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Apr 26, 2024 · There are 10 key elements of science fiction that every good sci fi book should contain. Learn how to write a good sci fi book here.
- Identify The ‘Big Idea’ For Your Story.
- Know Who Your Readers Are and What They want.
- Make The Science Integral to The Story.
- But Don’T Let The Science Overwhelm The Story.
- Show Us Your Main Character’S Motivations, Fears and concerns.
- Introduce The ‘Problem’ Or Conflict Early on.
- Create Believable Characters We Can Relate to.
- Take Us to Another Time and place.
- Push Your Character(s) to The Limit, Emotionally and physically.
- Blow Us Away with Your Climax.
For well over a hundred years, readers have turned to science fiction to find big and bold ideas brought to life. And the sci-fi genre has delivered with a steady outpouring of grand concepts. As a writer of science fiction, you’ll want to spend some time thinking about the thing that makes your story different and special. I refer to this as the “...
Science fiction readers are as diverse as the books they read. Everyone has different expectations when they start a new novel. But when it comes to sci-fi, readers tend to look for specific elements when they pick up a novel. For example, take the whole “hard” versus “soft” thing: 1. Hard science fiction gets into the “nuts and bolts” of whatever ...
The definition of science fiction can vary depending on who you ask. But most readers and writers agree on one thing. A good sci-fi story or novel hasto feature science in a way that’s integral to the story. That’s the bare-minimum requirement and definition. The story doesn’t have to be “about” the science. In fact, it probably shouldn’t. It shoul...
At their core, novels are about charactersand the things that happen to them. This is true for science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery and other genres as well. We read stories to discover new worlds and to connect with the people who inhabit them. We join the characters on their journeys, rooting for them along the way. This is something to bea...
What does your main character want? What does the character want for those aroundher, for her loved ones? If you can answer these questions, you’re on your way to writing a good science fiction novel. If you can’t answer them, you’ve got some more work to do. (And that’s okay. Novels are work!) Much of storytelling comes from this basic concept. Th...
If your protagonist is having a good time, the reader is not. You’ve probably heard that maxim before, or some variation of it. It’s common advice offered in countless creative writing classes and handbooks. And there’s some truth to it. A lot of truth, in fact. In his insightful book Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course, author and writing...
Some writing instruction books and articles claim that a main character doesn’t have to be likable, as long as they’re relatable. According to the authors, the reader doesn’t have to likethe protagonist, as long as they can understand the character’s motivations. That might be true. But for a beginning writer, I think it’s important to create a cha...
People don’t read science fiction to encounter a world exactly like their own. In fact, that’s the exact oppositeof what they’re expecting when they crack the spine (or tap the cover) of a sci-novel. They want to be swept away from “life as we know it” … away from the real world with its hassles and drags. They want to be whisked away to a time and...
Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, once described the novel-writing process in this way: “The writer’s job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them.” There is much truth in this pithy little statement. In fact, we’ve covered this concept already. Your main character has to face great challenges d...
As readers, we tend to remember the climax and ending of a novel long after finishing it. These things resonate with us, but for different reasons. We remember the ending for structural reasons. It’s the last thing we read. We remember the climax, because that’s where the fireworks go off. It’s the most exciting part of the story, and so it stays w...
The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of Tolkien and Le Guin, to the science-fiction universes of Delany and Asimov, to the tabletop realm of Gygax and Barker, and beyond.
Aug 24, 2021 · Writing a great science fiction novel is a long, hard process. As with any novel, you’ll want to construct a satisfying plot, develop interesting characters, and write polished, vivid prose. That said, writing science fiction requires many unique considerations.
Aug 7, 2022 · A great science fiction story can show us what it means to be human. Each subgenre of science fiction literature is ripe for exploring different themes. Apocalyptic stories, such as The Stand, show the dark side of human nature and the things people will do to survive.
So in general, I think what makes a sci-fi good are the characters and their interactions taking the forefront, and the sci-fi stuff supporting it. The sci-fi elements should be essentially props. The more realistic the better, but not so much so that it sacrifices or detracts from the story.
Nov 22, 2021 · Looking for your next sci-fi must-read? Cyberpunk, space operas, dystopias – we've pulled together some of the WIRED team's favourite science fiction novels.
