Is a "Planar Opera" viable in YA?

Write it first, then worry about labels. Seriously, dude. None of this worry matters without the story. When you start writing, your story is going to change. It's practically inevitable that you won't end up with the same thing you started with. You may discover the tech is unnecessary, or that maybe the superpowers should be toned down a bit, or any number of things, so you may be fretting about things now that won't even matter when the story is done.

Nogetsune said:

I suppose your right....but it dosen't fall into any specific genera because of the elements listed. I've never personally seen pure "fantasy" with super-high technology levels along with it's super-high magic levels and inter-dimensional/multi-planar travel. I guess you could call it "science fantasy" but there really is nothing in the way of hard science involved...for an idea of the kind of setting I am talking about imagine something like Final Fantasy VII but on a multi-dimensional scale...high tech, robots, magic, fantasy creatures, corporations, wizards/mages, other planes of reality etc...all in the same setting. I have seen PLENTY of settings like this, but not in literature...they all have been in anime/manga, JRPGs, PnP RPGs like shadowrun and places like that...So I honestly don't know -what- you would label something like this that doesn't fit neatly into any one genera...

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Right now, it falls into the "unwritten" category, and there's no way to tell if it will be marketable or successful until it leaves that category.

Everyone has wild ideas. One of mine is for a story that includes a rough analog of Doc Savage, impossible Zeppelins with naval artillery, zombies, dinosaurs, talking Nazi gorillas, a lost city in Africa, a terror from beyond the stars, and a multi-million year old alien moon base.

As far as I know, there's nothing quite like it anywhere, and I've looked. It's pulp dialed to eleven; Doc Savage meets Astounding Science Fiction.

It's absolutely crazy, the climax involves a tractor beam and a Nazi zombie. I have no idea where it really belongs in terms of genre.

There is one difference between this idea and yours. I've written mine.

I don't know the answers to any of those questions you're asking about yours, but because I have a manuscript, I'm in a position to find out.

Please, write the story.

That's the first and most important step.

It's happened to all of us, Nogetsune. Those first few words are the hardest because of all the potential, fear, and doubt behind them. Fear stops many people from ever starting.

Make yourself write the first word. Then finish the sentence. When you've got the sentence, might as well do the next paragraph. Get the snowball rolling. What better day than today, what better time than now? Today is a good day to write.

Sounds like either Science-fantasy, or just plain spec-fic. Don't get too worked about sub-genre at this point, especially since you haven't written it down yet.

I'm a perfectionist, so I get fearful, too. However, no one's going to write the story but me, so I have to try (even if it is terribly done).


Maybe you should try NaNo? NaNo helped me to force through and get a good chunk of one of my stories written down.

If you're one of those those who plan, then you could do a quick outline (and do some basic worldbuilding, if that helps), and then start writing (with some adjusting of the outline, here and there). If not, just start writing. Or, do some very rough planning and write from there, editing while you write, etc.

What matters for the first draft that the story is written on the page, regardless of how messy it is.

And I know---this is a really tough step. It still is for me, because of my perfectionist nature.

Hey, Notget, if it cheers you up, I've already written a novel as insane as this one. I wrote the bit where the main character duels her bitterest enemy with lightsabers aboard a magical spaceship capable of destroying a whole planet while a massive battle waged by sailing ships that can fly and balistas that fire micro-singularities rages on outside.

I was not struck by lightning!

In fact, I had a great time writing it. And even if Worldshard never sells (and I plan to try my damnedest to sell the damn thing, because the world NEEDS more lightsabers!), I still learned a lot by writing it.

That's the amazing thing about writing.

Nothing is lost. Nothing is wasted. Every word you write, every sentence you craft, every character you make, can be used again later - and they make your next word, your next character, your next sentence better.

So go!

Write!

Or...I'll...send ninjas!

Regardless of what it is, you should get writing it. It sounds like something I'd enjoy reading.