Genre Guide — Science Fiction

Do you love technology and innovation, the vast reaches of the universe and the tiniest specks of quarks and leptons? Do you think about the problems of today and wonder how in the future they will be solved or exacerbated? Do you wonder what comes NEXT?

Then science fiction (Sci-fi, SF, speculative fiction) is for you.

Post-apocalyptic books are often long and brutal. There can definitely be an emotional toil to writing them. I mean, they start with the destruction of the world as we know it. That's heavy stuff. Even if the tone of the book is light, a certain amount of nihilism is required to destroy the world before you even get to your characters.

Just beware of this when the dreams come.

Remember 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.

Remember 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.

Back to genetic engineering Remember 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. Books to Read If you want to write in a genre, you have to read that genre. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice that you must be an avid reader of a genre to write well in it. The books below should give you a feel for the genre, both current...

Genetic engineering can be a tough genre for someone with no scientific training/knowledge. Hand-waving this stuff is going to be scoffed at by many readers. Better to do the research and get the current science right before extrapolating into what it might do. That doesn't mean that amateurs are excluded from writing these books. But you need at least a high tolerance for research to succeed.

You should consider writing genetic engineering if…

Books in these genres aren't always completely settings-based (long descriptions, worldbuilding in the foreground), but just due to scale, they will always need complex and extravagant worldbuilding. Space opera rewards compelling characters and convoluted plots, while galactic empire can be more military and single hero.

You should consider writing galactic empire/space opera if…

Remember 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.

Military science fiction is for the action-oriented writer, someone for whom combat scenes flow naturally onto the page. Experience in the military, martial arts, marksmanship is a plus, but not necessary, for this military genre is more forgiving than most.

You should consider military science fiction if…

You love reading it

You're adept at writing action scenes (if you're not, try reading Adam's Writing Action article)

If you want to write in a genre, you have to read that genre. Experts in the industry are consistent with their advice that you must be an avid reader of a genre to write well in it.