The kernel of any good science fiction story is a scientific fact that we know of today. A good writer grows his story by extrapolating from this fact. In the process, he probably should create an intriguing world that awes the reader in some way.
Consider H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds.” In the 1890s when he wrote the piece, many scientists believed Mars was capable of supporting life. They also believed (incorrectly we now know) that the father a planet was from the Sun, then the older it was. From this, Wells made an extrapolation: What if there really were Martians living on a dying world? What if they had to take drastic measures to ensure their survival? What if, because of Mars’ lower gravity and older age, the Martians had evolved differently than humans?
He answers all of those “what if” questions with his novel that pits invading Martians against Victorian England and the inhabitants of Earth. In doing so, he creates a sense of wonder by using real science – at least real science for his time.
That scientific extrapolation can create a sense of wonder or awe is a philosophical attitude in the science fiction genre. We’re not talking about wide-eyed naivety in storytelling, however; indeed, a danger is that you can get preachy about science and rationalism, especially at the story’s end. But science fiction readers like a sense of adventure, are intrigued by the exotic and love science with a dash of romanticism. Most of them expect that your story will do something “cool” with science.
Take T. Richard Williams’ recent short story “Mystic Canyon”, about an astronaut who discovers primitive multicellular life on Titan: Here in this eerie, dark place at the bottom of a lake on Titan, prehistoric lampreys scour along icy sand, taking in their remarkable cryobiotic nutrients - dancing, floating, paying a visit to Humpty, staring me in the eye - creature to creature from worlds a billion miles apart.
In 50 or so words, Williams expresses the wonder of science, of that joy in making a new discovery. It’s the kind of “cool” moment that keeps the story in the readers’ mind and inspires kids to become scientists or at least take an interest in the natural world.
You can take a variety of steps to create a sense of wonder in your stories:
n Ensure science is integral to your story - Don’t tack science onto a previously written story that was a western, a mystery or a romance. The whole reason for the central problem of your story must arise from an extrapolation in current science. For example, what if Martians invade the Earth?
n Use science and technology to help generate dramatic tension -The extrapolations you make from today’s science should create conflicts, not just ease people’s daily lives. After all, the transporter can split Captain Kirk into “good” and “evil” personas. The two must come into conflict with one another and those around them.
n Surprise us with the scientific advances’ effects - As Fredrik Pohl once wrote, “A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam.” No one foresaw that in the 1920s when Henry Ford started rolling out Model Ts.
n Show how your characters react to the changes that arise from scientific advances - Cultural behavior shifts occur because of technology. Television, computers and cell phones all leave us more isolated by isolating us from direct, face-to-face personal conversation. Motor vehicles separate families by hundreds of miles because we are not...
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dramatic tension, science, style, tone. diction
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