When writing science fiction, you might find yourself in a position where you have to create a fictional technology in order to complete the story. It might be as small as a nanochip or as large as a generation ship, […]
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How to Write a Story That Combines the Sci-Fi & Post-Apocalyptic Genres
Science fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction play nicely together. Both genres fall under the umbrella of speculative fiction and therefore have a lot in common. These stories look at what is … and speculate about what could be. In this guide, I’ll offer some ideas for combining […]
How to Create a Realistic, Immersive World in Zombie Fiction
This article is part of a series that focuses on the process of writing zombie stories, novels, and fiction in general. Today, we’ll focus on the importance of realism and believability in fiction, by answering a common question among beginning […]
Science Fiction World-Building Guide for Writers
Science fiction and world-building go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other. When you write a sci-story or novel, you’re creating a time and place that doesn’t currently exist. And that time and place should have its own unique […]
What Is Science Fiction? A Genre Definition for Readers and Writers
The rest of this article explains (1) what science fiction is, (2) common characteristics of the genre, and (3) how it’s different from other genres of speculative fiction. What Is Science Fiction? So, what is science fiction? The Merriam-Webster dictionary […]
How to Come Up With Original Ideas for a Science Fiction Story
Science fiction explores big ideas in a though-provoking manner, more so than any other genre. But how do science fiction writers come up with their ideas? And how can you, as an up-and-coming writer, generate ideas for an original science […]
The Three Most Important Characteristics of Science Fiction
I’m writing a book on writing science fiction and it starts here. Each week, you’ll get a new “chapter” on a different aspect of sci-fi storytelling. A table of contents is forthcoming. Today’s topic: the three most important characteristics of […]
How Long Should a Science Fiction Novel Be, on Average?
How long should my science fiction novel be? What’s the shortest it can be—and the longest? What’s the average length for this genre? How long is too long for a sci-fi novel? And should I be counting by pages or […]
AI Could Dominate the Science Fiction Genre for Decades
Artificial intelligence has influenced many books and films over the years, ranging from the Wintermute AI in William Gibson’s Neuromancer to the Skynet defense network in the Terminator movies. And who can forget HAL 9000, the calculating AI that controlled the spaceship in 2001: […]
How to Write a Science Fiction Short Story: 8 Steps to Success
You read science fiction. You love science fiction. And now you want to try your hand at creating a sci-fi story of your own. Maybe you even have some story ideas marinating right now, but you need help getting them […]