How Do I Write Science Fiction

From LoveToKnow Sci-Fi

If you're asking yourself "How do I write science fiction?" you've already taken the first step. That is, you've started down a path of wonder, of imagination. Somewhere in the recesses of your mind you can envision yourself writing scifi, whether in a short story or perhaps a shiny book cover in your local bookstore.

That first step is easy. It's the follow-up question that's hard:

How Do I Write Science Fiction That's Good?

Aye, there's the rub. Robert Heinlein (one of science fiction's pioneers) once said there are only six plots in science fiction, and all of them have been done over and over in endless permutations. Coming up with a truly original idea in the genre is almost impossible.

The good news is, you don't have to. Just as Shakespeare stole from classic Greek and Roman stories, it's not that you have to tell a new story – it's that you have to tell it in a new way. China Mieville's turned the steampunk world on its head with his series of books set in New Crobuzon, and while there was nothing terribly new about the idea of a repressive government fighting against a ragtag band of rebels hiding underground, the world he created was new and different. His style of writing was a blend of cyberpunk bluntness and gothic richness, and as a result the worlds he creates are vivid and interesting.

Likewise, the movie Cloverfield took the well-explored genre of the giant monsters destroying a city and made it entirely new. The producer, J.J. Abrams, did mainly with the technique of making the entire movie first person – that is, told through the point of view of a person in the middle of the city, holding a video camera, as they struggle to rescue their friends and escape the city. The monsters, the invasion (if that's what it was) is not the focus of the movie, it's the characters that you care about, and that carry the story along.

Character is Great, Where's the Science?

Once you've figured out what story you'd like to tell, and figured out the character, there is still an element you need to make this science fiction as opposed to simply fiction. That is the existence of some mechanism that is based on scientific principles that is different than reality. It doesn't have to be far different – many science fiction stories take place in the immediate future, such as Michael Crichton's novels.

These require a lot of research, because they need to be plausible. Many science fiction writers, such as Arthur C. Clarke, who was an engineer before writing 2001: A Space Odyssey, or Emma Bull, who has a military background to add realism to her Sassenak series of books. The audience for the book will pay attention to details, and so the original question morphs further into "How do I write science fiction that is believable?"

On the other hand, one does not have to be an expert in any field to write plausible science fiction. Simply presuming that a science advancement has been achieved to enable the story is fine, and used all the time. In the Star Wars universe, tools such as lightsabers and hyperlight drive were never scientifically explained, any more than a sword and a sailing vessel are explained in classic pirate stories. Sometimes a nod towards current theories and research might be helpful – such as the use of tachyons for communication in Orson Scott Card's "Ender" series – but as long as you are consistent in your science, you can make it as far fetched as you like.

It could even be argued that books such as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series are actually science fiction, because the rules of magic are scientifically taught and rigorously adhered to. To quote Clarke, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

The only limit is your own imagination. So the question is not so much "How do I write science fiction?" but rather "Why haven't I started writing yet?"

What are you waiting for?

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