If I go through traditional publishing, part of the process of getting an agent/publisher is called comps… comparative works. finding things similar to your work in some fashion, in the current market. My problem? My freaking story transcends genres! It isn’t just SF or fantasy…. it seems to be literary fiction that draws on speculative fiction, science-fantasy, and trans-humanism, with elements of paranormal, social commentary, women’s fiction, adventure, and a dash of appropriate ‘romance’ befitting the story(ie, it is NOT the focus, but a natural result of the story) In lit fic, the focus is more on the characters and their reactions than on a fast-paced plot. My series also has elements of a trope where a hidden or secret group is trying to save humanity(think Travelers, Manifest, 4400)…mostly time travel-like stories that involve a message or mission from the future to prevent humanity’s downfall, only mine isn’t time travel, it’s through a mixture of analysis and abilities like precognition.
I didn’t go into this with the intent to hit a specific genre. I’m not a former lit or English/creative writing major. I have a story to tell, and I want to make it intentionally a non-traditional retelling of the lore; but in the process, I’ve written myself into a proverbial corner with this part of the process because it is so non-traditional.
I’m trying to nail down what it is so that I can find other things that share some of these elements. Finding material to compare it to has been difficult when I couldn’t define it myself!
I’ve never been one to do things the easy way! In college, I was a psychology and math, secondary ed major(two separate BAs). When I began doing lapidary, my first stone was an opal, which is one of the harder ones to cut. My first silversmithing technique was filigree, and eventually cast filigree. Now, when I finally decide to do my novels, I do a series, go ahead and write five of the first books before looking into publishing(with a 6th WIP), and it transcends genres, takes a very different angle on traditional lore, and I even did it in the present tense, with third person narration(plus dialogue, of course!) However, taking these unusual paths usually yields spectacular results! Let’s hope it’s true once again with the Apara Chronicles!