Certain speculative fiction authors (e.g., Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, Ursula LeGuin) are routinely described as having transcended the trappings of the genre. What might make a book transcend its genre? What does that label mean?
That’s a very astute question. Before we dig completely into what that means, I find myself wondering if it’s even something I would like to be known for doing. Do I want to transcend my genre? I love fantasy. I love the things that made it what it is—the dragons, the quests, the stories of Hobbits and rings and all of that. Those stories are what made me into what I am.
Do I want to transcend those excellent authors? Could I even hope to? I don’t think so. And yet, if I simply do the same things that they have done, I’m likely to do a poor job of it. Others have already covered a lot of those themes quite well.
And so, that presents a challenge for a new author. I want to add something new to the discussion, but I still want my novels to FEEL like fantasy. For me, I’ve done this by trying to expand the genre in new directions when it comes to the types of magic I put in my book, as well as develop some different kinds of plots.
I do want to do something new. However, I’m no LeGuin. I don’t have the literary chops, honestly, to be about transcendence. I just want to tell the best darn story I can and have people love reading it.
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