M.K. Williams | What is Speculative Fiction? Science Fiction and Fantasy Umbrella Genre Speculative Fiction @1MKWilliams | Uploaded August 2023 | Updated October 2024, 49 minutes ago.
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The reason I’m so excited to talk about speculative fiction and the distinctions between this categorization and other genres is that I write speculative fiction. I know, I know. You’re thinking, M.K., you write science fiction and short stories. Well I do. But as we’ll see speculative fiction is an umbrella term that can cross multiple genres and in that light, its the best catch-all for my work. So let’s dive in to see what speculative fiction is:
BookRiot says: Speculative fiction is often used as an umbrella term for genre fiction or for narratives that do not fully belong in a particular science fiction or fantasy genre. I have even seen it referred to as a “super genre,” for its broadness.
Oxford Research Encyclopedias article on speculative fiction, the term itself was coined by the writer Robert A. Heinlein in 1941, and then popularized in his 1947 essay “On the Writing of Speculative Fiction.” Heinlein describes it as a specific science fiction subset, which is:
“[N]arratives concerned not so much with science or technology as with human actions in response to a new situation created by science or technology, speculative fiction highlights a human rather than technological problem. “
Dictionary.com defines speculative fiction as “a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements.”
Many articles discussed the “what if” element. What if women were forced to have babies because of declining birth rates? (Handmaid's Tale) What if a pandemic swept the world? (Station Eleven). But honestly, don’t all books start with a what if? The distinction is that speculative books could happen in our world, in our reality if XYZ happened. But if the difference is too big, the gap too far from our reality to the one in the book, then it is not speculative.
And when you are picking your Amazon Categories or BISAC Codes when self-publishing or when you are pitching your book to go the traditional route, there is no speculative genre you can pick. The book is science fiction with speculative elements or fantasy with speculative elements. It’s one of those frustrating definitions where: “you’ll know it when you see it.”
So, what do you think about speculative fiction? Do you write or read this genre? What are your favorite examples (aka fill up my TBR please!) Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below.
SO MANY SOURCES:
bookriot.com/what-is-speculative-fiction
masterclass.com/articles/what-is-speculative-fiction-defining-and-understanding-the-different-genres-of-speculative-fiction
theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/10/speculative-or-science-fiction-as-margaret-atwood-shows-there-isnt-much-distinction
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction
jpellegrino.com/teaching/specvscience.html
oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-78
nownovel.com/blog/difference-fantasy-science-fiction
kindlepreneur.com/list-of-book-genres
bookbub.com/blog/what-is-speculative-fiction?s=03
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The Feminina Series: 1mkwilliams.com/feminina
The reason I’m so excited to talk about speculative fiction and the distinctions between this categorization and other genres is that I write speculative fiction. I know, I know. You’re thinking, M.K., you write science fiction and short stories. Well I do. But as we’ll see speculative fiction is an umbrella term that can cross multiple genres and in that light, its the best catch-all for my work. So let’s dive in to see what speculative fiction is:
BookRiot says: Speculative fiction is often used as an umbrella term for genre fiction or for narratives that do not fully belong in a particular science fiction or fantasy genre. I have even seen it referred to as a “super genre,” for its broadness.
Oxford Research Encyclopedias article on speculative fiction, the term itself was coined by the writer Robert A. Heinlein in 1941, and then popularized in his 1947 essay “On the Writing of Speculative Fiction.” Heinlein describes it as a specific science fiction subset, which is:
“[N]arratives concerned not so much with science or technology as with human actions in response to a new situation created by science or technology, speculative fiction highlights a human rather than technological problem. “
Dictionary.com defines speculative fiction as “a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements.”
Many articles discussed the “what if” element. What if women were forced to have babies because of declining birth rates? (Handmaid's Tale) What if a pandemic swept the world? (Station Eleven). But honestly, don’t all books start with a what if? The distinction is that speculative books could happen in our world, in our reality if XYZ happened. But if the difference is too big, the gap too far from our reality to the one in the book, then it is not speculative.
And when you are picking your Amazon Categories or BISAC Codes when self-publishing or when you are pitching your book to go the traditional route, there is no speculative genre you can pick. The book is science fiction with speculative elements or fantasy with speculative elements. It’s one of those frustrating definitions where: “you’ll know it when you see it.”
So, what do you think about speculative fiction? Do you write or read this genre? What are your favorite examples (aka fill up my TBR please!) Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below.
SO MANY SOURCES:
bookriot.com/what-is-speculative-fiction
masterclass.com/articles/what-is-speculative-fiction-defining-and-understanding-the-different-genres-of-speculative-fiction
theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/10/speculative-or-science-fiction-as-margaret-atwood-shows-there-isnt-much-distinction
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction
jpellegrino.com/teaching/specvscience.html
oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-78
nownovel.com/blog/difference-fantasy-science-fiction
kindlepreneur.com/list-of-book-genres
bookbub.com/blog/what-is-speculative-fiction?s=03
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCjvBO4kjuBSYe6Bi3RYQAQA/join
Music from: Wondershare Filmora Sounds: "Something Cheer You Up"
How You Can Support This Channel and My Work:
👍Like, Subscribe, and Comment on this video!
✉️Subscribe to my monthly newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/52c7cd246b5b/authoryourambition
➕Follow me on my other channels: FB | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
facebook.com/1mkwilliams
twitter.com/1mkwilliams
instagram.com/1mkwilliams
goodreads.com/author/show/14420756.M_K_Williams
☕️Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/1mkwilliams
📚Check out my books and purchase them or request them at your library: 1mkwilliams.com or payhip.com/MKWilliamsPublishingLLC
Author Your Ambition Merch on Etsy:
📖etsy.com/shop/AuthorYourAmbition
Need help with your book?
📞You can actually do 1-on-1 coaching with me, learn more about the services available here: calendly.com/1mkwilliamsauthor/author-coach-consultation
Need help with your author business?
📈 You can book time with me to go over your author business and overcome your current roadblocks: calendly.com/1mkwilliamsauthor/author-biz
Partnership Opportunities:
Interested in working together to collaborate on an upcoming video? Let's connect: authoryourambition.com/partnership-opportunities
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, but it can help me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!
