Need help figuring out proper genre

[Cli-Fi]

I have this idea floating around my head. Only problem is, I am not so sure it's sci-fi. It's a heartwarming and inspiring tale with some dark Breaking Bad type storylines thrown in. (at least I think it will be) it is in the style of Early Edition and Forrest Gump. I don't really have any book examples to compare this idea I have to. I haven't even fleshed it out enough to really say what it is going to be about yet. But what genres would these types of stories --A man finding tomorrow's newspaper today/a dim-witted man leads a remarkable life even be considered?

The jury is still out on whether breaking bad was science fiction and that will be the topic of discussion for lovers of this genre for years, but a lot of the science on it was faked ;P

I have always wondered what the heck these types of genres are. I'd like to call them light sci-fi as there are definitely some science-fiction qualities at least to Early Edition or something like Adam Sandler's movie click. Yet, no one ever even acts like these things are scifi. Maybe I am drawing too much of a thin line here...

EDIT: I know Breaking Bad is dark comedy. Still not sure what to consider the others.

 

[J-Sun]

IMO :

If there is no rational explanation for the speculative element, it's fantasy. It sounds like that's what you're talking about. Now, how it's marketed is another issue and it may well end up as SF for various extraneous reasons, but the default box would likely be fantasy. If you put in any non-supernatural explanation, you'll be more likely to be able to market it as (soft) SF. If you're actually interested in the temporal elements and somehow plausibly describe a newspaper traveling faster than light from the printer through normal Einsteinian space to the porch, then it might actually be science fiction (not my kind of SF, but still, a species of actual SF).

 

[Cli-Fi]

IMO :

If there is no rational explanation for the speculative element, it's fantasy. It sounds like that's what you're talking about. Now, how it's marketed is another issue and it may well end up as SF for various extraneous reasons, but the default box would likely be fantasy. If you put in any non-supernatural explanation, you'll be more likely to be able to market it as (soft) SF. If you're actually interested in the temporal elements and describe a newspaper traveling faster than light from the printer through normal Einsteinian space to the porch, then it might actually be science fiction (not my kind of SF, but still, a species of actual SF).

Wow thanks for the quick response. No I am not interested in explaining how the speculative element works technically. It just basically happens to the MC. I have two ideas in mind something with a lottery ticket and an invitation to a big conclave but its in very early stages still.

 

[Michael Coorlim]

It's important to remember that genre is mostly just a marketing tool. It's used to manage reader expectation and to help your title find the audience that will appreciate it. There is a dedicated hard-core science fiction fanbase that will rigorously reject anything billed as "science fiction" that doesn't actually hinge on a scientific/technological development/extrapolation. That's the expectation that calling your work "science fiction" creates.

Most of the readers don't care. They'll happily call Star Wars Science Fiction instead of Science Fantasy without developing an interesting eye-twitch. But the hard core fans are also vocal, and they're more likely to leave negative reviews for a perceived mis-branding. So really, consider your target audience, what they expect, and proceed accordingly.

 

[Susan Boulton]

Write and polish your story first, then once it is ready to submit then start thinking what type of story it is. A story changes and develops as you write it. You may think you are writing one when your story turns out to be another.

Pigeon-holing your work to soon can stunt it.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Write and polish your story first, then once it is ready to submit then start thinking what type of story it is. A story changes and develops as you write it. You may think you are writing one when your story turns out to be another.

This.

 

[tinkerdan]

Thus is typical paranormal stuff. Where there are inexplicable elements driving the story around the main character. Usually it's less about trying to figure out the mechanics behind those elements while it's very important to develop the character who is dealing with the extraordinary circumstances.

Now that's not to say that this is something you couldn't put in space on a space station and have a melding of science fiction with inexplicable elements driving the main character. You could do that and you might have something like Solaris.

One of my readers called my science inexplicable and I do have to admit that even with the explanation given with in the story there are still aspects that look more paranormal than hard science.

 

[Cli-Fi]

Thus is typical paranormal stuff. Where there are inexplicable elements driving the story around the main character. Usually it's less about trying to figure out the mechanics behind those elements while it's very important to develop the character who is dealing with the extraordinary circumstances.

Now that's not to say that this is something you couldn't put in space on a space station and have a melding of science fiction with inexplicable elements driving the main character. You could do that and you might have something like Solaris.

One of my readers called my science inexplicable and I do have to admit that even with the explanation given with in the story there are still aspects that look more paranormal than hard science.

That's interesting. I wouldn't have thought of paranormal. Since I guess I usually equate that with more supernatural stuff like ghosts and alien abduction type things of that nature. I've read a lot of paranormal stories in the past and an early edition type story seems light paranormal to me at best.

 

[tinkerdan]

Paranormal includes events and phenomena that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.
Supernatural (of a manifestation or event) attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.

So yes that does put them close together but that doesn't necessarily exclude either from being what you post above.
I should add::
inexplicable unable to be explained or accounted for.

None of this means that you can't have science fiction wrapped into all of this; but you might want to recognize these elements are there or your reader will remind you.

 

[J Riff]

Probably best to not compare with other shows, or books. As if Breaking Bad is a genre somehow? I don't know from it at all, Early Edition??, or Forrest Gump, as far as 'genre'. No idea, zero. It's dangerous to assume that something has been 'done before' because a TV show or movie dealt with the subject.
SF was defined long ago, 'Fantasy' has come much more into focus in recent decades. Most genres are, as stated, created for a target audience or age range and aren't relative to basic storytelling.