Out of This World Science Fiction Books
Can Still Be Realistic

While I love some science fiction books, I don't actually write in the genre. Not because I don't want to - I like creating worlds, after all - but because I know I'd have to do research into scientific possibilities, or tick off my readers. And I'm lazy. (Aren't we all.)

That doesn't mean I don't have books about how to write science fiction. I do. Because I write fantasy and the two genres are siamese twins in many ways. Also known as speculative fiction. So I dare say if I've read those books closely enough, I can pass along some of the hints within them. Maybe not as well as Orson Scott Card, but...

So, what is science fiction, and how do you write it?


In the Beginning

Believe it or not, the science fiction genre came to life in the mid-1800s. And the two men most credited with its creation (H.G. Wells and Jules Vern) wrote widely different kinds of books. Wells tended to work in the scientific realm, while Vern tended to expound on the magical worlds he explored in his fiction.

Still, both types were (much later) deemed science fiction. We've been going strong ever since. The genre ebbs and flows with popularity, but it hangs on nevertheless.


I Created the... Earth?

One of the thing to keep in mind when writing science fiction books is to be sure your world is still "real" enough to pass inspection. While you don't want it looking too much like good old terra firma (you'll get shoved into the fantasy genre, if you do) it can't be so out-of-this-world that no one would believe it's possible.

A good dose of astronomy research and biology research never hurts, if you're going to write in this fiction genre. Check your facts, then bend them only enough to still keep it plausible. Otherwise you'll be chucked out into space yourself.


Then Came the Beasts

In the same way your science fiction world needs to be realistic, so do its inhabitants. From plants to critters, they better have some basis in science fact, or your readers will flee in droves. (Especially the smarty-pants physicist-types who know far more than you do about what can and can not exist.)

So take some time to look into possibilities. Explore the ocean, if you want some really strange ideas. Some of the sea creatures I've seen on TV would make any speculative fiction writer shout for joy at the inspiration. Just be sure they fit the world you've created.


I Believe!

Last stop for creating great science fiction books is believability. Take me, for instance. I was raised in a house full of physicists (hence the above jibe at them) while being forever opposed to enslaving myself to their ways. I'm too creative by far to fall under the spell of mathematics and science.

But, I do know of people who are good at both. Or at least interested in both. Me, you can fool fairly easily. The second type, and the hard core science type, no way.

So make me believe. Make my Physicist-PHD-brother believe while you're at it. If you do, you know you've got a winner on your hands. Even if your science fiction books are out-of-this-world, they better be down-to-earth enough to believe.

Go on. Make it real while you make it up. I dare you!