Colonization/Exploration/First Contact Study MaterialsRemember to read the articles in the Essentials section. These cover all the essential skills you’ll need as a self-published author. They are not just for beginners either. They go in depth on how to successfully write, publish, and market your own books.
Should I Write Colonization/Exploration/First Contact?You should consider writing in one of these genres if…
You love reading them.
You watched (and loved) The Expanse, For All Mankind, and Alien
You find yourself constantly looking at the stars and wondering "What if...?"
You should probably try a different genre if…
Horror Story BuilderFor this exercise, you should have a document open where you can write. Now copy the text in the box and paste it into that document. This will be the blueprint for your story. You'll fill it in as you go through the exercise and end up with a basic outline for your horror novel. You may also want to post your story outline in the forums to get some ideas from other forum members.
Horror BlueprintPlease note that there are a number of horror novels that don't follow this blueprint exactly, and almost none of them follow it perfectly. If your book will still be terrifying and interest readers without one of these pieces, or with some of them done differently or in a different order, feel free to do your own thing. This blueprint is just so that you can understand the basic format that your readers will expect from the genre.
Should I Write Dystopian?Dystopian fiction is not for the faint of heart. Not necessarily horror, it still has a darkness that creeps into your soul — then burrows in. Even if the hero triumphs — not a guarantee in this genre — the knowledge of how close we will always be to this kind of future remains. If you can handle that darkness, or if you already swim in it, then dystopian novels might be a natural fit for you.
Time Travel Study MaterialsRemember to read the articles in the Essentials section. These cover all the essential skills you’ll need as a self-published author. They are not just for beginners either. They go in depth on how to successfully write, publish, and market your own books.
Should I Write Time Travel?The mind-bending twists and turns it takes to conceive and execute a good time travel tale with all the potential paradoxes and contradictions are not for everybody. But if you can envision (or carefully map out on sticky notes or a red-yarned murder board) the connections of your characters and consequences across multiple timelines, then have it.
Should I Write History?Back to history Do you read a lot of history books? Even more than fiction? A lot of writers do, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should write one. A lot of the skills of a novelist will transfer to writing history books, but not all of them. The research you do for a novel? Trivial compared to what a historian does. You must dig into primary sources and be able to interpret them as to the prejudices and plans of the original author. You must come to conclusions and be able to defend them, because they will be attacked....
Should I Write Cyberpunk?Back to cyberpunk Born of the cold war and the onset of the digital age, cyberpunk is the SF genre of disaffected youth. Technology is feared and desired in equal measure. Would you be the first one to put a shunt into your neck to get direct access to the net? Would you modify your body and mind, melding tech to flesh and mind to machine? You should consider writing cyberpunk if… You should probably try a different genre if… The formula for success with a cyberpunk book is pretty straightforward. The hard part of all this is writing a...
Cyberpunk Study MaterialsRemember to read the articles in the Essentials section. These cover all the essential skills you’ll need as a self-published author. They are not just for beginners either. They go in depth on how to successfully write, publish, and market your own books.
