Thursday 14 April 2011

What the heck is Edgy Fiction?

In our inaugural blog post, it made sense to take a closer look at what we’ve called ourselves … The Edge

We called ourselves The Edge because, as a group, we write edgy fiction. 

But what is edgy fiction?  Well, for one thing, it is, now I come to think about it, hard to define.

Line up our books and you’d probably struggle to find many points of similarity.  Some are aimed at the ten plus age range, some at fifteen plus and all the points between (and above – why not?).  Some have male protagonists, some female.  Some have love stories, some don’t.  Some are set in contemporary England, some else-where or else-when …

Our books don’t naturally cluster into a clearly defined genre.  This isn’t a blog about ‘paranormal romance’, ‘psychological chiller’, or ‘dystopian fiction’ although some of us fall into these categories (and some don’t).
 
So what is similar about our work?  Why on earth would we think we do fall into a natural group?

What does edgy mean?

Well, you can have ‘an edgy look’ which is modern, contemporary or fashionable

Our books look good, if I do say so myself; we have scored some really great cover art.  But that can’t be all there is to edgy fiction. 

Is edgy fiction modern?  Well, yes, in a way.  But then everyone writing now is technically ‘modern’ and I would categorise plenty of less contemporary writing as ‘edgy fiction’, look at Wuthering Heights for instance.  That’s not modern, but I’d be able to debate that it was quite edgy.

I would argue that edgy fiction has to have a fresh feel to it.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be completely new, but it should have a unique voice, or original tone or approach. 

Then there’s the other side of edgy which is also key to writing edgy fiction.  Edgy can be feeling uncomfortable, tense, unsettled, unsure … the ‘on the edge of your seat’ sort of edginess. 


Then what is unsettling?  It can be horror in the classic sense of the word – why not?  But it should really be something that makes the reader stop and think and carry on thinking for days afterwards.  Perhaps even read on with the light on.  Maybe it makes the reader put the book down for a little while, because the ideas dealt with in edgy fiction are uncomfortable but never boring.    

Edgy fiction encapsulates both of these definitions.  Edgy fiction is fresh, but unsettling.

And that’s what we write at The Edge.  We’d like to think we’re unique voices dealing with issues; everything from hope and redemption to the nature of good and evil, to things with a more specific focus such as immigration or child abandonment.

Our books are fresh and unsettling, gripping and thought-provoking. 

We’re edgy.

Do you dare to read us?

(Bryony Pearce, author of Angel's Fury)

A few related questions for the authors of The Edge:

Q1. Have you always written edgy fiction or do you have other work (perhaps in the back of a drawer) that might fall into a different category?

Q2. What do you think makes your work ‘unsettling’?  What are the key issues that are touched upon in your book or books? 

Q3. What made you decide to deal with these issues and were you nervous about choosing to use these issues in your fiction? 

Q4. Can you give us a quote from your most recent book?  Something that perhaps highlights some of the issue you deal with?

Q5. When is your book available for readers to buy?


8 comments:

  1. I love edgy fiction - for me it's real and vibrant, irrespective of genre. It's the very aliveness of it that makes it so riveting to read - even if it involves being unsettled, because at least that way you know you really are involved with the story - and that's so critical.
    Look forward to reading all of you!

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  2. Edgy is good! Let us banish soft and fluffy and comfortable forever!

    Nick.

    P.S. I find the site design a bit too edgy - the black on grey is hard to read. But I am browsing on a phone, so it could be a screen issue.

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  3. I thought seeing as I posed these questions, I ought to get the ball rolling and starting answering them ...

    Q1. Have you always written edgy fiction?

    I think my 'edgy fiction' is synonymous with my YA fiction. I wouldn't have said that my first full length novel, which was never published, was particularly edgy and that was Middle Grade. But then, to be honest, I was told that Angel's Fury was unique and controversial by my lovely editor. I didn't really know that it was, until it was pointed out to me!

    Q2. What do you think makes your work ‘unsettling’? What are the key issues that are touched upon in your book or books?

    The nightmares suffered by the protagonist surround the death of a little Jewish girl, Zillah. I include scenes inspired by the holocaust and mention death camps.
    Many of my main characters have been reincarnated and one other in particular was KKK. In my original draft I dealt much more intensely with the issue of racism, as one of the modern characters was also Jewish, but I actually had to rewrite him, as my editor felt the book was getting too controversial.
    My book is really about the evils that man has perpetrated, not just against those of other colour, but against anyone at all different. It's about hate and love, forgiveness and redemption, good and evil - the little things.

    Q3. What made you decide to deal with these issues and were you nervous about choosing to use these issues in your fiction?

    I didn't make a conscious decision to deal with the holocaust in a controversial way. My thought process was more organic than that. I had a girl who I knew was a reincarnation of someone from a terrible point in history. I knew she suffered from horrible nightmares, so I simply tried to think what point in history was most horrible, to fit in with Cassie's character. The rest grew from that. Awareness of what I'd done in terms of potential controversy came retrospectively.


    Q4. Can you give us a quote from your most recent book? Something that perhaps highlights some of the issue you deal with?

    This is an extract from one of Cassie's dreams...

    "Then the gunfire stops. It leaves behind a sickening silence. I struggle to see through the barley as the terrible men move into the field. Some of them are carrying shovels.
    I crouch next to Daddy and shove my fingers in my mouth. I mustn’t make a sound.
    Then I hear Isaac’s voice. He’s begging. He invokes the name of God but the men ignore him. The sound of the gun going off is like the crack of ice on the winter river.
    I shut my eyes.
    The barley rustles right beside me but I keep my eyes squeezed tight. I don’t want to see the man who has come for me.
    But there is no other noise and after a while I have to look.
    One of them is standing above me, looking down with a half smile on his face. He is young. My lips tremble hopefully.
    “Da bist du also Mäuschen,” he says.
    Then he raises his gun."


    Q5. When is your book available for readers to buy?
    My book is available for pre-order now (from Amazon, WHSmith etc.) and will be published on the 4th July 2011.

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  4. In answer to Bryony's wonderful post, I write because I have something to say and as someone who tends to be involved in social and political issues, often around the Other in our society, these things have underpinned my writing career, for both adults and children, in fiction, poetry and journalism.
    So THE EDGE is a great place for me to be. My novel, HIDDEN, about asylum seekers, is already rousing a lot of opinions which is great and I look forward to reading more posts from my fellow Edgies in the weeks to come.

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  5. Great blog! Looking forward to hearing more from you all :O)

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  6. Bryony, a great blog that really gets to the bottom of what we mean by ‘Edgy’ fiction.
    My novel, The Truth About Celia Frost is a thriller which, I hope, is gripping, entertaining and maybe even thought provoking. Amongst the twists and turns of the story, ethical issues emerge as the truth about Celia unravels.

    “A small price to pay” is a quote from a character in the book. That short quote arrives, loaded with debate.

    This is the first novel that I’ve written, however my other writing (in short story and play form) has included comedy, contemporary stories for adults and historical characters. The factors that unite them are probably that, regardless of the genre, they all have a bit of a bite to them and I seem to have a compulsion to lace stories with humour, no matter how dark the tale.

    The Truth about Celia Frost will be published on the 1st August 2011 but is available to pre order now from Amazon, Waterstones, W.H. Smith etc.

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  7. As another member of the Edgy team, I thought I'd respond to Bryony's questions too:

    Q1: Have you always written edgy fiction or do you have other work (perhaps in the back of a drawer) that might fall into a different category?

    I have several experimental novels under lock and key. I’ve mostly written for young adults, but I seem to have found my niche with dark dystopian fiction. My next novel, which will be published in 2012, is a dark futuristic tale and plans for my third novel are in a similar vein. I think there’s no turning back now.

    I’m also a senior commissioning editor for Working Partners, which is a company that creates series fiction for children. I’m very lucky that in my role at Working Partners I get the opportunity to work on a variety of stories for children – from cute and cuddly chapter books to action-adventure stories for teen boys and everything in between. I just have to be careful that I don’t get my projects confused and have a dark dystopian novel about a cute and cuddly pony.

    Q2: What do you think makes your work ‘unsettling’? What are the key issues that are touched upon in your book or books?

    DARK PARTIES was the result of my move to the UK. Both the US and UK are struggling with immigration issues. I believe that diversity makes us stronger. So I said: what if we closed our borders to people and ideas? DARK PARTIES is my answer.

    DARK PARTIES also considers issues of personal and national identity, the nature of attraction, procreation and rebellion.

    I hope my book encourages readers to think about these issues or question what they believe. You have to be unflinching in your writing. My editors and agent kept pushing me to take certain ideas and scenes further – to make myself and my reader uncomfortable – and I’m glad they did.

    Q3: What made you decide to deal with these issues and were you nervous about choosing to use these issues in your fiction?

    I still find it amazing that I’m drawn to write dystopian novels. I’m the biggest optimist. I believe the best in people and have great hope for the future of the planet and humankind. But I think you have to write about what interests – and some might say obsesses – you.

    I think good, edgy, issue-oriented fiction doesn’t preach or have a message that’s delivered directly in the text. The best edgy fiction presents an issue and gives readers the chance to really consider it. I’m not nervous about raising questions and, I hope, making people think. I look forward to the discussion.

    Q4: Can you give us a quote from your book? Something that perhaps highlights some of the issues you deal with?

    I thought it might be better to give you a back-of-the-book type of blurb:

    Sixteen-year-old Neva lives in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. Hundreds of years ago, her country constructed an electrified dome to protect itself from the outside world. What once might have protected, now imprisons. Her country is decaying and its citizens are dying.

    Neva and her friends dream of freedom.

    A forbidden party leads to complications. Suddenly Neva’s falling for her best friend’s boyfriend, uncovering secrets that threaten to destroy her friends, her family and her country – and discovering the horrifying truth about what happens to The Missing.

    Q5: When is your book available for readers to buy?

    My book is already available in Germany (titled NEVA). DARK PARTIES will be published by Little, Brown on 3rd August in the US and by Orion on 20th October in the UK.

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