Inventing Reality Editing Service Blog

Every author writes in a certain "style." Style is the choice of vocabulary and phrasing to create an effect that runs through the entire story.

Consider this snippet from Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Awakening":

Marlan was bored with the ultimate bordeom that only Utopia can supply. He stood before the great window and stared down at the scuddling clouds, driven by the the gale that was racing past the foothills of the city. Sometimes, through a rent in the billowing white blanket, he could catch a glimpse of lakes and forests and the winding ribbon of the river that flowed through the empty land he now so seldom troubled to visit.

Now compare it it to this sample from Joe Haldeman's "Angel of Light":

It began innocently enough. Christmastime and no money. I went down into the cellar and searched deeply for something to give the children. Something they wouldn't have already found during their hajjes down there.

Both pieces make use of different stylistic techniques to creat a certain impression. Clark uses full sentences describing a panoramic scene and repeats words to give a sense of the sweeping ennui facing not only his main character but all of humanity. Haldeman, however, uses short, incomplete sentences to establish the slightly desperate nature of the everyday main character, who is having a conversation with you.

On one level, each author’s style is unique because the words are a product of his own, unique mind. But even a lone author can create vastly different works by changing styles. Pick up a copy of Harlan Ellison's short story collection and compare the abstract "Repent, Harlequin!” said the Ticktockman" to his more conversational (but no less symbolic) "Jeffty is Five".

There are some basic guidelines for style that can help elevate the author from crude apprentice to respected craftsman. For example, varying in sentence lengths, using active rather than passive voice and avoiding cliches all make one's writing better. Recognizing these issues is important because style can be the difference between getting published or receiving a rejection letter. During future entries about style, we'll discuss those and other topics.

You Do It

Write a scene in a sweeping style like Clarke does in "The Awakening." Now rewrite the scene, using Haldeman's more conversational style. How does the scene's tone change? Does one style work better than the other for this scene? Why?

Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.

(c) 2008 Rob Bignell

Tags: phrasing, style, vocabulary

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Even the most action-packed, blood-and-gore story has some message or point that the tale makes. The proposition that is argued or some aspect of human experience that is examined in your story is its theme.

For example, the theme of the movie “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn” is revenge and obsession. Those dual passions and their costs are examined as the villain Kahn seeks revenge upon hero James T. Kirk.

Theme can include a message or a moral, such as “good is stronger than evil” or “love is the answer”, but it is not exclusively that.

All stories convey underlying values. But unless you’re writing an action-adventure story, simply hoping that some theme emerges from your character’s journey isn’t adequate. You must pay attention to theme and carefully integrate it with the story’s events. Some underlying element – a proposition to be proved, the solution to a moral dilemma, or a perspective about the best attributes of human character - should guide your plot.

Often science fiction story lines are symbolic of larger, real-life conflicts. Science fiction readers often want to emerge from the story wiser than when they went in; they often want the story to force them to think.

Because of this, along with setting, theme is paramount in this genre. Indeed, science fiction often is called a “literature of ideas.” Sometimes the “idea”, rather than a character, is the “hero”. Sometimes the writer presents a dichotomy of morals as represented by varying characters.

No matter how distant the setting or how alien the characters, thematically every story is about the here and now. As Kurd Lasswitz, the father of German science fiction, wrote, “… we do dream of a higher civilization, but we would also like to come to know it as something more than the hope for a distant future. We tell ourselves that what the future can sometime bring about on Earth must even now, in view of the infiniteness of time and space, have already become a reality somewhere.”

Theme typically is reflective of the author’s attitudes. Yet, by repeating a theme done by another author, are you being unoriginal? After all, it has been said, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” So, as a writer, can you step into the same river twice? The answer is “yes.” The plot, characters and setting can be unique to you, so you may arrive at the same thematic conclusion as another author by taking the reader on an entirely different journey. Consider that the “The Wrath of Kahn” has the same theme as “Moby Dick”, but they’re obviously quite different tales.

There are a couple of guidelines to follow when incorporating a theme into your story: 
n Don’t be preachy - Fiction often is better when it poses questions and shows how people would respond to them. Stories are allegories for moral action rather than essays about what is the best decision to make.
n Don’t state the obvious - We already know that murder is bad and such people should be punished. But is there a time when murder might be acceptable?

You Do It
Think of five ideas that anger you and then five ideas that you feel passionate about. These are potential themes that your stories could explore. Write down these 10 themes in a journal or notebook that you keep just for writing.

Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.
(c) 2008 Rob Bignell

Tags: allegory, literature of ideas, theme

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Every story has an angle or perspective from which it is told. This perspective is called point of view.

Even before the sun rose, Evod and Nevar prepared themselves for the race. Silently, they inventoried supplies, examined their craft’s hull and unpacked Nevar’s ceremonial suit. Evod inspected each items with a drill instructor’s eye, discovering problems that really weren’t.

Here's the same scene, this time told from Nevar's perspective. We "hear" what he is thinking and only through his eyes know what Evod is doing:

Nevar turned over the food pack in his hands in the pre-dawn light.  Silently he examined the craft’s hull and then unpacked his ceremonial suit. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Evod staring at the control panel, fretting again about a problem that really wasn’t.

Selecting the best point of view is important because it needs to be consistent throughout the story to establish “unity of effect." Without a consistent point of view, the reader can lose track of who the story is about, and dramatic tension is weakened.

Your viewpoint  ought to be from the character who has the most at stake” often is advised by self-help writing books, and as a general rule, it is a good guideline to follow. But point of view selection is a more sophisticated process than simply writing the story's perspective from that of the antagonist or main character. Sometimes the main character’s viewpoint is not suitable for revealing the story’s theme.

Even if you’re consistent with your point of view, should you select the wrong perspective from which to tell the story, you run the risk of writing a story that reeks of:

n Mannerisms - The author’s persona shouldn't become more important than the story’s events itself. Often flamboyant diction occurs.

n Frigidity - Excessive objectivity can trivialize the story’s events.

n Sentimentality - This occurs when trying to evoke an emotional response that the story’s events cannot evoke by themselves.

For beginning writers, point of view perhaps is the most difficult element to master. Scenes often are envisioned in different points of view and so are knitted together. These individual scenes may be the best options for what the author wishes to achieve, but when connected to the rest of the story, they cause the story to lose unity of effect.

When writing, follow these point of view guidelines:
n Use one point of view per story. Jumping around is confusing
n Usually the point of view in a scene is that of the story's main character.

Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.
(c) 2008 Rob Bignell

Tags: elements of fiction, narration, point of view

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Your story's characters are who the story is about, who the plot is happening to. They are the players that act across the stage of your setting. Arguably, they are the center of your story.

A great variety of characters can appear in your story. They include the story's hero (such as Captain Kirk or Luke Skywalker), the hero's sidekicks (such as Mr. Spock and R2D2), the hero's nemesis (such as the Klingons or Darth Vader) and the characters we just see in passing (such as crewmen in the rec room or a squad of stormtroopers marching in the background).

Generally speaking, the more developed the characters in a story, then the bettr the tale will be. That's because successful stories involve drama, which arises from tension between character and the situation in which they've been placed. That situation is your story's plot. The more developed the character, the greater the drama for more tension can arise as your heor can interact with the situation in more varied ways.

For example, if your story's hero is just a strongman, then there's really only one way for him to deal with any situation: blast his way through. But if he has self-doubts or a sense of ethics that is at odds with the solution to solving a problem, then he has to come up with unique ways to get out of jams. That's far more interesting them just blowing up every bug he encounters.

Tags: characters, elements of fiction, motivation

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Many readers choose science fiction over other genres simply for the imaginative landscapes and the adventure of exploring these environments. These environments make up the story's setting, or where when and where the story occurs. Setting then is the story's time and the place in which the plot unfolds. Sometimes it's referred to as the “scene”.

For example, in "Star Trek: The Original Series", the setting typically is the 23rd century and various parts of the starship Enterprise, such as the bridge, sickbay, engineering and transporter room. The various locations that the landing party visits on the planet also is part of the setting.

Setting helps shape your story's color and mood. The conflicts the characters face hinge on the setting and the situations it creates for the characters. On occassion, the setting itself must be transformed as the main character resolves his central problem.

Setting is high art in science fiction. That's because the setting typically is a time and place that doesn't exist - the future, a lunar colony, a ship travleing between the stars. The challenge to science fiction writers is to create a background that is believable.

There are several ways that writers can make their science fiction setting believable:

n New devices and discoveries should not contradict what science knows today. Science fiction readers often play what is known as “The Game - they scrutinize every story, looking for scientific or technological errors. Consider Bill's critical response to my story, “Boundaries” (though I think he misread some of the story, some of his points are well taken).

n Every background detail should advance the story. If it’s not important to the story, get rid of it. Exotic detail for the sake of being exotic is unnecessary.

n Avoid explaining how the machinery works. Just show what it does. Limited explanation should be used only if it will advance the story.

n Be thoroughly familiar with setting of your story. This requires a working and researched knowledge of ecosystems and machinery before making extrapolations. Know more than the reader, but don't leave out important information necessary to the story.

n Remain self-consistent. As soon as one detail contradicts another, the story falls apart. For example, in a society lacking energy resources, the variety of food available would be limited as transportation of staples between regions wouldn't be possible. Miss that detail, however, and the setting won't seem believable.

More generally, when describing the setting, follow these basic rules:

n Give concrete details of the place. Appeal to as many senses as possible. All of us live in a world in which we constantly see, hear, smell, taste and touch. So also should your characters.

n Ask how your main character would perceive this place. Write a description of the setting from that viewpoint.

n Divide descriptions of the setting into three sections. For example, start with the foreground, then in the next couple of the sentences go the middle and at paragraph's end to the background. Or try left-center-right or sky-eye-level-ground.

Sometimes in science fiction, masters of their craft create a "meta-setting", which is when the author’s perspective colors the selection of words and phrasing used to describe a scene. A meta-setting adds texture to your writing and can help express a thematic point to your story.

You Do It

Write a 250-word description of what your house or apartment will be like in 25 years. What appliances and electronics will be there? What pictures will hang on the walls? What foods and beverages will you find in the refrigerator (or whatever it is that replaces it)? What will be the view from the windows? Try to appeal to...

Tags: five senses, scene, setting

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In every story, something happens. These events form the structure of your tale. Plot, then, is the drama and action through which characters come to life.
 

Plot is far more than a series of events, however. Events occur in a story because of cause and effect. Luke goes into space with Obi-Wan because once the farm is destroyed, nothing remains for him on a planet where he doesn’t want to be. Because of this cause and effect rule, most stories are told in chronological order. “A New Hope” doesn’t start with Luke rescuing Leia then jumps to the events that led him to the Death Star. In good stories, these events that occur also should involve conflict. Luke doesn’t just walk aboard the Death Star and take Leia. Stormtroopers chase him, and he is caught in a trash compactor with a sea monster.

There are some basic rules of plot that authors should follow:

n A plot should be logically consistent. Nothing should happen at random in a story. Random events slow the story and confuse the reader.

n A plot begins before the story does. “A New Hope” begins with the Empire’s forces firing on Princess Leia’s ship in orbit around Luke’s world. If the plot began at the chase’s beginning, the main story about Luke realizing his dreams of doing something important with his life would be delayed.

n Events in the plot should surprise the reader. That a sea monster is in the trash compactor waste and that it pulls Luke under into the muck are surprises.

n Keep your characters in trouble. So long as the characters have problems to overcome, the plot can remain interesting. For example, when Luke and his companions escape the stormtroopers by jumping into the trash chute, they find there is no way out – and then the walls of the trash compactor begins to close. In addition, come up with creative ways to get your characters out...

Tags: conflict, plot, star wars

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Perhaps the most obvious of them is an enjoyment of writing:
n Joy of creating - Writing science fiction involves creating whole new worlds rather than using the often mundane one in which we live. Imagining our future, a distant exoworld or an alien civilization is a game far more sophisticated than golfing or solving crossword puzzles.
n Living your dreams and visions - If you're the imaginative type, writing can give tangibility to your far-out thoughts about living on a space colony or traveling back in time to the Age of the Dinosaurs.
n Joy of learning - Quality science fiction is based on science fact. So you've got to get those facts right, and that involves researching, exploring and self-education, all of which are enjoyable activities in themselves.
n Creative freedom - In science fiction, the boundaries are virtually nonexistent. You can write about any subject. The same can't be said for other genres.
n Escape burdens of life - The act of writing, particularly when it's science fiction for lovers of the genre, is like going to a place where you feel “safe.”  Some people meditate, others take walks. Writers sit at a keyboard.
n Catharsis - As with painting or creating music, the art of writing allows people to express those ideas that have no other way of being expressed. With science fiction, those ideas often are at the very edge of what can be expressed.
n Companionship and kinship - Writing science fiction can open you to a whole community of writers, readers, editors and critics who share your passions and views. As  Scifan editor Jim Harris wrote, “Reading science fiction for most of my life has been like being at a dinner party and always just listening to the other people talk. To write a science fiction story would be like formulating a reply to all those years of listening.”

Beyond personal enjoyment, mastery of a craft is another good reason to write science fiction. Such mastery can help fulfill your need to write. You write because you “need” to write; it is an urge that drive you on, like the need Sir Edmund Hillary had to reach Mt. Everest’s summit. Why did Sir Edmund climb Mt. Everest? “Because it was there.” Why do you write? Because you have stories to tell.

Those who write science fiction also can change and influence the world:

n Social commentary - Science fiction isn't really about fending off aliens with zap guns. At its best, as SF author and critic Alexei Panshin wrote, “…its attraction lies … in the unique opportunity it offers for placing familiar things in unfamiliar contexts, and unfamiliar things in familiar contexts, thereby yielding fresh insights and perspective.”

n Express and share your love of science and our natural universe - Good science fiction often demonstrates (usually subtly) a child-like wonder and awe at the world and universe around us.

n Interest kids in science - Science textbooks can be dry, but a good science fiction tale isn't. Many of today's scientists and engineers were inspired to those careers because they read H.G. Wells or watched "Star Trek" as children.

n Shape and redirect scientific thought - Science today is influenced by the science fiction that scientists read as kids. As physicist and co-founder of string field theory Michio Kaku said of science fiction, “For us it’s more than just fantasy. It’s like, what if? What if we can become a scientist to prove this thing is possible? It’s a challenge.”

n Shape and influence the genre as...

Tags: science fiction, writing

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