Writing scifi.
 

I've never attempted sci-fi before, mostly... for the following point, that I firmly believe that a secondary-world genre piece (be it fantasy or science fiction) needs to spring from a core idea that transcends the medium. Put plainly, to me, the story cannot be about the setting, mostly because there is just so much that's already been done, that it's next to impossible to make a work stand on the merits of its imaginative elements alone. So, I feel that science fiction needs to have some kind of purpose (even if it just particular scenes that, in the context of the universe you've created, will resonate with powerful emotions in the reader) beyond telling a dramatic narrative conflict in a certain type of setting.

To springboard off of that, I've had the idea for a... I suppose "fantasy" is the closest descriptor... trilogy for some time now. It would involve a roughly biblical setting, incorporate a great deal of angelology and Kabbala elements, and follow the story of a false prophetess reared by a renegade angel to destroy the world (to simplify a labyrinthine plot in a single sentence; it is much, much more complex than that), ending in her abject failure and public execution in what I intend to be a deconstruction of the Hero's Journey as outlined by Campbell and as witnessed all throughout traditional myth and fantasy fiction. And yes, I mean to publish it someday.

That probably sounds ridiculously pretentious. There's a reason I have yet to write a word of it. :p In all seriousness, I constantly feel like it's too much to take on and I'm not ready to write something of that scope.

I agree with Sheol's first point but will rephrase with the idea that any genre story (sci fi, fantasy, what have you) should be linked to the genre enough that if you take them away, the story is changed. One snag I seem some people having with Fantasy (haven't read enough sci-fi to say on its part) is that they use it soley for "appearances" sake and if you were to set the story in the real world, or another genre, it wouldn't change. That basically means the genre didn't matter to the story.

One thing I think people care about when it comes to sci-fi is the science part. Just having aliens doesn't really work, since they aren't necessarily science on their own. Think of how important technology is to Star Trek. One of the points is that it's the technological advances that allowed mankind to explore space to begin with. Then there's all the alien stuff they come across and the usual "how much it too much/how far is too far" question.

Sci-fi and fantasy are my favorite genres, but they are also the hardest for me to write because I am not a good planner. I have a dystopian sci-fi that I have been working on for several years. I have the basic progression figured out and I have written most of the ending and the first two chapters. All the details in the middle and all the subplots and all the little details within the society, I'm unsure of.

Do you have an example of a story like that, Quiet? I can't recall ever reading a fantasy that suffered from that particular issue, personally. I'm not even quite sure how it would work.

Not a published book, but for amateur fiction, yes. It's like people riding unicorns instead of horses and calling it fantasy, with the only noticable difference being that the "horses" have horns. The characters would still get from point A to point B if the unicorns where something more mundane, especially if the unicorns did nothing but get the players from point A to point B. Put that on a plot sized scale and that's where genre becomes useless.

I read a short sci fi story where money was called "credits" and instead of paper bills people had "chips" and the term "Galactic Alliance" was used intead of (insert global police force's name here). It was billed as sci-fi, but the story itself with corrupt cops, prostitues, and blackmail could just as easily have happend downtown in the real world last week.

Hmm... I can't say I've encountered an issue like that. I know for my own work, I always rely on the setting to give context to the drama of the characters' struggles and triumphs. Sci-Fi/Fantasy give you a very unique opportunity as a writer to raise the stakes of emotion and drama, it's just getting it right that's the hard part.

Suffice it to say, though, Steven Erikson is the only author who has ever made me openly weep (or cheer, etc). So, hail genre, I guess? Woo.... hoo? *shrugs*

I'll let you know more on the Erikson thing. I'm still plugging away at it.

I think that one snag with genre pieces outside of the actual writing of them, is that people may read them solely for their furnishings, rather than for thier literary merit. "I like dragons! I'm going to read this book with dragons!" I don't think a lot of people pick up a fantasy or sci-fi book with the intention of reading a story about coming of age or personal struggle of character. I could be wrong though.

That said, on the book question in the original post, I try writing books but so far have always managed to run out of steam after a few chapters. My inspiration usually comes from an idea and that idea is not usually enough to fill the pages of a novel. I tend to like to focus on one particular thing at a time, rather then playing with several at once.

Speaking of Erikson, I just came across this interview which is highly related to what we're talking about and is an excellent read, in my opinion.

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/08/ste...peter-orullian

I'm only party way through but it is an interesting read. The idea of placing humans in an epic setting as a means of looking at the human condition reminds me of Star Trek again for the sci-fi end. Humans aren't the focal point of the universe anymore, even if we want ourselves to be. Take our habits and sit them next to Spock and it gives us a unique means of comparison that general fiction wouldn't have. (How William Shatner Changed the World is an interesting show if anyone gets a chance to watch it. Looks at the progression of the Star Trek series along with society and what sort of impact it had. I think it provides a good view of the things one can do with sci-fi.)


EDIT: I like Erikson's description of Malasan when he's talking about his shift in ambitions half way down the page. My immediate thought is "no effing kidding" and I've only read half a book.

You know, I think you have a good point above, about people reading genre as escapist entertainment (perhaps even as an "escape" from literature...). It makes it somewhat counter-intuitive to discuss genre in literary terms like we are, and, yes, makes struggling over a "literary" genre novel an effort that a relative few will appreciate, even if one is successful. Though, I'd like to think there's a growing trend towards maturity in fantasy over the last decade or two.

And reference, of course, how Erikson says he never claimed to be writing escapism. It's so true. :P

Erikson's form of "escapism" is the variety that is unique to genre fiction I think. True, it's not happiness and rainbow with unicorns on flying skateboards, it's got real world nastiness and lots of it, but it's not in *my* real world, and I think that's enough of a separation to provide some sense of escape.

I'd love to critique if you want to PM what info you can x3

I have two series i should finish writing.. one return to and improve it seeing as i had a small following for it back in the day >.> i never knew i did till the day i said i wasn't writing anymore. ^^;

as far as writing currently I want to but i stay so tired that nothing really pulls to my mind in the details i want them to be in.. so i'm holding off till I have more free time so to speak or time to myself.

Inspiration.. books I've read, my imagination. My first book series now a days people would say I ripped a lot off from .hack (sorta..) but to be fair I had never heard of the series when I first started writing the series and mine still has nothing to do with comas and gaming headsets :P Most of my ideas I get from my random thoughts >.> that whole story started with a thought from things I do in life and what I think would be cool to happen but I wouldn't really want to go through it.