Y/A-Science Fiction

[BB_Baker]

I've been working on a novel that is Science Fiction with characters whose ages are more for Y/A. When submitting should I submit it as Y/A, Science Fiction or Y/A-Science Fiction.

It really doesn't fit well in regular Y/A other than the characters ages. The story itself is Science Fiction, with Fantasy undertones.

When asking for critiques is where I've had the most trouble with this. Some people want to critique only Y/A not Science Fiction, but since it's a little of both, I'm not sure what to say when I find someone to critique it.

[triceretops]

Originally Posted by BB_Baker

I've been working on a novel that is Science Fiction with characters whose ages are more for Y/A. When submitting should I submit it as Y/A, Science Fiction or Y/A-Science Fiction.

It really doesn't fit well in regular Y/A other than the characters ages. The story itself is Science Fiction, with Fantasy undertones.

When asking for critiques is where I've had the most trouble with this. Some people want to critique only Y/A not Science Fiction, but since it's a little of both, I'm not sure what to say when I find someone to critique it.

Well, if I'm not mistaken, YA is a category and Science Fiction is the genre. So YA-science fiction is okay. I go a bit further and name my sub-genre. Example YA-SF-Distopian. Or it could be space opera, or fantasy.

Not a huge thing to worry about, really.

tri

[BB_Baker]

Thanks for the comment. I've been wondering about that. It's more like Dune or John Carter than Star Wars. More Fantasy.

[triceretops]

Originally Posted by BB_Baker

Thanks for the comment. I've been wondering about that. It's more like Dune or John Carter than Star Wars. More Fantasy.

Good for you. Now, I've read several accounts from reviewers and others that have said that Star Wars is space fantasy. I don't know how I feel about that. I've always considered SW a SF space opera. Dune and John Carter are definitely off -world and could be tagged SF adventure. Heck, I don't know. I'm not really a genre expert except for some basics. Hang tight and see what others say.

tri

And good luck. I love and write this stuff too.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

Have you posted some in any of the SYW forums?



A first step might be leaving out that slash in YA.

[leahzero]

Subgenre isn't really a big deal at this stage--I'd be more concerned with figuring out whether it's YA or adult. You said the ages of the characters are the only thing that makes it seem YA, so it's not likely that it is YA. YA focuses pretty strictly on coming of age issues.

[BB_Baker]

The MC is 17, and most of the story is about her finding out who she is and if she handle the responsibilities that are suddenly thrust on her. It's kind of a coming of age type story. She finds something out about her family she never knew, through a tragedy, and the story takes off from there.

In response to Liosse de Velishaf, I don't have the 50 posts to share my work.

[Liosse de Velishaf]

Originally Posted by BB_Baker

The MC is 17, and most of the story is about her finding out who she is and if she handle the responsibilities that are suddenly thrust on her. It's kind of a coming of age type story. She finds something out about her family she never knew, through a tragedy, and the story takes off from there.

In response to Liosse de Velishaf, I don't have the 50 posts to share my work.

Sounds like YA to me.

And yeah, I realized that after I posted. Sorry.

[triceretops]

I disagree about sub-genre not being important here. The Hunger Games is obviously YA, yet it if you left it at that you would be tagging it as contemporary. Contemporary it is not. It has been described (unfortunately) by slew of readers and reviewers as, YA Science Fiction (Future), YA Distopian, YA Speculative, YA Post-Apocalyptic, and YA Science Fiction Adventure.

Correct me if I'm wrong here. Isn't YA a category? Not a genre?