《How to Write Science Fiction》Making a Start
Advertisement
Making a Start
“Writing means sharing. It's part of the human condition to want to share things - thoughts, ideas, opinions.” - Paulo Coelho
Ideas can come from anywhere, and many writers carry a notebook or use notes on their mobile, or even record spoken prompts. Orson Scott Card in his The Writer’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy - well worth a read - refers to an ‘Ideas net’ where he likens writers to fishermen who pick up potential stories from all around them as they walk around in their daily lives. As a writer, you need to keep your net and note taking equipment handy at all times.Be awake to the possibility of anything giving you the idea for a story, whether it be an unusual label in a pair of jeans (and yes, we have seen this), or a story on the news about someone mistaking a flock of seagulls for an alien invasion fleet (not seen this one yet, and it’s all yours, so go write it now).
The point being that before you do anything else, you need an idea. It doesn’t need to be too complex at first and can come from anywhere and indeed anything, but you do need a point to start.
Once you have it, write the idea down.
Get it out of your head and onto the page or screen in front of you. Doing that immediately defeats the ominous whiteness of the BLANK PAGE staring at you. It doesn’t really matter if the idea sits there for a while or is even grammatically correct. Let it look back at you rather than simply floating around under your scalp.
Think of it a bit like music: the musician doesn’t just imagine the tune, he fires up his keyboard, penny whistle, or guitar and picks out the first few notes to see what it sounds like. Do the same with your idea: pin it to the page, look at it, let it free from the confines of your head.
Advertisement
Does the idea excite you?
Does it send parallel ideas coruscating around in your head?
Yes? Then proceed.
No? Write down another idea and see if that one gets you going but do not discard the other idea. Keep everything you write. Things have a habit coming in handy down the line and while the idea may not fire your neurons now, it may well do later on. Ultimately, there’s no point writing something that doesn’t get you fired up: if you’re not interested, then your potential reader sure as heck won’t be either.
Okay, so you have your idea. Now at this point many folk will say “but all the great ideas have been taken, it’s all been done before”.
Nonsense.
You can make anything new by processing it through your brain, it’s called imagination. Allow your ego a moment of “Hey, not bad at all” for coming up with the idea, and then start looking forward to the next step in the process (unless you’re a Dalek, most of them aren’t so good at steps).
But the idea is just the start. Now we have to create the universe.
Advertisement
- In Serial32 Chapters
I’M A CRAZY PERSON WHO JUMPED IN FRONT OF A TRUCK TO BE REINCARNATED INTO ANOTHER WORLD -ON PURPOSE!
I am a mad person. Actually, calling me mad is not really correct. I’m just a tiny-inny bit crazy. Crazy enough to prepare myself for one whole year, train a multitude of skills, learn and comprehend knowledge enough to last a couple of people through all their lives and all of that just and exclusively… for me to jump in front of a truck and hope that I would be reincarnated into another world! This is the kind of person that I am. And that was what enabled me to become an existence beyond the realm of the ordinary!
8 133 - In Serial16 Chapters
Clara's Journey
"Isn't it better if I had never been born if my life is just full of suffering?" Clara was born with a weak constitution. For most of her life, she lived in a beautiful cage called home just with her father. But as if her suffering wasn't enough, her father who left for adventure, never returned. She is desperate to die, but an unknown entity, Raph, ends up changing her life, forever. A 3d entity that seems to be forced into a 2d world, that's how Clara describes the mysterious being called Raph. However for some reason, that almost omnipotent being can't fix Clara's weak constitution and instead, he gave an elixir that can prolong her life. "I can't cure you. But I knew the way to cure you..." After being tricked, ahem, convinced by Raph, Clara decided to embark on her own journey. After finishing her training and get used to her cheat, Clara begin the journey to her first destination, the Heroes City of Denia where she would join the Adventure Alliance. However, an incident occurred in this city and she was caught up in it...
8 106 - In Serial6 Chapters
Raven-Hold Rising: Trail of Thorns
Alex has died again and due to a deal apparently made many deaths ago, he gets to be reincarnated into a new world with his memory intact. He is quickly transported to the tiny nowhere town of Oxbow while it is under attack by goblins. Alex must learn to navigate his way through a fantasy world if he is to survive, and navigate the vague gamelike mechanics if he wants to thrive. Is it the things he does that affects his character sheet, or his character sheet that affects the things he can do? This is a soft LitRPG Isekai. By that I mean, the MC is technically from our world, and RPG system lacks crunch. MC will never become over powered, and should fail... alot.
8 176 - In Serial7 Chapters
A Beautiful Nightmare
When someone's past come back it shall always haunt him in a tireless noisy dream...or is it a nightmare we meet? ∆ After the death of her parents, Aerial runs away to Luna into the heart of darkness where wolves, mythical creatures and monsters prowl in the shadows of the Sacred mountains. On her run, she meets a power lurking and controlling the deep secrets hidden in the heart of the forest. But what happens when that power was passed among her? Luna, the land of stars, has fallen on to great misery, people been hunted by the unknown darkness, the stars dulled from the war. But what happens when the crown passes her faith to Aerial?
8 81 - In Serial8 Chapters
Salt Crystals [] Blaze and monster machines x fem!reader
"Whoes this hawtie?" [ Blaze ❤ or 💔 ] "uwu im blushin', time to swipe left~" Y/n's s/c figer brushed over the heart, soon a tinder d8 took place and uM dramas bc y/n is one s a l t y bean.
8 78 - In Serial50 Chapters
Aot x reader (book #1)
A single soul who is watching aot. Wake up, wake up, she's in the freaking anime!Also, I might accidentally add a manga spoiler in this fanfic. Not only aot but maybe kny too. So, if you wanna read, go on and enjoy. This is actually my first ever fanfic. 😁😁Attack on titan belongs to Hajime Isayama.Demon Slayer belongs to Koyoharu Gotouge.乃ㄖㄖҜ 1 ✔︎
8 138