Photo: Salvatore Di Giovanna (2008)
I’ve always bristled at categorizing my writing although I recognize it’s important for marketing purposes. Writing for kids seemed natural because I always saw promise and openness in young people. Adults can be very set in their identities, roles, and futures. Kids play with new ideas, try them out. The distinction between writing for older or younger kids also was easy. I like both age groups and have a tendency to jump from one to the other once I finish a given novel. Having to adapt to a different audience allows me an opportunity to play in different ways.
But then an agent or publisher wants to know sub-genre. What’s my sub-genre? Here’s where things get tough. Traditionally, my work would be lumped into fantasy or science fiction, sometimes paranormal. But is it?
Photo: Ole Anders Flatmo (2013)
This week I learned about a newly emerging genre called visionary fiction. According to the Visionary Fiction Alliance (VFA), this category of writing “embraces spiritual and esoteric wisdom, often from ancient sources, and makes it relevant to our modern life.” It does this without preaching to the reader. Furthermore, there is a strong emphasis on the growth of consciousness while often employing reincarnation, dreams, visions, and psychic abilities within the novel. Human characters in visionary fiction point to our limitless potential to transform and evolve.
I write visionary fiction. For more information on this genre and books which fall into it, visit the VFA by clicking on the link on the sidebar.
ellisnelson 
Is it not awesome how, just by the act of expressing ourselves in words, we discover new things not only about our writing but also the groups our writing falls into? It is both exciting and freeing to put a name to what we write. 🙂
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Exactly!!
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Thank you for stopping by my blog. I admire your writing and the topics I find to be most interesting and thought-provoking. I am interested in reading some of your visionary fiction. Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!
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Thanks winterschild!
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Visionary Fiction. Who knew?
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Your sub-genre which is the visionary fiction is such a breathnof fresh air. I came across your post and i was intruigue by the unfamilirity of the term to my ears. And as I read further in your article it drew me deeper to visionary fiction. I will definitely read more about the genre and see for myself if I can write one article for this genre. And ow, thanks for following. 🙂
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Finding your genre/sub-genre can be a very tough job indeed. I also struggle with naming the right genre for my stories, although they are much more “normal” than your book “Into the Land of Snows” is.
I’ll definitely check that out, it sounds interesting 🙂
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You won’t be the first to have trouble categorising your fiction, and you won’t be the last. We need a better fine-tuned categorising system.
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Glad to have crossed paths, Tricia!
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Wow…that’s intriguing! I am going to check it out too!! thank you!
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I went over to the Visionary Fiction site because I was planning to pass the link on. Not truly expecting to find anything foundation-rattling. Instead I know for a fact that I will remember this day as a turning point. I read a post there about the visionary artist that has altered my perspective on why I write and answered many questions that I had never given voice to. So Ellis, thank you very much! I might even become a writer one day 😉
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Ah-those connections & synchronicities at work!
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Robyn,
It’s experiences like yours that make being a founding member of the Visionary Fiction Alliance so worthwhile. I was moved by what you wrote.
I looked at your website and saw the soul of a poet! Welcome to Visionary Fiction, there are many kindred spirits writing this genre.
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I have been living with ‘metaphysical fiction’, but much prefer ‘visionary’. Since I write what someone has christened ‘symphonic prose’ to write non-fiction (science natch) I think visionary fiction is just the ticket for my novel! So thanks, and thanks for visiting my blog.
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Well, I learn something new every day reading blogs, and this was it for today!
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Visionary Fiction, who knew such a thing even exists haha. Wow 🙂
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Thank u so much for liking my book stickman spirituality it means alot coming from you 🙂
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I write visionary fiction too! I’ve referred to this privately but I had no idea it was a legit genre. Thanks for the info!
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Very true. Children haven’t been tarnished by this material world yet. If we cultivate them correctly they will flourish n soar!
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i would like to thank you for dropping by to have a read. Now this concept of VFA is something like what my mind see’s, however vision and reality are too different concepts…
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Ellis, Thanks for sharing this information. Now, if I ever return to all of my half finished stories and book ideas I have a genre they will fit in. 🙂
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I agree- your work is here in this category!
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Is this at all related to Transrealism? Another sub-genre that has been “identified”. Don’t know how I feel about labels, but I guess it is an inevitable requisite of marketing.
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Will have to read up on Transrealism. Haven’t run across that term before. Maybe someone else can shed light on it.
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Wow, I love this new sub-genre! It seems we need more of these to account for the ever-increasing styles of writing… Thanks for sharing!
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Reblogged this on Bob Edward Fahey.
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Thanks, Ellis. Sure sounds like my books, doesn’t it? I have known my work is “Literary Fiction” in that every word counts, and the characters are rich, multi-layered, complex. It is “Magic Realism” in that it reads as though this is just an everyday story while making laying-on-of-hands, reincarnation and such clearly part of that reality, and relevant to our strained and challenging modern lives. But now with the sub-genre “Visionary Fiction” I get the rest of it. Ancient principles and teachings shared without preaching. Powerful emphasis on the limitless potential each has for growth and transformation. These are the bases for every one of my novels. It is all there now. Thank you so much for this.
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Exactly. Check out the VFA site for benefits for authors. Connect with like-minded writers as well through their FB page. See you there!
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Hi, Ellis! I’m a fellow practitioner of visionary fiction and a founding member of the VFA. Welcome home! Enjoyed your article. Alas, though Amazon and BISAC have the visionary fiction category, Amazon tends to re-categorize VF books into whatever they want, based on their algorithms. I tend to end up labeled an author of metaphysical fantasy. Or even paranormal romance. At least WE know what we are.
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Thanks for stopping by. Good to meet you!
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Welcome to the magic circle of Visionary FIction writers, Ellis. I hope you checked over the article “Visionary Fiction” on Wikipedia as well as the VFA site. Although I write VF for adults, I, and others in the VFA, certainly have an interest in VF for children and YA. Just now reading The Book Thief by Marcus Susak, which is classified YA, an excellent adult or all-ages work of VF if there ever was one. The VF circle is constantly expanding; it was always there, but now it has a name.
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Thanks, Victor!
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Yes, welcome to anyone interested in reading, or authors who write Visionary Fiction. You can visit us at http://visionaryfictionalliance.com/
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great job, ellis! get the word out!
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VF ticks the boxes for me
I generally channel poetry rather than novels. Whatever; recently this arrived (
WORTH
An evaluation
Based on finance
Rather than on ethics
Is of such little value
To those whose home base
Transcends the mere material
) and may be relevant to the dialogue you’ve been entertaining? 🙂
Whatever.
Peace.
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Exactly, Ben!
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“Kids play with new ideas…” Sure they do… because they know no fear! 🙂 While I’m here, ideas such as reincarnation have appealed to me. Wonder if it has anything to do with any faith. 🙂 If ever you come across an indie feature film called “The Wisdom Tree”, check it out, you may like it. I blogged a while back about it. https://chitralekhan.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/the-wisdom-tree-film-a-spiritual-journey-that-traverses-farther-yonder/
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I love the concept of “visionary fiction” which gives place to a mystical
element that is not religious.
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Good point!
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Huh. Imagine that. The thread of Magic Realism that weaves through what I do might find a home under Visionary Fiction. I will have to examine this.
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I bet it does. Magical realism is another one of those categories I’ve flirted with.
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