Genre Guide — Science Fiction

There are a LOT of military stories told in SF.  I’m guilty of writing them. As with romance and mystery, you can tell any sort of story in an SF military context, from exploration to alien invasion to humorous. Military, then is a journey, not a destination, if I may.

Writers should pay attention to details when building their space military or (especially) basing it on something.

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.

Do you find yourself wondering what America would look like if the early Viking settlements had thrived? If China had landed on the west coast even as Columbus landed on the east? Do you wonder what the map of Europe would look like if Ghengis Khan hadn't died before finishing his invasion or Napoleon had choked on a chicken bone before starting his?

Then alternate history might be just the genre for you.

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.

You should consider writing alien invasion if…

You love reading them.

You've watched X-Files more than once.

You think the show Ancient Aliens is idiotic ... and you haven't missed an episode.

You should consider writing hard science fiction if…

You love reading them

You have enough scientific knowledge to make it believable. Writing hard science fiction opens you up to attacks of failed realism like few other genres do. Having the chops to back up your writing is of vital importance.

You have a provable connection to the sciences i.e. a degree or occupation in the sciences. As in nonfiction, having provable expertise helps in marketing this genre.

This is where things get a little weird. (-er)

The category of so-called “Hard Science Fiction” (HSF) is a difficult beast to nail down accurately. Some folks consider that any story containing any possible element suggesting FTL travel in any mechanism automatically makes a story fantasy. (I know prominent editors who expressly state such things in their publication requirements, for instance.) For them, anything that cannot be immediately explained by our current understanding of science is unacceptable.

Big. Enormous. HUGE!!!

That is the key to things classified as Space Opera. Enormously huge. Empires with thousands or even millions of member systems. Trillions of citizens. Gloriously advanced technology that leans heavily into the hand-waving magic of such things, like a device that lets you talk instantly to anyone, anywhere in the galaxy. Warp drives or hyperspace that lets you get to the far end of the galaxy in weeks or months, instead of generations or centuries.

This subgenre is, more or less, the inversion of the alien invasion genre. Or, to quote the old saw, the other side of literature, because “A man goes on a journey…” and “A stranger comes to town…” are the same story from flipped POV.

Depending on your theme and story, your exploration can be quiet and gentle, or it can be loud. Star Trek: The Next Generation (far more than the original show) emphasized the Prime Directive in ways that explorers and sociologists slipped in quietly to learn about any given culture, hopefully without revealing themselves and

If you want to write dystopian books, you must read them. 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 listed below will teach you about the genre and help you get a feel for all the different things you can do with it.