or an urban fantasy in your query--either way, once an agent accepts it, they'll figure out their own way of pitching it to the publisher.
 

ChaosTitan

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Something to remember about urban fantasy is that the book has to have a strong world-building element. The existence of the supernatural in your world has to be tied to the roots of the story.

If the supernatural element (whether its psychic powers or zombies) is more incidental to the story, then you might be writing a paranormal thriller or mystery and not UF.
 

sheadakota

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The psychic element is intrinsic to the story and explained in detailed- in dfact the Title of the story reflects that- so I'm thinking it just might be UF.

As far as not worrying over wich genre- I don't know- If I query it to agents who want thrillers and I state its a paranormal thriller- it might throw them off from the get go-Right now I am looking for agents who rep both so I can let them decide where they would like to place it. I'll call it anything they want me to call it-;)
 

Linda Adams

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See, I have the exact opposite problem. I've always classified my MS as Urban Fantasy. Basic plot is ATF team discovers that the "weapons" being trafficked are of the undead variety. One agent mentioned that it was as much as police procedural as UF (I completely agree with her on that). Another commented that it didn't strike her as UF at all, but a straight thriller. So now I wonder if I've been querying it wrong. Maybe it's a supernatural mystery? Never thought I'd be confused by genre.

I have the same problem. Mine, first and foremost, is a thriller with magic. Action and a ticking time bomb was my basic goal. Urban fantasy was the closest fit. It's set in the modern world with a fictionalized place, and a secret society is planning on opening a portal to let monsters loose into the world. Magic is invisible in the story, and the main character is the only one who can see it --and the secret society needs him to decipher a clue to open the portal.

One person told me it was a contemporary fantasy, though he didn't define why he thought that. Maybe because I don't have any undead in the story? Though even that doesn't seem like a qualification. I've seen UF with sea monsters and genies.
 

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From what you've described I'd say Sci-fi Thriller - sounds like some great suspense in it.

There's no fantastical creatures or supernatural events.... apart from a 'gift' he has developed and perhaps as a result of the reprogramming of his mind / memory - that's really more sci-fi then anything else.
 

Figuro

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I have the same problem. Mine, first and foremost, is a thriller with magic. Action and a ticking time bomb was my basic goal. Urban fantasy was the closest fit. It's set in the modern world with a fictionalized place, and a secret society is planning on opening a portal to let monsters loose into the world. Magic is invisible in the story, and the main character is the only one who can see it --and the secret society needs him to decipher a clue to open the portal.

One person told me it was a contemporary fantasy, though he didn't define why he thought that. Maybe because I don't have any undead in the story? Though even that doesn't seem like a qualification. I've seen UF with sea monsters and genies.

This is certainly fantasy, from what you've stated and possibly urban fantasy.... Simple google search: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods. The prerequisite is that they must be primarily set in a city.

Characteristics
Urban fantasy describes a work that is set primarily in a city and contains aspects of fantasy. These matters may involve the arrivals of alien races, the discovery of earthbound mythological creatures, coexistence between humans and paranormal beings, conflicts between humans and malicious paranormals, and subsequent changes in city management.
Several characters of urban fantasy are shown to have self-esteem issues or tragic pasts. These matters often tie into the larger story or the development of the protagonist. Though stories may be set in contemporary times, this characteristic is not necessary for the fiction to be considered urban fantasy, as works of the genre may also take place in futuristic and historical settings, real or imagined.
 
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