When I tell people I write speculative fiction I can tell most non-writers don’t really know what it is. I’ve always thought it is a bit of a misnomer, because by definition all fiction is speculating. What I mean by speculative fiction is there is an element of the not (yet) real or proven about it. Think ghosts, UFOs, monsters, pandemics that lock us all up in our homes – oh yeah, sometimes speculative fiction comes true.
There are as many sub-genres to spec fic as there are petals on a dahlia, all of which can be further broken down e.g. Spec Fic > Science Fiction > Climate Fiction. Science fiction is what appeals to me the most. I love taking a cutting edge or fringe science idea and exploring it, or putting forward a vision of what I think the word will look like in 20 years’ time. Usually as a warning.
I also write horror, mainly because sometimes the science fiction I write gets pretty horrific but I do also have a weird penchant for vampire stories (possibly a nostalgic hangover from sneaking out at midnight with my sister to watch the Fright Night movies when we were kids, unbeknownst to my parents). Horror lives under the spec fic umbrella despite the fact that a lot of horror stories could actually happen (SAW, Scream etc.). I’m into the horror which has a paranormal bent (Carrie, Final Destination etc.).
Other types of fiction that stew in the pot of speculative fiction are fantasy, magical realism, steampunk, and alternative history, all of which have their own unique sub-groups as well. Then, as if the lines weren’t blurred enough, many of these stories can be crime, romance or literary, not to mention the areas of humour and young adult fiction, which cross over all genres.
For me, the most important thing about any fiction is the story. I want to read (and write) life-like characters getting challenged by overwhelming things and doing interesting stuff to get to a resolution, be it positive or negative. Speculative fiction, in all its iterations, is fertile ground for those sorts of stories and that’s why I love it.