Dipping In And Out Of Genre
One of my first posts on this blog was about trying to write in a genre I had never tried before. My aim was to incorporate mythological elements into what I wanted to be a contemporary horror story. However, not only did I attempt to dip my toes into horror, but I also tried to write with an ecological view and voice the whole story in first person.
As you can probably guess, this was a lot of work to fit into a 6000 word short story, and only when I came to the end did I realise that I had produced a horrible horrible mess.
When I read it back to myself, I found so many errors. So many unresolved plot holes, so little character interaction - and very little 'horror'. It felt so unreal and so disjointed.
I got some feedback on the piece by one of my tutors and was pretty relieved that there was criticism. I mean, it was constructive criticism and he had tried to focus on the positives which is very good of him, but I think we both knew that this was a very poor quality story. I just needed someone to tell me so I could move on.
So, instead of the ghost/myth/horror/eco first person narrative that I had attempted, I am now going to work on something far less complicated. What I plan to do with this new story is focus a lot more on the eco aspect and convey a subtle message about humanity's impact on global warming and the deterioration of the great barrier reef.
The idea came to me when I seen that Netflix had released 'Seaspiracy' - a documentary about the environmental impact on overfishing. The passion for this particular field of environmental issues also stems from visiting the Sea Life centre and learning what happens to marine life when it is exposed to man-made materials.
This story will be set in the near future, in our own world, and will follow an ex marine biologist's journey as she cleans the ocean floor. The reader will also learn that the majority of land has been flooded due to the melting of the ice caps and extreme weather. However, it will not all be bleak and we will see some advancement in technology. Our main character, in fact, has undergone multiple surgeries which allow her to breathe underwater. We are also allowed a glimmer of hope as our protagonist discovers that mutated marine life has evolved to consume artificial waste.
What is the best eco-fiction you have read to date? Has it reflected our modern day, or does it show a future eco disaster? Or perhaps there's even some historical eco fiction out there that you may have read. Let me know! :)
