Last month, I noted in this post that the majority of unpublished aspiring writers wrote science fiction and fantasy. The figures came from the blog of US literary agent Rachelle Gardner, who ran a month-long poll of 1,453 readers. Well, the poll’s over and the full results are here. A couple of numbers stick out like two sore thumbs:
26 percent of voters wrote fantasy or science fiction.
Only 6 percent of book deals were for fantasy or science fiction manuscripts.
Without going into the second number, I want to think a bit about the first one. Why do so many people write science fiction and fantasy?
While I obviously can’t speak for all the writers out there, my own feelings on the genre are as follows:
1) I write what I like to read.
It’s the most basic advice: write what you yourself would read, because you’ll have a hard time enjoying it otherwise, and if you don’t enjoy it, your distaste will spill over into your work. Well, sometimes you do want to convey your distaste. But most writers don’t. And it happens that I like to read science fiction and fantasy, because they allow the imagination to soar further than almost every other genre. Or the good ones do, anyway.
2) Fantasy is ‘easier’ to write.
This is pretty subjective. I wouldn’t call it easier per se, as the importance of storytelling technique doesn’t change between genres. But it’s easier in that you don’t have to do quite as much homework as you would for a novel set in the real world, nor do you have to worry quite as much about getting stuff wrong because in sf/f, you make the world and the rules.
That in itself opens a whole new can of worms, of course – it’s always arguable that you DO have to do research and consistent worldbuilding. But yes, in certain ways sf/f is easier to write. There’s more room for dodging reality checks. And your imagination can soar just as it did when you first read your favourite sf/f novels.
3) Fantasy writers and readers are more ‘glamorous’ in a geeky way.
OK, this is subjective too. But it’s a lot more fun dressing up as Harry Potter than as Robert Langdon, isn’t it? And it definitely attracts a lot more attention. For those who are naturally drawn to the snap and flair of outlandish garb and appearance, sf/f beats every. single. other. genre. hands. down.
By the way, I am lumping science fiction and fantasy together because, in my opinion, the overwhelming majority of science fiction seen today can be more rightly classified as science fantasy. My view of science fiction is that it should incorporate an in-depth examination of the impact of technology on human society. Otherwise, it’s just a backdrop. (Obviously, I am biased in the favour of the SF grand masters. But that’s why they’re called grand masters, after all.)
I’m fairly sure that the three points I just outlined are applicable to a LOT of writers. Especially the last two. Other genres have their fans, after all. But somehow, sf/f gives the impression of being easier to write and more glamorous. Especially when you let your imagination take off. It’s a lot more fun to invent castles full of cyborg elves than it is to write about a skyscraper full of iPad-wielding executives.
At least, that’s how a lot of people see it. I could think of some interesting things to do to those executives…but then again, some of those interesting things would very likely involve the fantastic realm! And there you have it. The term ‘fantasy’ originally meant an imagined scenario, after all. Such scenarios have a certain appeal, and that carries over into the genre as it’s defined today.
Essentially, fantasies are as appealing to read as any other genre. But they’re more appealing to write than just about all the others. And that’s why so many writers spring for the sf/f option, as shown by the first number cited above.
Oh, and as to the second number – to avoid entering a sensitive and controversial discussion, I shall not examine why so few of those writers get book deals.
