GENRE Bleeding

Sure you can write a horror erotica (horrorrotica), Christian horror, and so on. But I'm talking about sub genre here. Sometimes people really don't like it and prefer to stick to one or the other, while others love going against the rules.

What's best?

I love a good story, period. If it's written well, I will not care if said story followed every rule to the law in genre. This doesn't mean that it's a bad idea to write strictly genre. I say do both.

This is why I'm a dark fiction author. I'm learning the basics of each sub genre so I can write in genre, but also so I can blend them. You can't make a smoothie until you know what kind of fruit you want, and how the flavors are going to mix. Well, there's trial and error, but the point is we're talking about writing something that's ten levels of OMG, triple dipped in awesomesauce!

If I want to write a story that is equal parts, Splatterpunk, Bizarro, and Sci-fi, as long as I do it well, I can't see why this should be a problem.  

We all love what we love, there's nothing wrong with that. If you are horror only, great. But horror itself can be a multitude of sub genres. I see horror in places most people don't. Some things scare the crap out of me that most just look at as so-so. I think stories that deal with a character having dementia is terrifying. Or stories about getting old and having no one to depend on, and all you get is a few bucks from the government who wants to take away more and more medical benefits. On that note, nursing homes. Being at the mercy of future generations, when there are plenty in this one that scare me (this statement does not reflect the care-providers who earn their pay and respect, who do an amazing job day in and day, even with long hours with shit pay, and cut backs.)

The arthritis which has haunted me since childhood, or the lump on my chest that acts up whenever I have indigestion. Or how about dying, believing in God and knowing you get to go heaven, but for some reason the Big Man has a plan that you don't get the memo on until you're there? Maybe we aren't as good as we should be, and God needs us to fix something within His plan. May not sound scary until it happens.

The art of horror is terror. An overpowering fear that hits us not just between the eyes, but straight to our soul. Horror can also use comedy and still keep the fright.

It's all about how you write it and sell it.

Know your audience and make your story one hell of a punch!