Sci-fi’s
I like sci-fi. Mind you, I like original sci-fi. While fantasy is a nice escape to get away from your world, sci-fi is a way to get into your world. It is designed to knock you out and leave you staggering, all the while thinking about the wonders of this world.
So what is sci-fi?
Sci-fi is usually set in a futuristic world (though it doesn’t have to be futuristic) where odd and fantastic things, much like fantasy, can happen. For instance, there can be flying saucers, laser guns, and more.
So what seperates sci-fi from fantasy? As much as we like Rowling’s stories, the odds of magical schools are pretty… slim. It’s a made up world. Sci-fi’s, for the most part, are a part of our world, and instead of using magic as a plot device, it uses possible (or real) scientific achievement that has been thought up and, for the most part, stays in the realm of the plausible. Therefore FREAK, a story I am working on, though it has no laser guns or anything of the sort, is still considered a sci-fi because it uses the idea of genetic mutations of humans.
There are two major thoughts of science fiction and many variants of both.
The first thought of science fiction is simple: our world has improved under science… or mostly. Something bad happens and suddenly the world is turned upside down. “The Giver” would be under this category, as would “Star Wars: A New Hope.” For “The Giver” science has been improved so much that the inhabitants of this world no longer have to think or worry. Though this seems bad for us, it is clearly not bad to them. Then, Jonas comes and raises Cain. Or Gabriel. Whatever. In “Star Wars: A New Hope” it starts off (eventually) with Luke in his comfortable home, not worrying about much, until something bad happens.
You’ll notice that the scientific achievement is not hindering our heroes… until they actually begin their quest. This is usually the standard form a sci fi takes.
The next thought of science fiction is a little different. It happens as the scientific achiements are being developed… or destroyed. For example, Asimov’s “I Robot” which chronicles the development of robots. This would also include H.G. Wells’s “War of the Worlds.” This is a little trickier to write and edit, as this requires knowledge to predict what’s probably going to happen.
Writing sci-fi’s is a little tricky. Apart from the usual plot devices, you also have to make it scientifically sound. This can be hard.
A sci-fi that is not scientifically sound is horrible. For example, I once read a horrible story where: there was a nuclear holocaust which destoryed Earth; the men and women were seperated (the women went to Venus, the men went to Mars) for over 900 years and both sexes managed to stay alive; there was a black hole in the middle of our solar system; and the poet, our hero, was somehow able to walk on Jupiter.
Yeah…
For sci-fi’s, you can stretch the rules a little bit, but never break them completely. You have to be aware of the basic laws of physics (Conservation of mass comes to mind…) and not start breaking Newton’s laws just because they don’t agree with you. Or, if you do decide to break the rules, you’d better have a damn good reason why you did.
Thus, when reading sci-fi’s, keep a very stern eye judging the reality. Remember, stretches are fine, but impossibilities are not. If you break a law or theory, you’re going to be pounced upon.
I cannot stretch enough how important research is. If you’re going to write about someone who is invincible, and then start muttering how the scientists took away the neurological receptors so they wouldn’t feel pain, I am going to laugh. Without neurological receptors, the person in question is unlikely to do anything. Instead of faking your way through the story, you must research. Remember… Google is your friend.
Sci-fi’s are very hard to write, but the results of a well-written sci-fic an be absolutely wonderful. For those who attempt to write such a noble genre, may the best luck come to you!