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 […]
Category: Writing
What Is Science Fiction? A Genre Definition for Readers and Writers
What is science fiction, exactly? It’s a simple question on the surface. But if you were to ask a dozen different publishers or writers this question, you’d probably get as many different answers. Most people agree on the basic definition […]
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 […]
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 […]
7 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Science Fiction Stories
In previous articles, I’ve offered suggestions as to what science fiction writers should do when writing sci-fi stories and novels. Today, we’ll examine the flipside of the coin, with a list of common mistakes to avoid when writing science fiction. Common Pitfalls […]
How to Write a Science Fiction Story About Artificial Intelligence (AI)
This article explains how to write science fiction about artificial intelligence. It’s not about using AI for writing purposes. If you have a program like ChatGPT write a science fiction story for you, you’re not a true writer. You’re a […]
How to Describe a Post-Apocalyptic World: 5 Descriptive Writing Tips
In a previous article, I offered some post-apocalyptic world building tips for fiction writers. That was sort of a high-level guide with general tips, strategies and considerations. With this article, I want to drill down on the concept of descriptive […]
For Writers: Post-Apocalyptic World Building Tips, Ideas and Strategies
Post-apocalyptic fiction has experienced a surge in popularity that began in the mid 2000s and continues to this day. Books like The Road, The Passage, and Station Eleven have shown us that (A) readers still love these stories, and (B) […]