Contemporary or SF?

JustSarah

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I recently figured out how to write this second novella. But I'm in yet the same pickle again.

By the premise, it's sounds like some dark contemporary: a boarding school run-away falling off the sky-city, befriends a prostitute, a drug-dealer, and another run-away in hopes of finding a life worth living.

Yet I find this log-line has drawbacks: the actual novella is executed more like a YA science fiction. The main character is nearly injured, has to live the rest of his life as a cyborg, and his limbs are haphazardly cobbled together and must take drugs to dull away the pain.

So I'm not really sure how to reword the pitch.

Edit: The other problem is it's set in purgatory; not the literal purgatory but rather a physical Earthly purgatory. Though I would prefer the reader to interpret it however they want, even if it's a literal purgatory.
 
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Cathy C

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The moment you insert events that are beyond our current ability (such as true cyborg, rather than mechanical limbs we have available now) then you're firmly in SF. Embrace it and imagine the future of cyborg-ism. :)
 

JustSarah

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Cool beans, I'll pitch it as a YA Science fiction after the rewrite then. (I'm experiencing some stylization issues.)

I've somewhat solved the problem these days, it was just that book giving my trouble. I tend to do more of the picassoesque abstract descriptions of reality and the line between reality and sleep these days.
 
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