Young Writers Society

Hey everyone-

So I have this really rough idea for a sci fi story, possibly a novel. Who knows if it will ever happen because I am SO freakin' busy. But anyway...
I've never written sci fi before, ever. Do you guys have any tips on writing good, original sci fi? How do you give a society the feel that it's futuristic, but not make it so technologically advanced that it's confusing? If you want the story to have some kind of ethical/political message, how do keep from making it too blatant? How do you keep the story from spiraling into an abyss of cliche-ness? Any kind of help is much appreciated. Thank you!

I've only written Sci-fi once (and that...well... let's just say I wrote it a long time ago and it was really just an experiment in present tense. XD) Anyway, as I was saying: I've only tried it once, so my tips might not be all that helpful, but I'll try all the same.

I think what went wrong with my attempt was a mix of two things:

1. I wasn't used to the present tense.

2. It was almost all dialogue, with patches of description here and there. (hard to believe, looking at my style now...)

Of course, #2 is the only one that was a real problem, so that's the one I can advise you on. Make sure that you describe a lot because (like in fantasy) in Sci-Fi you're introducing a world that your readers do not know. You can't just say "He lived in California" and have your readers know exactly what you're talking about. Also, you have to enforce (by showing, not telling) many things about your culture--things that you take for granted in your culture. Before you start writing try just spending a few days focusing on the DETAILS of your life. Try not to take things for granted.

Also, read. One really good Sci-fi novel I read is "House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer. (the link is to Wikipedia article that contains spoilers)

I hope this helps at all...

~Azila~

Er... I just concentrated on the characters. Whatever the characters thought was natural, I didn't dwell on too much, as far as technology goes or society difference. That way, it doesn't slam you in the face. So the freak (my MC) doesn't care about being beaten, because that's just is what happens and who cares? Of course, this detachment makes it slightly creepy, but that's fine with me. ^^

I might rant about this more later... when I don't have English homework to deal with. But interesting question!

Writing Science Fiction is not too far from writing Fantasy Fiction.

All that really changes is that your story is in a futuristic setting. A rudimentary knowledge of science is important, you need enough knowledge to sound realistic. Instead of using magic, you use technology.

The characters never change though.

Azila- I read the House of the Scorpion (great book!) and I'm actually drawing a lot of inspiration from there.

Thank y'all for your help! ^_^

Just avoid it. You'll fall right into a cliche pothole, and that'll be an embarrassing fail. The world has enough terrible SF and fantasy.

Prokaryote

*Laughs* Yeah, well. You're probably right, but I'm really just writing it for fun. If it ends up being too cliche, it will never see the light of day. But hopefully it will be halfway decent.

p.s. I clicked on your signature. I need therapy now.

Salad Fingers? Greatest series I've ever seen. Watch a few more; it'll grow on you.

Prokaryote

Lol, I meant the other one. The Elileptic Seizure Warning.

*stops straying off topic* Anyway, anywore opinions on how to write good sci fi?

Realism is important. At least to me. As in the scientific aspect. Don't make super crazy tech that just seems totally impossible. Another thing I find important is the characters. They have to feel totally comfortable in the futuristic setting. That helps the reader because if they live there and you describe these amazing things and then the character act amazed too, it's like, "but they live there, why are they amazed."

It just helps keep the story plausible. Good luck.