Hi, I was wondering where to post a short story I've been working on, but it doesn't exactly fit in science fiction or fantasy and putting it in general fiction just doesn't seem right. Has anyone here thought about creating a new sub-folder in the writing submissions section for Magical Reality? Does anyone know what "Magical Reality" is? ~HQ
Generally, they don't make new sub sections for short stories, simply because it would take more effort than it's actually worth to move the previous ones into that category.
Yeah. It's usually called magical realism, though. I'd say it goes into general fiction since the magical part is usually limited, otherwise it wouldn't be magical realism, just fantasy or science fiction.
Hmm... If you are postulating a world just like our own except that magic exists in subtle ways, I would call that fantasy. Just so you know. Urban fantasy, sure, which is a legitimate subgenre of fantasy. But it is fantasy nonetheless.
Just choose the one category that fits best. Don't post in more than one category. The only real distinction is that different genres may be critiqued by slightly different standards based on what is usual for that genre. Also, some readers will favor some categories over others. But the categories are nowhere near as rigid as you would be likely to encounter when trying to get a story published. So for the purposes of this site, don't worry too much about it. The biggest concern is whether you really want to take part in the Review Room workshop, which requires full participation on the critiquing side!
Just remember the most basic definition of fantasy. A fantasy deals with what is impossible according to current accepted realities. "Magic", regardless of how subtle it is, counts as the impossible.
Yes, but magical realism is by definition a real situation with a tiny unreal factor. I'd say 90% is real world and 10% is magic and/or unlikely situations. Magical realism doesn't always have to mean magic. The Metamorphosis was quite real, you know, except for Samsa being a vermin. That's a classic example of magical realism and I doubt anyone would consider it fantasy. Though it is a fantasy, it's not fantasy in the sense of the genre, in my opinion.
Let's take any further discussion of what constitutes a particular genre over to Writing Issues -> General Writing. This forum is for questions and suggestions about the site itself, such as the original question of "where should this be posted." Thank you.
That's the problem with creating such strict categories. You create confusion and make people over analyze it when something slips off just a tiny bit. Fanatsy deals with the impossible, plain and simple. Over-specialize, or over-categorise, and you breed in weakness. Edit: Yes, you are so right, Cogito, move away.
to return to the original question, it still probably belongs in 'fantasy' since that's what 'magic' is, regardless of whether it occurs in a 'realistic' setting, or not... but, if the magic part is minimal, then 'general' fiction is probably ok... as cog said, just pick the one you think it fits best... the thing is, while here, folks need to deal with the relatively simple and very workable way this site is arranged, that suits the rest of us well enough... and, as has also been said, further narrowing of genres and creation of new categories will only complicate matters needlessly... the old axiom 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' seems apropos, imo...
