Note: This is an older post which somehow got lost in the digital wasteland, so here it is again!
In the interest of improving the general quality of writing, I present to you a few small tips on writing good science fiction. Please note: a few small asides will be biased toward my own personal tastes in sci-fi. If you don't agree, feel free to ignore these. Generally speaking though, following these rules is imperative.
The (sci-fi) Writer's Manifesto
1. Avoid Cliches
This might seem near impossible at first, but stick with me on this. What I mean here is that you should avoid being a hack at all costs. This means that, while you might use a cliche or two in your sci-fi story, the way you do it should be unique to your own writing style. For example, your robots should be different from any other writer's robots. If they aren't you have a serious problem with your story. While it may feel familiar to the reader, your story should never feel as if it's been done before.
2. No Substitutions
The following words should no longer be accepted in any work of science fiction: frag, frak, shizz, zark, and space, when used in place of a swear word. Everyone knows the words you really want to write, so either use them or don't. Using words like 'frag' will make your story read like a Lobo comic. (this is probably not something you want, unless you're going for irony) At worst, you will sound like a smartassed 12 year old trying to swear on a technicality at the dinner table. ("But frag isn't a bad word, dad! I didn't say the real word, did I?)
It's annoying, and it takes the reader completely out of the story so stop it. Now.
3. Respect Science
If you're more of a hard s/f writer, you should already be doing this.
Faster than light travel is impossible, and lasers are not visible unless they have a surface to reflect off of. These are common mistakes that often show up in sci-fi stories. There's no real problem with this, since real science is often less exciting than science fiction. However, if you are going to mess with the laws of physics, make sure you do your homework and make up a plausible explanation for your pseudo-science. If you don't the science nerds will call you on it every time.
4. Don't Get Technical
Hard sci-fi gets a bad reputation for being very technology/science oriented, and thus hard to get into. The main reason for this is that writers get too technical with their mechanical/scientific descriptions and leave their characters reading the operating instructions for their starfighters. The details of your laser arrays and ion propulsion systems will probably be incredibly interesting to you, but if it's not germane to the story, leave it out. If you feel you have to have technical details, make sure they are engaging and interesting, or they will make your reader's eyes glaze over quicker than you can say 'gravitational shift'.
5. Avoid Current References
Unless you're doing a story of futurism, it's your best bet to avoid making reference to any current trends, news topics, or technology. That way lies destruction. For example, many s/f writers in the 80s though it fashionable at the time to write stories referencing AIDS, either directly, or by metaphor. At best, these stories look embarrassingly dated, even though they are set in the future.
6. Know Your Limitations
Any sci-fi fan worth his salt loves a big, epic scale adventure. The thing is, not every writer is capable of doing this properly. If your story is a small one, don't try to make it into an epic series.
On a related note, too much artificial exposition explaining your world and how it works will kill your story. If there needs to be exposition, work it into the everyday actions of characters. Remember, this is their world, and they don't need to explain it to each other. Your readers are surprisingly adaptable, and they will eventually get the hang of things without much hand-holding. Frank Herbert's Dune is an excellent example of this concept at work. While it does have a glossary for the technical types, one can read the entire book without looking at it even once and still enjoy the story.
Love it. Excellent points.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with number 2. If it's set in modern earth times, yes I would say that's a good rule of thumb. But, if it's not, the change in swear words is often attributed to language differences and setting their own tone for a different society.
ReplyDeleteTake Star Wars for example. Swear words in the series consist of words like kriff/kriffen, fek and firefek, amongst others.
I also have to partially disagree with point number 3. The whole fact that it is a work of fiction gives the author leave to bend science as he or she pleases. In fact, almost all the 'popular' sci-fi works have done it. While there are clearly certain scientific laws that one should abide by, things like lasers are completely at the discretion of the writer.
If you're talking explosions in space and the effects of gravity, things like that should not be tampered with unless you have a very, very good and understandable explanation to how those things have completely changed.
I have to disagree with number 2. If it's set in modern earth times, yes I would say that's a good rule of thumb. But, if it's not, the change in swear words is often attributed to language differences and setting their own tone for a different society.
ReplyDeleteTake Star Wars for example. Swear words in the series consist of words like kriff/kriffen, fek and firefek, amongst others.
I also have to partially disagree with point number 3. The whole fact that it is a work of fiction gives the author leave to bend science as he or she pleases. In fact, almost all the 'popular' sci-fi works have done it. While there are clearly certain scientific laws that one should abide by, things like lasers are completely at the discretion of the writer.
If you're talking explosions in space and the effects of gravity, things like that should not be tampered with unless you have a very, very good and understandable explanation to how those things have completely changed.
@Tabs - As far are rule 2 goes, I'm more referring to poorly written works where the fake swears are used so rampantly as to distract from the story.
ReplyDeleteAs for number 3, I agree, of course. Bending the rules is what sci-fi is all about. I was merely trying to point out that any explanation for said rule-bending should be done correctly if the story is to be taken seriously.
Ah-ha! I wanted to throw in a bit of a comment, but Blogger was down. Now, three days later, I can actually say what I was going to... If I can remember all of it, that is.
ReplyDeleteThe substitutions part is what I've always been bothered with. There are times where it's quite fitting, but then there are people who get a little too BSG with their writing. It's often amusing for a little while, especially when it's almost a social commentary on how often those words are used in other entertainment (the increase of frak seemed to correlate to the increase of "bad language" in everything else).
Doing it as a side joke is funny; we do it in our own lives, and it's fitting in -any- fiction. However, when someone's over-writing it to the point they should probably burn their manuscript and start again, that's when it's severely problematic.
Then again, it's the abuse of the cliches that make us so wary of them.