4 Tips for Writing Great Science Fiction

Science fiction writing is a type of creative work that demands a lot of time and effort. They are usually novels that are massive and engaging. To make them feel so, you need to know what to consider and undertake first.

Let’s start by indicating that there are a lot of sub-genres of this writing, for example, dystopian narration or space opera.

Their main aim is to talk about worlds that are different from real life. It can be a fascinating task but a rather complicated one. We have prepared 4 tips on how to do it properly. So, first of all, let’s think about:

• theme identification which will help you compose your story in the right way;
• creating a new world your characters will live in;
• developing these characters in the manner which is most appealing to your readers;
• staying organized throughout the whole story.

Let’s look at these ideas in more detail.

Theme Identification

Like many other essay writers, you may want to create science fiction because you have already invented a new world. Nevertheless, a certain theme should become the center of the story. Typically, it is formulated in the form of a question ‘What if?’ For example, you can ask ‘What if teleportation technology were introduced in everyday life?’ You need to know for sure how society could change if something like that happened.

Such a question can be obviously seen from the story or be implicit. In any case, your story should answer it by describing the effects of some invented thing on human life. Don’t make your writing look like a mere thought experiment. Otherwise, it won’t be interesting to your readers.

How to Build a New World

The next thing to consider is inventing and developing the place for your characters to live in. It can be just some settlement, building or you can go further. Some great writers create the universes, like George Lucas in his Star Wars.

Here are some details you need to consider to bring your world into existence.

1. Place. The story should develop somewhere, be it the Earth, another planet, or galaxy.
2. Background story. The history of your world will make your sci-fi more interesting to readers. There may be previous wars, rivalry between people and nations, vicious enemies and aliens, etc.
3. Climate and weather conditions. Think about the temperatures, natural disasters, resources, the use of the environment, everything that could cast light on your characters’ lifestyle.
4. Communication. That can be a source of the main conflict. Think about whether people in your story speak the same language or which means of communication they use and how limited they are.
5. Customs and traditions. Invent the religion, beliefs, superstitions, festivals and celebrations, which can serve as triggers to your characters’ conflicts or emotions.
6. Authorities. Think about the system of government, political issues, privileges and drawbacks of the social system and laws. Everything can become a source of conflict or tension in the novel.

You need to invent the rules and regulations for your new society, the boundaries and ways to break them. However, you don’t need to provide many details, especially at the beginning of the story to avoid your readers’ overloading with them. Introduce them step by step, opening new horizons in an engaging and natural way.

Creating Characters

The characters of your story are equally important as its setting. The characters should be true-to-life and believable. Every participant of the events should be unique and three-dimensional, with the traits that make readers connect with them.

Here are some factors to consider while creating your characters:

1. Backgrounds. Every character’s life story should be entertaining, even if you don’t reveal all the details of it until the end of your novel. You need to understand who your protagonists and antagonists are, what makes them feel and perform like that, and influence their way of making decisions and facing challenges. Their backgrounds should affect their motives and intentions.
2. Personal characteristics. Your characters need the features of real-life people with their pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. That will play a great role in how they manage the situations and solve problems.
3. Appearance. This is a crucial factor – you need to describe what your characters look like, their hair and eyes, manners, body language, complexion, clothing, statures, and the overall impression they can make. Your readers will be able to create realistic mental images of them and trust their actions.

The characters can be of different levels in your narration – main, secondary, and episodical. They should behave in a way that helps them highlight their characteristics and contrast with others.

Your characters should also have certain goals, fears, conflicts, and experience hardships and obstacles. Their evolution throughout the story should be noticeable.

Try to consider how you get to know people in real life and reveal your characters’ features gradually within certain time periods.

Staying Organized and Consistent

A science-fiction story is a combination of many details that should be thoroughly elaborated. You need to know most of these details before starting your writing. Organize your plot and details in it properly because your readers may see inconsistencies. You can even use certain tools and techniques to elaborate your characters and the plot.

It is also important that you should edit and proofread your story. You may encounter some typos or minor inconsistencies in it to be corrected. A professional editor can help you do away with all discrepancies in structure, plot, language, or tone.

Final Thoughts

Now, when you know more about how to write your science fiction story, you can start implementing your ideas of a new world by using your imagination and the tips provided in this article. We hope that they will be helpful to you.