Well I passed my OU assignment with probably a decent score , though it was a bit lower than my first score of 76. I ought to be feeling really pleased with myself but find I am dissapointed.
Silly because I wasn't convinced that the second story was good enough , I wrote it without going through the last 3 blocks in the course , what with Christmas and Migraine etc, and wasn't totally sure what was expected of me.
The bit that is dissapointing I suppose was not the comments embedded in the story, which were mostly positive, but the fact that reading through the advice on the commentry it seems I got most of that wrong. I thought I was writing in the genre of 'magical realism' when in fact I was writing in 'dirty realism'. Isn't it strange that when told I am writing 'dirty realism' I instantly feel that I don't want to continue with it.... the word 'dirty' has soiled it for me.
Perhaps it is just my age.I know that dirty realism is : literary genre portraying disaffected: a literary genre, originating in the United States, using an unpretentious laconic style and depicting the lives of rootless and disaffected people
but I was writing about serendipity, angels, the intervention of the spiritual and magical unseen and what can be achieved with a belief in things that can't be seen but intuition tells you is there.
Because I got this genre wrong the rest of the comments on the story were relating to 'dirty realism'.
What , with speculative fiction instead of fantasy/sci fi, and dirty realism instead of magical realism I am so totally confused and feel that I will never get into this writing lark...... or maybe it is just how I feel at the moment because I've had a migraine coming and going and coming the past 2 days.
Me thinks....Time for a cup of tea !
Awen,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry! Go and enjoy your cup of tea. I can't believe there's a genre called 'dirty realism' - who the heck came up with a name like that?! All these new genres confuse me. From what you describe, I would have called it magical realism too, since I also wrote my TMA 02 in it. Congrats on passing! Wish I'd get mine soon.
Hi Awen,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pippa, it does sound like Magical Realism but at the end of the day, write whatever story you want and let other people pigeon-hole them. In my mind, a book is either fiction or non-fiction, if people want to know what kind of story it is, let them read the ruddy thing (or at least read the synopsis!). I think there's too much sub-genres out there.
Hope your headache has gone, now.
Thanks Pippa and Gayle.
ReplyDeleteGayle after your (footballer) prompt for more inspiration to complete the story I have put it on the back of the to do pile until I get my head around the comments.
Like you I think there are far too many genre/sub genre. I am still in the non fiction, or fiction : crime, romance, sci fi, fantasy, real life, and general !
Migraine just a dull head now. Thanks. I went for a quick walk around the block before lunch for the fresh air..... it seems to have done the trick.
Pippa.... hope you get yours back soon too.
Dirty Realism??!! Who thought that one up? Sounds kind of an odd one considering what you said your story was about.
ReplyDeleteIf that's what you said it was as a sub-genre, shouldn't that be accepted?
I agree with you all - too many sub-genres.
Well done, anyway!
Liz
Thanks Liz. :)
ReplyDeleteI suppose the answer is just to write what appeals to myself and when I eventually submit it to a magazine, agent or publisher they will decide which genre it slots into.