In a message dated 2/26/01 6:07:37 PM Eastern Standard Time, tavia@btinternet.com writes:

<< It seems to me that if one can accurately pigeonhole a piece of fiction into something relatively tightly defined, such as h/c, then the story must be unoriginal. Or, to put it another way, if I like a story, then I tend to like it for what is different from other stories that I've read, not what is similar (or identical). >>

You're absolutely right, Tavia. I couldn't agree more. This is one reason I attempted to point out that "h/c" is indeed a misnomer and can encompass a huge range of stories. What's important is the "angst" level. The emotional hook that the reader feels to keep reading to find out what ultimately happens to the characters you've become emotionally invested in. This was also why I, early on, pointed out that Orson Scott Card, a multiple Hugo winner, says that in order to write a good story you must find the character who "hurts the most" and then HURT HIM SOME MORE. Without some degree of emotional involvement with characters, I'm not interested in a tv show, a movie or a book.

Annie