rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper at:
http://leepers.us/evelyn/faqs/sf-written.htm

"rec.arts.sf.written is a newsgroup devoted to discussions of written
SF. It is a high-volume newsgroup and this article is intended to help
reduce the number of unnecessary postings, thereby making it more useful
and enjoyable to everyone."

""SF" as used here means "speculative fiction" and includes science
fiction, fantasy, horror (a.k.a. dark fantasy), etc."

Lynn


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper

On 7/13/2026 4:40 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:

rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper at:
ÿÿ http://leepers.us/evelyn/faqs/sf-written.htm

"rec.arts.sf.written is a newsgroup devoted to discussions of written
SF. It is a high-volume newsgroup and this article is intended to help reduce the number of unnecessary postings, thereby making it more useful
and enjoyable to everyone."

""SF" as used here means "speculative fiction" and includes science
fiction, fantasy, horror (a.k.a. dark fantasy), etc."

Lynn

Looks like the last update was in 2012. This might be a little out of
date, nicht wahr?


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper

On 7/13/2026 6:45 PM, Lee Gleason wrote:

On 7/13/2026 4:40 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:

rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper at:
ÿÿÿ http://leepers.us/evelyn/faqs/sf-written.htm

"rec.arts.sf.written is a newsgroup devoted to discussions of written
SF. It is a high-volume newsgroup and this article is intended to help
reduce the number of unnecessary postings, thereby making it more
useful and enjoyable to everyone."

""SF" as used here means "speculative fiction" and includes science
fiction, fantasy, horror (a.k.a. dark fantasy), etc."

Lynn

ÿLooks like the last update was in 2012. This might be a little out of date, nicht wahr?

Jawohl, mein herr.

But something is better than nothing.

Lynn


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper

On 14/07/2026 11:45, Lee Gleason wrote:

On 7/13/2026 4:40 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:

rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper at:
ÿÿÿ http://leepers.us/evelyn/faqs/sf-written.htm

"rec.arts.sf.written is a newsgroup devoted to discussions of written
SF. It is a high-volume newsgroup and this article is intended to help
reduce the number of unnecessary postings, thereby making it more
useful and enjoyable to everyone."

Is this comedy? Devoted? High-volumne?
Can anybody identify an Unnecessary Posting?

""SF" as used here means "speculative fiction" and includes science
fiction, fantasy, horror (a.k.a. dark fantasy), etc."

ÿLooks like the last update was in 2012. This might be a little out of
date, nicht wahr?

Perhaps.
It fails to mention the relevance of postings regarding USA laws not
restricted to but especially about political matters but this may be
because the USA regards not only Written International Law as Fiction,
Fantasy, AND Horror, but also its own laws.
It makes no mention of drawn comics, nor Elon Musk's contribution to
future technology, nor the public-loving oil companies uncovering
grant-greedy climate scientist conspiracy theories.
Some people might classify the above as Unnecessary Postings. I don't.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper

On Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:40:37 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

""SF" as used here means "speculative fiction" and includes science
fiction, fantasy, horror (a.k.a. dark fantasy), etc."

I prefer to group fiction into two categories, this way:

* ?interpolative? fiction, which takes existing matters of fact or
tradition and tries to come up with new propositions that lie
essentially within the same parameters
* ?extrapolative? fiction, which tries to go beyond existing matters
of fact by proposing new ideas in areas where human experience has
not (yet) gone.

I would put SF in the second category. Am I betraying my prejudice by
claiming that most fantasy and horror would belong firmly in the first category?

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Subject: Re: rec.arts.sf.written Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Evelyn Leeper

On 30/07/2026 14:19, Lawrence D?Oliveiro wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:40:37 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

""SF" as used here means "speculative fiction" and includes science
fiction, fantasy, horror (a.k.a. dark fantasy), etc."

I prefer to group fiction into two categories, this way:

* ?interpolative? fiction, which takes existing matters of fact or
tradition and tries to come up with new propositions that lie
essentially within the same parameters
* ?extrapolative? fiction, which tries to go beyond existing matters
of fact by proposing new ideas in areas where human experience has
not (yet) gone.

How interesting.

I would put SF in the second category.

I assume you are using SF to mean Science Fiction which includes
sociology and political science. Won't they fit in both categories?

Am I betraying my prejudice by

claiming that most fantasy and horror would belong firmly in the first category?

The boundaries between genres have begun more and more vague.
In a more sensible world, the author of the romantic comedy, The Time Traveller's Wife, would have had her keyboard confiscated before
impacting such shame on the other more highly respected genre it may
have been mistaken for.
You imply that interpolative fiction is inferior by claiming a
prejudice. Whilst my SpecF preference is also for science fiction, I
have read brilliant five star fantasy. One horror which escapes your Aristotelian categorisation also comes to mind.

The Terror. Dan Simmonds. No survivors from this tale means no
contribution to the human experience. Extrapolative Horror.

Some of my favourite Fantasies.
Gormenghast. Mervyn Peake. Interpolative fiction.
The Fionavar Tapestry. Guy Gavriel Kay. Interpolative fiction.
Anything by David Mitchell. Minimal science fiction, minimal fantasy.
Same for Joe Abercrombie. (Except the YA stuff).

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)