Inventing Reality: A Guide to Writing Science Fiction
Value of reading
Though literacy is at among its highest rates ever in America, the amount of time spent reading is among the lowest in a century. Television, motion pictures, the Internet, video games and a myriad of other activities all draw people away from books and magazines.
As writers, I suggest we have an obligation to help support our colleagues by reading their works.
Ironically, for most writers, reading other peoples’ works is often what prevents them from writing! There’s a lot of good works out there, and sitting in our easy chairs with the latest science fiction novel reading them keeps many writers from instead sitting before their word processors. Some would-be writers even find themselves intimidated by the quality of their favorite writers and so never put pen to paper. A little self-discipline and self-confidence is all these would-be writers really need.
Some writers, however, just plain don’t read anything – other science fiction, science journals or magazines, newspapers. They’re content to get their dose of science fiction from the Sci-Fi Channel or Netflix. Yet, if you don’t like reading science fiction, how could you possibly enjoy writing it?
You’ll want to read other science to:n Understand the genre’s conventions -Science fiction works differently than fantasy, horror and mainstream fiction. While all share commonalities, science fiction approaches them in as unique of ways as a mystery or western would. Immersing oneself in the literature helps a writer better grasp those conventions.
n Pick up writing tricks – Good writers know how to avoid writing problems, and as a writer you’ll often read analytically and notice how those problems were handled. This will prove useful when you write your own stories.
n Avoid repeating ideas already used – Science fiction in television and movies almost always steal ideas already explored in novels and short stories. Even groundbreaking television shows such as “Star Trek: The Original Series” borrowed most of its concepts – faster than light travel, ray guns, a federation of planets, a star service, the transporter - from already published works. Drawing your science fiction from Hollywood’s version is using an idea twice-removed from its source.
n Generate ideas for your own stories – Often an unexplored premise or setting in a story can lead to new story ideas. Thanks to its depth, written science fiction offers an ocean’s worth of ideas.
So get out there and read!
You Do It
Select a novel of great science fiction at your local library or bookstore and read it. Generate five story ideas from the book. List these story ideas in your project bible or journal.