Give me detail. I am doing this for hw and I need the difference. Don’t give definitions, I already have them. I need about a paragraph of the difference between a fantasy and a science fiction genre.
- BeastlyChicaa

it is for my segment 2 exam… that is soo weird…
I don’t think I will use your answer, thank you though. I don’t want to get into trouble for cheating.
- Mommy of 1

It’s a stupid question, I know, but they seem so similar.
- Strange

because i always attempt to write scifi but it always turned out to be a fantasy…
- Edward

I am really interested in books that have witches, vampires, etc. What are some authors that write really good books. I can’t get into Nora Roberts.
- Brandon

If not, what genre do you enjoy? I personally love to read science fiction and fantasy, especially “Doctor Who” and “Harry Potter” books. I also enjoy reading Westerns, Mysteries, and even a little History once in awhile.
- kenrayf

And, just to complicate things, are science fiction and fantasy mutually exclusive? Examples are appreciated!
I’m just asking for opinions. I just like to know what other people think.
- paleozoictraveler

The short story genre is one that is thriving – but only in certain places. Where are they?

A short story can be roughly defined as any work of fiction below about 12,000 words. A greater wordcount tends to move the story into the realms of the ‘Novella’ or Novelette’, a niche in the writing field that falls between the short story and the full-blown novel.

For many years the short story was a thriving branch of fiction but took a downturn during the middle section of the 20th. century. More publishers began to favour the novel as, understandably, they saw that a novel gave them more chance of turning a profit than a short story and, at the pinnacle, could be turned into a Hollywood blockbuster. But consider this – several short stories have been been the basis for not only movies but (oddly enough) a spin-off book! Perhaps the best known is ‘The Sentinel’ by Arthur C. Clarke. This went on to become one of the most famous films ever – ‘2001, A Space Odyssey’ – and then the book of the same name was written!

It’s interesting to note that, these days, one genre where the short story is thriving is in science fiction and fantasy. Magazines such as ‘The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction’ are still going strong after better than fifty years, whilst ezines such as ‘Interzone’ represent the new wave. If there’s one area a new writer can compete in, it’s the Sci-Fi or Fantasy short story.

If , however, you’re not the least bit interested – or capable – or writing within the Sci-Fi or Fantasy field, what is there left to you? Well, a great area for short story writers to work in is within the field of magazines for women. Some of these have readerships in the millions and most exceed circualtions of 100,000. That’s an awful lot of exposure for any writer! In fact, most novelists would consider their latest book a huge success if they sold copies in those sort of numbers.

Short story writing is also a great discipline for a writer. Often written to a strict wordcount, and for a very discriminating audience, any writer will benefit from writing short stories – they encourage tight plotting, good character development and real attention to detail. Indeed, many short story writers have said that the experience they gained in the short story field was of huge value when they came to write longer work.

There is also a category of writer who writes only short stories. Again in the Sci-Fi field, Isaac Asimov is remembered for his famous ‘Robot’ books (the recent film ‘I Robot’ was based on his work), but his most prolific writing was in the short story field, in which he wrote literally hundreds of short stories, not only in Sci-Fi but also Crime and Mystery – his ‘Black Widowers’ stories being amongst the most fascinating ever written in the field.

These areas – Sci-fi/fantasy and women’s magazines – are then two major areas where short stories are not only holding on but are in fact thriving. If you want experience in writing and to see your name in print, they are a good way of achieving the status of ‘published author’. That’s not to say they are easy markets – competition can be fierce. However, they have been for many years the entrance level for many authors and there’s no reason you cannot follow in their footsteps.


- Steve Dempster

I have lots of old science fiction and fantasy books that I want to sell, I’ve looked at ebay and exchange as options but would like to know if there are other options available to me, I live in Canberra, any suggestions?
- Tinkatin

Except for a very few, such as Octavia Butler, Piers Anthony, Nalo Hopkinson and Mercedes Lackey, most writers of speculative fiction behave as though future, parallel and fantasy worlds have lost (or never had) all the non-caucasian peoples. This is very disturbing, especially when they write about future worlds. What do they think has happenned to us?
- Evie