By Diane Turnshek
This page was originally designed for a research talk at the Alpha SF/F/H/ Workshop for Young Writers.
One-stop shopping? Not exactly. Follow these links in a progression to learn how to write a genre story, or jump around for help with a particular project.
Definitions of Science Fiction
Before going further, you need to read the definitions of science fiction written by the most brilliant minds of our times (science fiction writers, of course!). Is your idea actually science fiction? If you can set the same story in the Old West, exchanging Colt 45s for the high-tech laser rifles, it isn't actually science fiction. If you are writing fantasy, the telling edge is this: if you take out the magical elements, does the story fall apart?
Writing Exercises
Here are writing exercises by the 6' Ferret Writers Group, which got its name from a round robin exercise that defied the group members. They just couldn't find an end for their story, so they typed, "Just then, a giant 6' ferret driving an 18-wheeler came along and ran them all over. The end."
The Short Story Group is a small, friendly, free critique group. Three clear writing exercises are described here; they can be used over and over. The dialogue one I've heard called "crowding" by writers.
Lisa Lippert has a page of creative writing exercise rules. She has taken them from several good books on writing (giving credit where it's due). A wonderful compilation. Exercises using random words, answering questions, clustering, starting phrases, and random stimulation are all described.
How to Write
No better links page for articles about writing science fiction and fantasy than the SFWA site here. Wonder about manuscript preparation, FAQs, agents, contracts, basic through advanced writing concerns? You got it! Also, check here for links to external sites for genre writing articles.
Want to read a book on how to write science fiction and fantasy? Check out the topic on Amazon.com here.
Read the Best, Write the Best
To write well, I believe that an author needs to read wonderful literature for inspiration.
Author James Gunn (University of Kansas) has put forth an extensive reading list: A Basic Science Fiction Library. Over 120 authors, with multiple books each. The list is currently undergoing revisions to add newer works. Does reading this much seem like a daunting task? Don't panic.
Recommended reading lists: Reader's Advice is broken down by genre. The misc.writing site has extensive lists. Reading for the Future (RFF) is a good resource for teachers and librarians. The focus is on teaching literacy through science fiction.
Where to go online? First, see what stories and novels have won awards on AwardWeb.
Online fiction by SFWA members can be read here. SFWA authors recommend their favorite fiction here (mostly pre-mid-1980s works).
Read what highly-rated literature you can find at Fictionwise.com.
Strangehorizons.com is an online magazine with award-winning fiction.
Idea Generators
Ideas are in the air, but if you're stuck (or just for fun) try picking an idea from one of these sites:
Mundane story ideas usually start with a topic like one of these: Aging, Bigotry, Death, Envy, Family: Children, parents, marriage, Gluttony or Food, Greed, Law, Laziness, Love, Lust, Magic, Medicine, Money, Music, Poverty, Pride, Revenge, Science, Sexism, Stealing, Survival, Teaching, Travel, Truth, War, Work
Of course, science fiction and fantasy stories have to have themes, but we usually incorporate more twists--and perhaps two or three themes running concurrently.
Clichés 'R Us
Next, check out John VanSickle's Grand List of Overused Science Fiction Clichés. Feeling better now? Do you have a unique idea? If not, keep manipulating your story idea until it fits the criteria--no sense putting in all that time and effort if you won't be able to sell the story because the idea is flawed. (This site appears to be temporarily down--a shame. Check back.)
While you are at it, check out Peter Anspach's Evil Overlord List website to be sure your plot doesn't contain any stupid actions on the part of your evil overlord.
Never use a phrase that has been misted in The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis, considered the worst fantasy story ever written. This is the full MST3K version (in the manner of Mystery Science Theater 3000). Be especially careful not to use the name Grignr, "heaving mounts" for horses, or "crimson droplets of escaping life fluid" for blood. Um, "grinding lungs" is out, too.
Read the original version of the Eye of Argon aloud at parties and workshops, passing the manuscript from one person to the next as soon as the reader laughs out loud. Unless you have a very large crowd, or a group of professional, straight-men, you won't get through the first chapter.
TV Tropes indexes tropes. "Trope refers to story components or elements which have become standardized through decades (or more) of use."
Reference Sites for Fantasy, Science Fiction
RFF, Reading for the Future
AboutSF, coordinating volunteers in science fiction and fantasy
WriterBeware, "Warnings About Literary Fraud and Other Schemes, Scams, and Pitfalls That Target Writers"
Check out the Bestiary site in the Encylopedia of Mythica. Want strange creatures by the galleon? SCITALIS, PARANDRUS and MONOPODS, oh my!
The First Hypertext Edition of The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Myths, Fables, Fairy Tales and Folklore
Interested in Nine-Dimensional Theory, Teleportation, Time Travel Causality and Parallel Timelines? Chonos Technologies, Inc. may be right for you. Just don't take it all too seriously. If you want serious dissection of faulty science in science fiction, try the Bad Astronomy website. You can learn a lot from the mistakes of others.
Naming Sites
A good set of names can make or break a story. Make sure yours have the sound you need. Remember, don't start any two character names in a story with the same letter; don't use names with the same number of letters, or even the same vowels, if you can help it. Names must be pronounceable (someday you'll have to tell people about the story, or do a reading, and you'll thank me). Limit the apostrophes.
I pick my character's names to indicate a family heritage, echo a personality trait (Hardan, for a tough, hard man), or sometimes I pull a name from antiquity that only I will understand the connection (Sara for Saraswati, the Indian goddess of water). A sexy story of mine has a character whose name is the 69th most popular name in the US in 2002. Are you at a loss? Look in a phone book. When the right name hits you, you'll know it.
Here's an exercise I do to release my naming muse. Take a blank sheet of paper. Give yourself five minutes (time it). Concentrate on your character. Put a name in the center; start with anything. Circle it and draw a few spokes out from the center. Fill in a few more names. They can be close to the one you've written or something completely different. Keep going with more lines and more circles, filling in as many as the page can hold. Look them over and pick the one you like best. If nothing on the sheet really grabs you, start with the one name you like best and do the exercise over. It usually doesn't take more than two sheets to come up with an acceptable name.
Here's another trick. Take those names you just came up with and list them in a column. For each name write out five other ones by changing the letters around: mixing them up, writing them completely backwards or swapping one vowel or consonant.
Baby Name Generator (talks about naming children from a parent's POV)
The most popular names in the US are listed at the Social Security Administration site here by year (from 1880 to 2004).
The Seventh Sanctum links are more than just for naming characters. Behind the Name and Kabalarian. Naming your baby in Chinese.
A download program meant originally for gamers, the Everchanging Book of Names is worth a look.
Dictionaries
Online dictionaries are wonderful, aren't they? Try these: YourDictionary (which also translates foreign languages) or Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Tip: To get an alien-sounding language, translate your dialogue into a foreign language and then back again.
Check out the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Science Fiction Citation page. The earliest usage of hundreds of words used in science fiction literature, criticism and fandom is actively being sought.
Quotes
Use Bartleby.com for a quote for your story. Click on the "quotation" link and type in a keyword like "dragon." Great for finding titles.
Market Guides
The best is Ralan's Webstravaganza, but don't stop with one market listing. Check out The Market List, a genre writer's resource site. Duotrope is best for short fiction.
SFWA story length definitions: short story under 7,500 words, novelette 7,500-12,499 words, novella 12,500 to 39,000 words, novel 40,000 words or over.
For $20 a year, Cynthia Ward is now publishing a monthly MARKET MAVEN electronic newsletter that focuses on magazine and publisher guidelines and updates from markets in science fiction, fantasy and horror. Write to market.maven.subscriptions(at)gmail.com.
Response times can often be the determining factor when seeking a market for a manuscript. For an incredible list of response times for each and every genre book and magazine publisher, look at The Black Hole. Time-sensitive data is collected directly from the authors for this list; it's not just the reported response times listed by the publishers.
Submission statistics for science fiction and fantasy markets are compiled in this article by Christopher Stires.
Market Lists
Nalo Hopkinson's Mailing list Support for Writers. More than 700 subscribers. Moderated list, focused on SF/F/H grants, residencies, fellowships, retreats. Fading in popularity, sadly.
Try Funds For Writers. Over 8000 subscribers. Non-genre "grants, contests, jobs, web sites and sources of partnerships".
If anyone wants to write short stuff--Flash Fiction Flash is the list for them: a free, moderated, monthly market list.
Get Your Questions Answered
First, be sure you understand basic Netiquette. The danger factor is high if you don't understand proper Internet behavior. You do not want to be remembered for disruptive behavior.
Don't miss the Broad Universe list (a yahoogroup). Sign on and listen--a real treat. It's a mailing list for Broad Universe, an organization whose primary goal is promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women.
The SFF website has a huge number of discussion forums on every possible topic relating to science fiction and fantasy writing.
Be part of the blogosphere:
Making Light (Teresa and Patrick Nielsen Hayden), boingboing, XKCD, an extraordinary web comic, Cranky Editors, , Science Fiction Writers Journal, SpecFicMarkets, The White List, Tammy's YA convention update list, ScalziFeed, Neil Gaiman's Blog.
Critiquing
The best site is Victory Crayne's "How to Critique Fiction". Use it as a self-diagnostic tool. Here are more tips on critiquing by the Short Story Group. Run your manuscript through an online, face-to-face (f2f), or snail-mail critique forum:
Hatrack Forums -- Orson Scott Card's Writing workshops
Critters Workshop (This one can get rough. I warned you.)
Mundane groups can't properly handle science fiction, fantasy or horror. To find a face-to-face, genre writing group or workshop in your area, look at the SFWA site: SFWA Links to Workshops.
Conventions
SF Con Survival Kit for NeoFans
Many SF conventions sponsor writer's workshops. To find a convention in your area, check out Sci-Fi Convention Listings or International SF Convention Listings.
Fanspeak dictionaries will help you understand the terms you will hear at conventions. Here's a Fanspeak Dictionary from the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association. Megan Freeman's Jargon of Fan Fiction Dictionary has more references to writing fan fiction. Dr. Gafia's Fan Terms site is comprehensive.
Science Fiction Fandom has a long history. Check out the Fanac History Project pages "devoted to the preservation and distribution of information about science fiction and science fiction fandom" for some background into this unique phenomenon.
Mid-American Fan Photo Archive, photos of all your favorite authors
Good luck!
Diane Turnshek
Last edited July 21, 2008.
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