Here’s another author for us to study. Neal Stephenson is a science fiction, postcyberpunk, and speculative fiction writer. See what you can learn from him about writing fiction, especially speculative fiction.
Welcome to the world of tomorrow…
Continuing our discussion on genre, we now come to science fiction. The main idea behind science fiction is the unknown. We, as a race, as individuals, have no idea what the future has in store for us. Not technologically, and not socially. Science fiction is often presented as a “what if” scenario regarding certain aspects of human (or non-human) that might have been or will be different than they are now. What if time machines were real? What if we colonized Mars? What if life existed in a galaxy far, far away? The job of a science fiction writer is to answer these questions. The writer will do this through two kinds of sci-fi writing:
- Hard science fiction places heavy emphasis on fictional technology based on real scientific fact or observations. One might write about worm holes based off of actual theories of what worm holes are like. In hard science fictions, characters and plot must take into account realistic limitations of technology. If you’re going to write this way, be sure to be scientifically authentic. Do your homework.
- Soft science fiction allows more discrepancies between scientific possibility and the plot and setting. For example, all intelligent alien life in the universe might be extremely humanoid, like in Star Trek. There may also be some elements of the story that defy scientific explanation, like the Force in Star Wars. Such stories are usually more concerned with social questions rather than scientific ones.
Most science fiction stories are not strictly soft or hard, but a hybrid. Some people, when writing science fiction, neglect genuine character development and real conflict because they believe that the story has no need to be “real.” Don’t believe that for a second. If you write about characters in a fantastic setting, say, the future, you had better be able to convince the readers that it’s real. In order to do that, you need realistic characters and real conflict.
Avoid the same old stories. There’s plenty of great things to write about out there. Good luck with science fiction. Until next time!
Hearts…
Here’s the second winning story from Steve Stewart’s creative writing class.
Hearts
By Aubree Holmes and Ray Alston (more…)
Rick’s New Coat…
This last semester I proposed a writing contest to one of my previous professors and mentors, Steve Stewart. He teaches a creative writing class at BYU-Idaho. I told him that I would publish the two best short stories his classes could write. The rules he gave them were that it had to be flash fiction, it had to begin in the middle of action, and it had to contain at least three characters. This is the first of the two, called “Rick’s New Coat.” Enjoy.
Rick’s New Coat
By: Katie Taylor and Abe Larsen (more…)
