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Science Fiction – Atmosphere/Setting

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Science Fiction – Atmosphere/Setting 1 | P a g e Science Fiction – Atmosphere/Setting Unquestionably, the most important aspect of Science Fiction writing is the author’s ability to create a believable atmosphere or setting. Without this, the reader cannot be truly vested in the literature. If the author fails to pass on his/her vision of the world he/she is creating, the audience will believe the work lacks credibility. With this in mind, do the following: 1. Read the article: “Setting: The Key to Science Fiction” and summarize key points. 2. Read the article called, “Creating Atmosphere”. 3. Read the examples of Sci-fi scenes from Mark Bowman and MT Anderson. 4. Answer the following: What does the author do to pull you into the setting? Look at the language used by each author in the examples. Which words appeal to the 5 senses? List them and tell me which sense the author is appealing to. 5. Now, create two separate futuristic scenes. These scenes should be written in the first person, be vivid and the reader should feel that he/she is immediately connected / placed in the setting. Feel free to experiment with different ideas and different narrators. Each setting should be a paragraph or two. Setting: The Key to Science Fiction by Bruce Boston Why do many readers -- your potential readers -- pass over realistic contemporary fiction and choose to read science fiction instead? They can certainly find compelling plots and characters in mainstream fiction. There are more books from which to choose, from classics to potboilers, and no lack of adventure, romance, suspense, and conflict. And most literary critics would contend that in the best mainstream fiction one encounters superior writing and greater emotional and ideational depth than in the best science fiction. Yet science fiction offers one distinctive and significant element that is lacking in mainstream fiction: the creation of an imaginary setting. The reason many readers choose science fiction over mainstream is because they want to leave the cares and concerns of everyday reality behind and be transported to a completely different world. Further, an imaginary setting is not only essential to the definition of most science fiction, it generally plays a far more important role in it and a qualitatively different one than it does in mainstream fiction. In science fiction, setting is less a backdrop for action and characterization and more a key element that is intimately related to plot, character, and the story as a whole. In fact, one might argue that story elements such as plot and character are far less relevant to the success of a science fiction story than its setting. 2 | P a g e Unlike most mainstream fiction, where the environment is not only a real setting but a relatively static one, the environments of speculative fiction are both imaginary and capable of transformation. Even in science fiction stories where the overall setting remains unchanged, such as novels involving a journey or quest, it is often setting -- not plot -- that moves the narrative forward. The resolution of plot in such novels, in the broadest sense, is a foregone conclusion. Good will triumph over evil; the journey will be successful; the quest will be completed. What keeps the readers involved and anticipating more are the particulars of the fascinating environments through which the protagonists pass and the adventures they experience as a result of exploring those environments. Framing a Speculative (Imaginative) Setting One way to approach setting in science fiction as a writer is to view its creation in the same way you would the creation of a character. If you've written a novel, or even a short story, and you encounter someone who has read it and has questions about it, odds are, if you are inclined, you'll be able to say much more about the major characters in your story than actually appears on the page. This is because you've lived with them in the creation of the work. You've chosen certain actions for them and discarded others. You've explored their inner thoughts and conflicts, their values, their likes and dislikes. Thus just as you might give a character long blond hair, a manic desire for revenge, a tendency to be deluded about his/her own importance, and a fear of snakes, you might give your setting automated walkways, a manic desire for consumption, an autocratic social structure, and an indifference to its ecological impact on the world around it. And just as a character might evolve and change as your story progresses, so can your environment. Yet the more original your setting -- and it should be original, at least in some of its specifics -- the more it differs from contemporary realities both in our everyday lives and what we experience through the media, the more you are going to have to include telling details to bring it to life. One advantage you have over the mainstream writer is that as long as your setting stays true to itself, as long as it complements your story and interacts in the right way with both plot and characters, you can create any kind of world you want. It is sometimes said that writers play God with their characters. As a speculative writer, you can also play God with your setting. In fact, this is exactly what you should do. The Five Senses and More: Borrowing from the Everyday We live in a culture that is primarily visual in its perception of reality. We use sight more than any of the other senses to judge and cope with the world around us. As a result, our other senses have to some extent become atrophied, both actually and in the attention we give to them. One of the most common mistakes I see beginning writers make when creating an imaginary setting is relying exclusively on visual descriptions. If you want to bring a setting alive for the reader, you can use all of the sense impressions of your characters to describe it. There is no need to include sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste in every scene. And visual descriptions will probably remain the most significant and effective in creating your physical setting. Yet if you let your readers hear, touch, smell, and taste the world you are creating, it will become all the more convincing for them. Here are two techniques I have used that you may find of value. 3 | P a g e When I'm working on a story with a speculative setting, a world very different from our own that I need to create, I think about the story and the world in which it is taking place as I drift off to sleep each night. With regard to setting, I don't just consider it in terms of the scenes of the story, but I let my mind take an imaginative journey through other parts of the world in which the story is taking place. In this way you may generate additional information for the story, but more importantly, the world you are creating will begin to take on a broader and deeper reality for you. Again, the more real your setting becomes for you, the more likely you are to convince your readers of its existence and bring it alive for them. The second technique can be used in concert with the first or on its own. Returning to the idea that setting in science fiction is akin to character, give your setting a temporary sentience and pretend that sentience is your own, just as you would with a character. Take on the values of the society you are portraying, the physical characteristics of the world you are portraying. How does this world feel about your characters, about itself? This can lead to some interesting insights, not only in terms of the setting but with regard to your narrative and the story as a whole. How to Create Atmosphere in Fiction By an eHow Contributor Strong atmosphere creates a mood in your story. It not only allows your reader to get a sense of the world you’re creating, but sets up expectations. For instance, a spooky castle will evoke fear, mystery and maybe even romance. It can also provide information to your reader about the characters in your story. A fancy Hollywood nightclub will tell your reader exactly the type of people she will expect to find there. Atmosphere can be a setting or it can be a time of day. Instructions a. Choose an effective setting. Different types of settings will evoke a certain atmosphere. For instance, if you want to create an atmosphere that is grimy or lowdown, set your story in a seedy bar, the type where customers show up at ten in the morning to get drunk, or a strip club. If you want to create a sense of isolation or desolation, set your story at a lonely motel on a desolate highway strip. If you’re aiming for gothic, set your story in a rundown, English castle. If you want to create a sense of timelessness or history, try a cemetery, a museum or an ancient cathedral. Determine what type of atmosphere you want to create for your story and choose a setting that will best suggest it. b. Describe the scenery. What does the scenery look like? You don’t have to spend pages and pages of describing your setting. In fact, an economy of description will work best. Use the five senses to bring the scenery to life, but only use what will effectively create the atmosphere you’re aiming for.
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