Inventing Reality: A Guide to Writing Science Fiction
Coming up with story ideas
A common question of science fiction writers is “where do you come up with your ideas?” There’s no easy answer – ideas for stories come to writers in a number of ways. There’s no easy step-by-step process for developing ideas.
When coming up with a story idea, it’s best to remember that science fiction is about extrapolation. Imagination is the fuel that runs extrapolation.
Fortunately, there are some ways you can pump the imagination to get ideas flowing. Most good writers possess the qualities that ensure their imagination never goes dry. Among those qualities are:
n Observant - Many ideas come from noticing peculiar aspects of people’s behavior or oddities in how the world works.
n Curiosity about other people and things – Science fiction writers particularly are curious about people and things as related to science, and specifically about the effects of change, usually caused by advances in science.
n Explore your world – You can discover the world either by actual adventure or vicariously by reading (and then through a diversity in reading materials, meaning don’t limit yourself to only science fiction).
Over the years, I’ve collected tips from published writers about how they come up with story ideas. Here are some of them:
n Anthropologize - What might a group that exists now be doing in 50 years?
n Brainstorm/extrapolate - Imagine a new invention. How might it change a profession? What dramatic tale can be told if these changes occur?
n Create maps of imaginary places – Draw coastlines, mountains, cities, nations, star lanes then develop a story around them.
n Distill conflicts into lists - What are incompatible desires and aims that someone could experience? Then match it to an appropriate “What if?” (a situation that aggravates or accentuates conflict).
n Fictionalize yourself in an unresolved situation that someone else faces – How would you resolve the problem?
n Find conflicts in everyday life - Look at the problems those around you are going through and have your characters resolve them in their universe.
n Keep abreast of scientific research and technological development – Resolve the current mysteries of science through fiction. Good sources for new science news are Science Daily, New Scientist, Astronomy, Nature, Astrobiology.net, and my astrobiology blog, Alien Life.
n Place a person you know in a different setting - For example, place an urbanite on a Southern farm or a school janitor in a corner office of a high-tech firm. How does their lifestyle and view on life change? You now have a character and a setting. Next, imagine that a problem occurs, upsetting their routine. You now have a plot.
n Read both science fiction and other good literature - You’ll get ideas by noticing points that are unexplored consequences of the central premise, or turn the central premise on its head. Read bad literature, too – if reading critically, you’ll learn from their errors.
n Start with a “novum” and ask “What if?” – A novum is some element introduced to our world that doesn’t now exist in it, such as the arrival of aliens, a spaceship that can travel faster than light or an artificial intelligence. Ask “Who would fear that? Who has something to lose by the addition of this novum to his world/universe?
Remember, there’s nothing wrong with letting ideas ripen for months or years if necessary. But never forget that ultimately to be a writer, you must write. Even writing a story around what you consider a “bad idea” is better than never writing at all.
You Do It
Using some of the suggestions for coming up ideas for stories, develop a list of 10 story ideas. Place the list in your project bible or your journal.