DIFFERENT KINDS OF FICTION BY FILIPINOS

Flash Fiction

• a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme brevity

Example of a Flash Fiction is a written work of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard entitled, "A VERY SHORT STORY"

VERY SHORT STORY

 Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Your world -- or your mind -- does not allow for an afternoon walk to the museum, nor a stop at the chapel for silent prayer, a glass of halo-halo under the ipil-ipil, laughter and stories, for old time’s sake.

            It allows for a few hours at the Hilton. Face like stone you give a false name to the man at the registry, pay in cash, and ascend to the sun-streamed room, for an afternoon of sad, hot-blooded lovemaking.

            Face like stone, you tell your wife whom you have long-ago stopped loving, that you had a late business meeting with some Japanese clients. (It’s the same story you had left at your office earlier that day.)

            And you wonder why you go about in muted sorrow and anger.

~end~

https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2015/04/flash-fiction-very-short-story-by.html 

Speculative Fiction

• an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy horror, weird fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, Utopian and Dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction and alternate history in literature as well as related static motion and visual arts.

 

Example of a Speculative Fiction is a written work of Dean Francis Alfar, entitled, "The University Belt"

The University Belt

I WILL NEVER forget how Mr. Rosales, my music teacher in 2nd year, vanished. My parents, convinced at that time that I had a degree of hidden musical brilliance, engaged him as my tutor every Tuesday and Thursday night, in addition to my regular class under him on Fridays.

Mr. Rosales came from a small town in Negros, from one of those places whose names the mind finds impossible to recall, the ones where moths, wings tipped in poisonous dust, trail after would-be suicides. He was a peculiar man who talked about his life to anyone who would listen. After private lessons at my house one evening, he told me how much he loved music but felt that his entire life was a failure. I remained quiet, out of respect. But it was true.

Against his lips, the flute acquired an altogether different aspect, lilting, rising, falling, persuading, leading all who heard it almost but not quite to the precipice of utter joy. But consistently, at the precise moment when the next note would transport his audience of students to an unearthly paradise, he’d falter, reversing in mere moments the experience of delight and replacing it with a cacophony that could only rouse an exasperated sense of regret, enveloping those of us within earshot with the fading echoes of his desperate longing.

One Friday afternoon in class, right after another truncated recital that ended in the manner all his performances did, Mr. Rosales walked out of the music room, in tears. My fellow students and I followed him at a cautious distance down the corridors, past the classrooms where voices expounded on genes and peas, down the stairs past the glass-enclosed trophies that proudly attested to the school’s victories in volleyball, origami and spelling, and out into the pristine and uniform-length grass of the quad. It was there that he turned to us and said, “I’m done with this – and with all of you.”

The whirlwind that engulfed him appeared out of nowhere. It came as an inverted cone, swirling with the tip on top, ten meters tall, colored mostly green and smelling strongly of crushed leaves. It just covered him, like a cup in a shell game, and was simply not there the next moment. The fascinating thing about it, in fact the very last thing that everyone who witnessed Mr. Rosales’ leave-taking remembered, was that the entire event took place in silence. There was none of the expected sounds associated with a whirlwind, even a completely unexpected one. It just came, upside down, covered him completely, and vanished, all in silence.

Mrs. Flores, the teacher who replaced him, was less memorable.

I think she taught piano.

Get more examples of Speculative Fiction here: http://philippinespeculativefiction.com/stories/six-from-downtown-dean-francis-alfar/

Science Fiction

• Writing based on real or imaginary scientific developments and often set in the future.

Example of a Science Fiction is a Written work of Jay E. Tria entitled, "Bad Dreams"  

Bad Dreams

My lola always told me that if I had bad dreams I shouldn’t tell anyone about them. Talking about them meant spreading the seed, sharing the terror. And I wouldn’t wish that on any one, would I? That would be just mean. My dreams were vivid things too, especially the bad ones. The images were sharp as if they played from a digital movie reel, one that I was inside of. Only the hollow echo of the voices, and the blurred outlines of the scenery, together with this underlying knowledge that I was, in fact, in a dream, reminded me of what it was. Lola said that when I woke up from these things I should go to the guava tree in our backyard—any tree, actually—touch its trunk and murmur the nightmares to it. Only then will the dreams stop visiting me each night and leave me alone.

I had a bad dream five nights ago, and true to lola’s advice, I didn’t tell anyone about it. But I didn’t pass it on to our backyard tree either. I didn’t want its aged bark and its lush leaves to take this one dream away. Because in that dream Miguel was still alive. My Miguel. He was in the dream, and he spoke to me.

https://www.philippinegenrestories.com/

Historical Fiction

• A made-up story that is based on a real time and place in history, so fact is
  mixed with fiction.

Example of a Historical Fiction is a Book of Ambeth Ocampo entitled, "Rizal Without the Overcoat" 

Realistic Fiction

•  Writing that attempts to show life as it really is

Example of a Realistic Fiction is a Book of Jessica Hagedorn entitled, "Manila Noir"