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WritingScienceFictionFantasy&Horror HowtoCreateSuccessfulWorkforPublication

ChristopherKenworthy HowToBooks

CartoonsbyMikeFlanagan BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-Publicationdata AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. ©Copyright1997byChristopherKenworthy. Firstpublishedin1997byHowToBooksLtd,3NewtecPlace, MagdalenRoad,OxfordOX41RE,UnitedKingdom. Tel:(01865)793806.Fax:(01865)248780. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproduced,orstoredinan informationretrievalsystem(otherthanforpurposesofreview),withoutthe expresspermissionofthePublisherinwriting. Note: Thematerialcontainedinthisbookissetoutingoodfaithforgeneral guidanceandnoliabilitycanbeacceptedforlossorexpenseincurredasa resultofrelyinginparticularcircumstancesonstatementsmadeinthebook. Thelawsandregulationsarecomplexandliabletochange,andreaders shouldcheckthecurrentpositionwiththerelevantauthoritiesbeforemaking personalarrangements. ProducedforHowToBooksbyDeerParkProductions. TypesetbyKestrelData,Exeter. PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby CromwellPress,BroughtonGifford,Melksham,Wiltshire. Contents

ListofIllustrations 8 Preface 9 1 11 GettingStarted WorkingatBeingaWriter 11 WritingScienceFiction 12 ExploringFantasy 15 UsingHorror 16 ChoosingaGenre 18 Checklist 20 CaseStudies 20 DiscussionPoints 21 2 22 FindingIdeas GettingtoGripswithIdeas 22 Asking'WhatIf?' 24 CombiningConcepts 26 TestingYourIdeas 27 Checklist 28 CaseStudies 28 DiscussionPoints 29 3 31 PuttingYourIdeasonPaper FindingaTheme 31 WritingYourFirstPage 33 ShowingtheStory 36 Checklist 37

CaseStudies 38 DiscussionPoints 39 4 40 CreatingPeople DiscoveringCharacters 40 NamingCharacters 43 StrengtheningCharacters 44 PuttingCharactersintoAction 45 DealingwithAlienCharacters 47 Checklist 49 CaseStudies 50 DiscussionPoints 51 5 52 EvolvingYourPlot LettingCharactersCreateYourStory 52 StrengtheningthePlot 54 FormingaSubplot 56 ClosingaPlot 56 Checklist 57 CaseStudies 57 DiscussionPoints 58 6 59 MakingYourStoryBelievable CreatingRealism 59 WritingRealistically 59 EncounteringAliens 63 HandlingTime 64 UsingMistakesasInspiration 66 Checklist 67 CaseStudies 67 DiscussionPoints 68 7 69 BringingScienceFictiontoLife CreatingImagery 69 ShowingEmotionThroughImagery 71 UsingtheSensestoRevealMood 73 Checklist 74 CaseStudies 75 DiscussionPoints 76

8 77 DevelopingYourStyle SettingtheTone 78 BeingSpecific 80 Checklist 81 CaseStudies 82 DiscussionPoints 82 9 83 DealingwithDialogue ChoosingaStyleofSpeech 83 MakingDialogueRealistic 85 HandlingtheLanguageofScienceFiction 86 Checklist 87 CaseStudies 88 DiscussionPoints 89 10 90 RoundingOffYourWork ChoosingHowtoEnd 90 RewritingCreatively 92 FindingaTitle 93 Checklist 95 CaseStudies 95 DiscussionPoints 96 11 98 SellingScienceFiction IdentifyingYourMarket 98 PresentingWork 100 ApproachingEditors 103 PromotingYourself 106 WritingSomethingNew 107 Checklist 107 CaseStudies 108 DiscussionPoints 108 Glossary 110 UsefulAddresses 115 FurtherReading 117 Index 121

ListofIllustrations

1.TheProcessofStoryCreation 34 2.TheElementsofWorldBuilding 49 3.HowtoFineTuneYourStory 94 4.SampleCoverSheet 102 5.SampleCoveringLettertoAnEditor 104

Preface Whatwouldhappenifthegovernmentwasworkinginsecretwithanalien race?Howwouldwecopewithinterstellartravel?Whatwillhappenwhen wecoloniseMars?Whatwillwedoifmachinesbecomeconscious? Theanswersarefoundinsciencefiction.Thesequestionshavebeen answeredmanytimes,indifferentways,bythousandsofwriters.Ifyouwant tobeasciencefictionwriteryouwillfindnewquestions,andyouwill answertheminanoriginalway. Asasciencefictionwriteryouwillmovereaderswithanastoundingsenseof wonder,whilerevealingtheprecisedetailofhumanexistence.Sciencefiction isauniqueformofliterature,becauseyouarefreetoexploreanypossible future that comes to mind. Whatever wonders you imagine, whatever fears darkenyourthoughts,youarefreetoexpressthemthroughsciencefiction. Sciencefiction,fantasyandhorroraretheonlyformsofwritingwhereyou createwholeworlds.Whileinventingcharactersandlocationstotellyour story,youwillalsocreatenewcivilisations,planetsandtechnologies.Thisis whysciencefictionisdemandingofcreativity,butalsowhyitisso rewarding. Nobookcanturnyouintoawriter,butitcanguideyourworkifyouare preparedtoputintheeffort.Thisbooksuggestsmethodsofworkingthatwill helpyoutofindideas,charactersandthemes,sothatyoucancreate believablestories.Youwillavoidthebasicpitfallsthatplaguemostwriters, whiledevelopinganapproachtowritingthatsuitsyoubest.Withcreative effort,andpersistence, you canlearntowritesciencefiction,fantasyand horrorstories. CHRISTOPHERKENWORTHY

IsThisYou? Librarian Firsttimewriter Part-timewriter Freelancewriter Shortstorywriter Novelist Creativethinker Sciencefictionreader Horrorreader Fantasyreader Generalreader Sciencefictioncinemafan StarTrekfan X-Filesfan 'CultTV'fan Creativewritingstudent Englishstudent Englishteacher Academic Publisher Editor Reviewer

1 GettingStarted Ifyouwanttobeasciencefictionwriter,thisbookwillteachyoueverything youneedtoknow.Itwillshowyouhowtocreatenewworldsandcharacters, developingoriginalideasintostoriesthatsell. Sciencefictionhasneverbeenmorepopular.FromTVseriessuchas Star TrekVoyager,Highlander andthe X-files,throughtothenovelsofIain BanksandKimStanleyRobinson,sciencefictioncanearnbigmoney. Unlikeotherformsoffiction,sciencefictionlooksathowtheworldmightbe whenthingsaredifferent.Ifsomethingfundamentalchanges,whatwill becomeofus?Whatifwediscoveralienlife?Whatifwelearntobe immortal,ortotraveltothestars?Byaskingsuchquestions,andoffering possibleanswers,sciencefictionremindsusofwhatitistobehumantoday. Sciencefiction,fantasyandhorrorarepublishedasseparategenres,butthey tendtooverlap.Bylearningaboutthethreegenrestogetheryouwillbeable towrite,rich,popularandsaleablestories.

WorkingatBeingaWriter Togetthemostfromthisbookyoumust work atbeingawriter.Sculptors, musiciansandpainterspractisetheircraftformanyhours.Writerstrytobe perfectfirsttime,butthisrarelyworks.Practisewriting,andkeepworking overtheideasandtechniquesdescribedhere. Sciencefictionismorespeculative,imaginativeandinventivethananyother typeoffiction,soyouwilleventuallyadaptthetechniquesdescribedtosuit yourownstyle.Tobeginwithfollowthesuggestionsclosely,untilyouare abletowritestorieswithconfidence.

Thediscussionpointsattheendofeachchapterareusefulwritingexercises. Practisewritingregularlyandyourfictionwillimproveeachday.Itonly takesafewweeksofpersistencetogetusedtowriting,ifyoukeepatit.

WritingScienceFiction Ifyouaremorefamiliarwithtelevisionandfilmsciencefiction,tryreading SFstoriesandnovels.Filmandtelevisionsciencefictionisgenerallyabout tenyearsbehindwrittenSF,intermsofideas,soyouneedmoreup-to-date knowledge.Absorbbooksfromtherecommendedreadinglist,andsubscribe tomagazinessuchas Interzone and TheThirdAlternative.Inashortwhile youwillbeabletosubmitfinishedstoriestothem,andperhapsbegin workingonanovel. Thesedayseditorsarelookingfororiginality,asmuchasforstyleand technique.Ifyoucancreateanoriginalsciencefictionstory,itwillsell. Everybodyisoriginal,iftheydecidenottocopy.Althoughyouarefreeto love LordoftheRings,Hellraiser and StarWars,makesurethatyoutell yourownstory. UnderstandingtheBasics

Sciencefictionisaboutchange,andalwayscontainssomethingthatdoesn't presentlyexist.

Sciencefictionhascoveredsubjectssuchas: nano-technology aliencontact timetravel virtualreality artificialintelligence andothers.Althoughtheseideascanbereworkedtosomeextent,youwill havetofindoriginalversionsofthefuturetoexciteyourreaders. Sciencefictioncandealwithsmallideas,suchasanewtypeoftelephone, throughtothemassiveimplicationsofinstantinterstellartravel.Itcancover afewhoursofexistence,oratrillion-yearfuturehistory.SFcanbesetinthe nearfuture,analternatepresent,orthousandsofyearshence.

DealingwithEmotions Whateverthescaleortimingofyourstories,itisthe people whoinhabit yourfictionthatwillinterestreaders.Evenwhenwritingaboutaliensand computers,theemotionsshouldberecognisable. Thefilms ET and CloseEncountersoftheThirdKind weren'taboutaliensso muchasthepeoplewhoneededtomakecontactwiththem. CloseEncounters oftheThirdKind isaboutbeliefandresponsibility,whileETisabout adolescenceandfriendship.AlthoughtheSFelementsarevital,thesestories workbecauseoftheemotionalcontent.

SFstoriesworkbestwhentheyenhanceourunderstandingofpresentlife.

RedMars,byKimStanleyRobinson,showshumansbattlingwithethical, engineeringandsocialproblems.Theideasandimagesgenerateasenseof wonderandspectacle,whilereflectingpresentdaylifeonEarth.Thisisthe powerofSF:toexaminewhoweare,andwherewearegoing. BuildingNewWorlds EverytimeyouwriteanSFstoryyouhavetocreateanentireworld.Every ideahasaknock-oneffect.If,forinstance,wewereabletodevelopasystem ofteleportation,thisaffectsmorethantourism.Thewholeeconomycouldbe brokendown,countriesmightceasetoexist,theuseofweaponscouldbe advancedornegated.Everyideahasthousandsofeffects,andyoumust considertheimpactofyourtechnology. Onceyouhavefoundacoreidea,youshouldtrytoestablishhowitmight affect: thegeneralleveloftechnology politicalsystems modesoftransport employment sourcesoffood ethnicandsocialgroups relationships religion thelandscapeandvisibleenvironment

housing entertainment. Determinewhetherthetechnologyisownedbyanindividual,corporation, worldgovernment,orwhetheritisavailabletoall.Areitseffectsdesirable oravoidable? WorkingonDetails Youwillneedtoknowhowtheimaginedworldoperates,tocreateasenseof realism.If,forexample,youarewritingaboutLondontwocenturiesfrom nowyouwillhavetoconsiderwhichbuildingsarethere,andwhy.Wouldthe peoplewalk,orteleport,ortravelonmovingplatforms?Wouldtherebe officeblocks,cinemas,cafés?Whatwouldpeoplebeeatinganddrinking? Whatwouldtheconversationbeabout?

InallSFsomethingsstaythesame,whileotherthingschange.

Beforeyouwriteawordyoumustgainageneralimpressionofhowyournew idea,technologyorpoliticalsystemaffectsthewholeculture.Ifyouare writingaboutafuturewherehumanlabourhasbeenalmostentirelyreplaced bymachines,wouldpeoplebehappyorbored?Howwouldlifestyle, relationshipsandhumanendeavourbeaffected?Withallthattimeand potential,whatwouldhumansdo? Withouttakingtheseconsiderationon,youwillmakemistakes.Readerswho enjoySFloveseeinghowoneideacanaffectawholesociety. ConstructingYourSFWorld Buildingnewworldscanhappeninaninstant,withoneideadictatingallthe others,oritcantakemanyhoursofnote-taking,researchandpreparation. Remember,youaretellingastoryratherthanjournalisingapossiblefuture, buttrytobeasconsistentandlogicalaspossible. World-buildingisalsoacreative process.Byansweringthequestionsand dealingwiththeimplicationsofyourideayouwillfindthatyourcharacters andthemesbecomemucheasiertohandle.

ExploringFantasy Fantasyisoneofthebroadesttermsinallliterature,becauseitcoversa massiverangeoffiction. Straightfantasyisalsocalledswordandsorceryfiction,becauseitdealswith elves,wizards,magicalkingdoms,heroicquests,andthebattlebetweengood andevil.Mostofthesestoriesarewrittenasnoveltrilogies,perhapsbecause the first major fantasy novel, J. R. R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, set this trend. Somewritersandreviewersdismissfantasy,becauseitlacksthescientific reasoningofstraightforwardsciencefiction.Thisisunfair.

Goodfantasyisaslogicalandcompleteasthebestsciencefiction.The differenceisthattheideasandlawsoftheinventeduniversearecompletely imaginary,ratherthanderivedfromscience.

Thecriticismoffantasyperhapsarisesfrompoorlywrittenfantasy,inwhich problemsaresolvedbyanewspell,orthediscoveryofanenchantedsword, ratherthancharacteraction.Thistypeoffictionisnotsatisfyig,becausethe charactersarenevertestedorforcedtodevelop. MakingRulesforYourImaginedWorld Toavoidthisproblemofcharacterdevelopment,treatthemagicelementsof ourimaginedworldassetlaws.Althoughmagicofferspower,itshouldalso havesideeffectsandlimitations.Theserestrictionsputyourcharactersinto situationsthatrequiregenuineactionontheirparttosolveproblems. Ifyouwanttowriteswordandsorceryfantsythetechniquesandsuggestions givenforsciencefictionalsoapply.Althoughfantasyideasaren'tbasedon scientifictheories,theyarelogicalandrequireaccurateworld-building. DiscoveringDeeperFantasy Fantasyalsoreferstoatypeoffictionwhichisclosetothemainstream.This issometimesknownasmagicrealism,heightenedrealism,orslipstream. Thesearebroadtermswhichrefertofictionwhichisconcernedwithstatesof mind,ratherthanscientificideasorimaginaryworlds.

Thistypeoffantasydealswithdreams,psychoactivedrugs,illusionsand sometimesmagic.Itisusuallysetinthemodernworld,withthefantastic elementsblendinginwithordinarylife.Thetelevisionseries TwinPeaks was aperfectexampleofthis,wheretheconventionsofadetectiveserieswere marriedwithafantastic,magicalbackground.Atfirst,manyviewersthought theywerewatchingastraightforwardmystery,butitsoonbecameclearthat strangepowerswereinvolved. Thetechniquealsoworksinprosefiction,aswithTrevorHoyle's Blind Needle andNicholasRoyle's Counterparts.Themergingofdreams,visions andimaginedeventscreatesastartlingeffect. Thistypeoffictionisoneofthemostexciting,becausethemagicoccursina worldthatisrecognisabletothereader.Themagicandfantasyseem extremelyrealistic,becausetheyoccurinordinarysurroundings. IncorporatingRealitywithEmotion Thistypeoffantasy,wheretheordinaryworldisslightlyaltered,oftenlooks atthewayemotionsaffectreality,andviceversa.Theeventsmaybe illogicalattimes,dictatedbyacharacter'sbeliefsandfears,ratherthanan absolutereality.If,forexample,acharacterfindsthateverytimehedreams abouthissisteraglasspearlisreleasedfromhisear,thereneedn'tbea scientificexplanation.Readerswillacceptthatthisiseithersymbolicoran illusion. Thisfreedomfromsciencecanleadtochaos,sousealteredstatesofreality carefully.Allthestrangeeventsshouldhappenforareason.Thepeculiar statesofmindandtherealityfoundinfantasyshouldreflecttheideaor themeofyourstory,andthenatureofyourcharacters.

UsingHorror Horrorfictionisallaboutgettingbelowthesurfaceofthings.Theeasyway istosplittheskinandletlooseastreamofbloodandgristle.Althoughthis maybedubiouslyentertaining,itisshallowandbrief.Thebestwayfor horrorwritingtoaffectusistogetunderthesurfaceofapersonality.When thisissuccessulitcanreachadepthofinsightunmatchedbyanyothertype ofwriting.

Inthebesthorrorfictiontheimagesandeventsarefrightening,aswellas enlightening. Thehorrorfieldisanexcellentplacetolearnwritingskills,tofaceupto yourownemotionsandgeneratetrulymovingstories.Itcouldbesaidthatall fictionaimstodealwithtruth,buthorroristhefictionoftotalhonesty.

Horrorshowsusourownmortalityandlackofcontrol.Itmakesusadmitto ourweaknessesandourmoresecretemotions.

Horrorwritingworksbestwhenitisunderstated.Whetheryou'rewriting goreornightmareit'sbetterto suggest thantobetoodirect.Manybeginners describestreamsofbloodandsplinteringbonesinelaboratedetail.Thislacks credibilityanddoesn'timpressanyone.Ifsomethingisbitingyourneck, what'smorefrightening:theblood,whichyoucan'tactuallysee,orthe pricklingpainandsoggybreatharoundyourface? SuggestingHorrorinYourStory Oneofthebestwaystocreatefearistousesubtlesuggestions,ratherthan directstatements.Ifyourcharacterisafraidyoucouldsay:'Johnwasafraid, hewasreallyscared',butthisdoesn'tworkwell.It'sbettertoshowthe physicalexperienceoffear.'Johnfelthisheartslamagainsthisribs,andhis stomachliquefied.'Thisworks,buttheproblemisthatit'sahorrorcliché.So althoughyoumustavoidmakingdirectstatements,bewaryoffallinginto cliché. Thereisstillroominhorrorforoccasionalvampireandmonsterstories,if theyhaveatrulyoriginalangle,butmosthorrordealswiththeordinary thingsthatfrightenus.Thekeytomakingasuccessfulstoryistotakereality andslightlydislocateit.Seeingdarkshapesmovingjustoutofsightonacar- park,asyouracetogetthedooropen,ismorefrighteningthanseeinga vampireflapthroughthetrees.Weallknowhowfrighteningitcanbetobe staredat. Normal,ordinaryfearwhichreflectsourownshortcomingsisagoodstarting pointforhorrorfiction.

FindingYourLocations Locationisavitalaspectofhorrorwriting.Manyofthenewwriterssettheir storiesinrecognisablelocations,ratherthaningraveyardsorlonelycottages. Thehorrorsofpovertyandlonelinessareidealsettingsforserioushorror fiction,sodon'tneglectthem. Forthefeartobeeffectiveyourcharactersmustbemorethanmerevictims, sothatwhenthehorroraffectsthemthereaderwillcare.Victimsmake boringcharacters.Althoughhorrorisconcernedwithweakness,editorsdon't wantstorieswheretheonlypointistowatchacharactergetscaredandthen getkilled. Makethestoryrelevanttoyourcharacter'sinnermotivations.

ChoosingaGenre Althoughthisbookislargelyconcernedwithsciencefiction,thetechniques andsuggestionsalsoapplytofantasyandhorror.Youcanchoosetoworkin oneparticularareaor,likemanyoftoday'swriters,youcancombinethem. PuttingGenresTogether ThesedaysthetermsciencefictionisreplacedbySF(asopposedtothe datedsci-fi),becauseitcanalsostandforspeculativefiction,orslipstream fiction.Itisintheseareas,wherethegenresofsciencefiction,horror, fantasy, magic realism and the mainstream cross over, that the best work is created. Manywritershavefoundthat: sciencefictionworksmoreeffectivelyifthereisahorrificelement fantasyismorepowerfulwhenthereisasciencefictionideabehindthe strangeevents horrorcanbemorecredible,whenmergedwithfantasyandsciencefiction. Byblurringthebarrierbetweengenresyourfictioncanhavegreater potential.

ChoosingaLengthforYourWriting Asyoudevelopideasyouwillhavetodecidewhethertowrite: shortstories ornovels. Shortstoriesaresometimesmoredifficultthannovels,buttheyhavethe advantageofbeingquickertowrite.Youcanwritetenshortstories, improvingwitheveryone,inthetimeitwouldtakeyoutowritehalfanovel. Shortstoriesalsogiveyoumoreroomtoexperimentwiththecrossingof genres,findingyourownstyleanddevelopingideas. Foreachideathatyoufind,determinewhatsortofastoryitcouldsustain.If theideaisabsolutelyhugedon'tspoilitbycrammingitintoastory.Equally, don'ttrytospreadasmallideathroughafull-lengthnovel.

Studynovelsandstoriesthatyouhaveenjoyed,tojudgehowideasrelateto thelengthofawork,andwriteaccordingly.

CreatingScienceFiction SFislikechemistry,orperhapsevenalchemy.Alltheaspectsofyourstory- theidea,mood,characterisation,themeandplot-mustbebalancedandmust interactperfectly,withoutclashing,oryou'llendupwithsludge. Thebeautyofsciencefictionisthatyoucanwriteaboutanythingthat interestsyou,inalmostanywaythatyoulike.Thisdoesn'tmeanyouarefree toramble,butifyoucraftastorywellyoucantackleanyissueorideathat yourimaginationallows. DevelopingYourIdeas Yourstoriesmaybedevelopedfromtheconcernsoftoday-medicine, pollution,war,mentalhealth,mutation,andpoliticalproblems-oryoumay dealwithideasthatarecompletelynew.Youhaveroomtoexperimentwith SF.Whateverwondersyoufeel,whateverconfusionsdistortyourlife,they canbeexploredhere. Checklist ReadplentyofSF,fantasyandhorror. Becomefamiliarwiththelatestideas. Learntheclichés,sothatyoucanavoidwritingthem. TrytoworkoutwhetherapieceisSF,fantasyorhorror. Findstorieswherethegenresoverlap. TrytodeterminewhatitisaboutyourfavouriteSFstoriesthatyoulike. Setasideatimeandaplacetowrite. Trytowritesomethingeveryday,evenifonlyafewlinesornotes.

CaseStudies Thecasestudieswewillbefollowingthroughthebookshowthreedifferent approachestowritingsciencefiction,accordingtopersonaltaste,experience, availabletimeandlifestyle. PeterPursueshisLoveofPureSF Peter,anengineer,isafanofallkindsofhardsciencefiction,fromthe Star Trek televisionseriestothenovelsofArthurC.ClarkeandStephenBaxter. HewantstowritestraightforwardSFinhissparetime,startingwithshort storiesandworkinguptoanovel.HavingreadSFbooksforseveralyearshe nowsubscribesto Interzone andisfamiliarwiththelatestideas. Michael'sAimisExpressingEmotion MichaelisanEnglishteacher,withlittleknowledgeofsciencebutaloveof characters.Hefeelsthathorrorcanbeafictionofgreathonestyand humanity,buthealsowantstoincludeelementsofsciencefictionand fantasy.Hismainaimistoexpresspersonalemotion,throughtheheightened realismofferedbySF,fantasyandhorror,writingshortstoriesforsmall- pressmagazines.

RuthWantstoExperiment Ruthisauniversitystudentwhowantstowriteexperimentalsciencefiction andfantasyinhersparetime.Startingwithshortstoriessheeventuallywants towriteanovelcombiningSF,fantasyandhorror,tocreateoriginaleffects.

DiscussionPoints 1.Imagineyourselfinafamiliarplace,suchasacafé,buttwohundredyears intothefuture.Howdifferentwouldyoubeandhowwouldyouact? 2.Whatfrightensyou?Makealistoftimesyouwerefrightened,andseehow muchthiswasaffectedbyyourimagination,yoursensesandtheactual events. 3.DoyouprefertoreadSF,fantasyorhorror?Whichwouldyoupreferto write?Howcanyouusecombinationsofallthreetostrengthenyourideas?

2 FindingIdeas

GettingtoGripswithIdeas Ideasarethedrivingforceofsciencefiction.Whateveryourbackgroundand knowledgeyoucanlearntocreateoriginalstoryideas. Whenyouthinkofsciencefictionclassics,suchas StarTrek,youmay wonderhowtocomeupwithsuchvastideas.Theimaginedworldsareso rich,completeandwellthoughtoutthatitseemsadauntingtask.Thegood newsisthatnobodycomesupwithvastideasinaninstant. Theimaginedworldof StarTrek developedslowly,fromafewcoreideas. Theideaofthe StarshipEnterprise itselflednaturallytotheinventionof phasers,transporterbeams,energyshieldsandKlingons.Ifthefirstideais strongenough,itwillcreateauniverse. Whensettingout,don'ttrytocreatewholeworldsatonce.Yourjobatthis stageistofindcoreideas,andthebestwayisbymakingnotes. MakingNotes Carryanotebookandpenwithyouatalltimesandgetusedtotakingnotes. Makesurethenotebookfitsintoyourpocketeasily,andthatyourpenworks freely. Youraimisto observe andrecord. Bylookingattheworld,andnotingyourobservations,youwillfindthat ideasoccurwithouteffort. Whentakingnotestherearefourmainrules:

1.Writethoughtsdownimmediately,ortheywillbeforgotten. 2.Don'tbeembarrassedaboutwritinginpublic. 3.Forgetaboutgrammarandspelling. 4.Don'twaitforbigideas,justobserveandrecord. Youaretheonlypersonwhowilleverreadyournotes,sotheycanbescruffy andbadlywritten.Ifanideaseemslessthanperfect,orpoorlyexpressed, don'tworry,justgetthewordsdown.Therewillbetimeforeditinglater. Theimportantpointistorecordyourobservations. KnowingWhattoWrite Trytoobserveanyunusualsensations.Youshoulduseallyoursenses: sound,smell,touchandtasteareasimportantassight.Anythingthat stimulatesyoursensesshouldbenoted,whetheritbethecolourofa squashedkiwifruitonthepavement,orthesmellofanofficewhen everybodyhasgonehome.Ifyounoticeit,writeitdown. Youshouldalsobeawareof: unusualphrasesandnames possiblelocationsandsettingsforstories interestingpeopleandtheirreactions questionsthatcomeintoyourmind. Inshort,notedownanythingstrangeorappealingthatcatchesyourattention. Inallcases,concentrateon detail.Whennotingthesoundsinacafé,for example,don'twrite'cafésounds',butdescribethesteamingcappuccino machine,scrapingchairs,eventhesoundofrainthrownagainstthewindow. Youcantakenotesatanysparemoment,whensomethingcomestomind.

Don'tjudgeyourthoughtsbeforewritingthemdown;alwaysgettheidea ontopaperimmediately.

Manynewwritersthinktheyshouldwaitforgrandideasormovingimages beforenotinganything,buttheoppositeistrue.

Youshouldmakeanabundanceofnotes,recordingeverymomentofinterest inyourday.Thiscreatesafertilesourcematerialforideageneration.

Asking'WhatIf?' Sciencefictionhasbeendescribedasthefictionof whatif?Byaskingthis questionyouwillcomeupwiththebestideas.Whatiftheworldwasstruck byameteor?Whatifthealienslanded?Whatifcomputershadmindsoftheir own?Byaskingquestionsyoucanturnyourordinarynotesintosolidscience fictionideas. DevelopingYourNotes Readthroughyournotesfrequently.Findsectionsthatinterestyouanduse themasstartingpointsforideas.Asamplepageofnotes,takenoverthe courseofanafternoon,couldbesomethinglikethis: 'Twowomenonthetrainarewearingthesameperfume.Certain smellsremindmeofplacesandpeople.ImaginesomebodyIdon't likewearingmygirlfriend'sperfume.Howwoulditmakemefeel? Themanacrossfrommehasacold.Hishandsarecoveredingold rings.Herubshisfingersallthetime.Arehisringsimportant,do theyholdsomememoryforhim?He'spickinghisnails.Keeps blowinghisnose.Idon'twanttocatchwhathe'sgot.' Atpresentthesenotesdon'tmeanmuch,buttheycouldeasilybedeveloped intosciencefictionideas,byasking'whatif?'Fromtheabovenotesitis naturaltoask,'Whatifscentwasusedtocreateemotion?Whatifobjects couldstorehumanmemory?' LettingYourThoughtsLeadYou Writedownthemostimportantpointsandexpandthemwithmoredetail. Again,youwillbetheonlypersontoreadthesenotes,sodon'taimfor perfection.Experimentwiththeideasandseewhereyourthoughtsleadyou. Bedaringandfollowstrangethoughts,nomatterhowoutrageoustheymay seematfirst.Ifyoufeelascenedeveloping,orifyourimaginationgoesina newdirection,followit. Writeaboutyournotesandideaswilldevelop.

CreatingaUniverse Thesmallestnotescanleadtothegreatestideas.Forexample,thenoteabout storinghumanmemoryinobjectscouldbedevelopedinmanyways.The resultmightbeashortstoryaboutanewtypeofbio-metalliccompound whichrecordsmemory.Thismetalcouldbefashionedintoweddingringsand usedatamarriageceremonytosharememories.Adifferentapproachwould betoshowonepersondevelopingthismemorytechnologyinsecret,and usingitfordeceitorrevenge.Perhapsbygivingtheringsawayhecould stealmemoriesfrompeople. Theideacouldbetakenmuchfurther,byaskingmorequestions.Ifobjects couldstoreourthoughts,wouldpeopleselltheirfavouritememories?Would peoplebecomeaddictedtothepast?Mighttherebeablackmarketfor memoryornaments?Wouldpeopleconfusetheirownpastwiththatofothers? Thesequestionsbringupproblems,suchaswherewouldthebio-metalcome from,howwouldmemoriesbeputintoit,whowouldcontroltheprocess?By askingthesequestionsyoucancreateanentirereality.Yourimaginedworld willhaveitsownpeople,culture,economy,religionandlifestyle.Theperfect placetosetyourstory.

Byobservingtheworld,andimagininghowitcouldbedifferent,youwill createsciencefictionideas.

Asyourfutureworld,alienplanetoralternaterealitycomesintoshape,you willcreatemoredetailthancouldeverbeusedinastory.Thisisgood, becausenotesareneverwasted.Ifyouareawareofbackgrounddetailitwill giveyourstoryarealisticfeel. ReadingforInspiration Youdon'thavetobeascientisttothinkofgoodideas.Theknowledgeyou needcaneasilybegainedfromsciencefictionandsciencefact.Byimmersing yourselfinotherpeople'sideas,andasking'whatif?',youwillfind inspiration. Itisimportanttoreadplentyofsciencefiction,sothatyoucanfindoutwhich ideashavealreadybeenused.Youwillfindstoriesinmagazinessuchas Interzone and TheThirdAlternative,andeverybookshopandlibraryhasa largesciencefictionsection.Thisreadingshouldideallybesupplementedby:

popularsciencejournalssuchas NewScientist and Focus paranormalmagazines,including ForteanTimes and Nexus booksonanyaspectofscience,technologyorculturethatinterestsyou. Ifyoufindtheseheavygoing,rememberthatyourevery-dayreadingcanbea sourceofideas. Anarticleaboutordinaryeventscanleadtosomethingmorebizarre,ifyou useyourimagination. The way youreadisasimportantas what youread. Keepyournotebookhandy,ask'whatif?'asyouread,andwritedownyour thoughts.

CombiningConcepts Thebestwaytocreateastunningideaistocombinetwoordinaryideas.This isatrickusedbymostsciencefictionwriters,andhelpstomakethemostof yournotes. Theexamplenotesshownearliersuggestedseveralideasaboutmemory objects,chemicalemotionsandpeoplegivingoffscents.Therewasalso mentionofinfectionanddisease.Byputtingsomeofthesetogethertheideas aretransformedintosomethingfantastic.Imagineifpeoplegaveoffsmells whichreflectedthewaytheywerefeeling.Perhapsthesescentscouldinduce thesameemotioninthosewhosmellthem.Sadnessmightspreadlikea plague.Lovecouldbebottled.Theresultingconfusionwouldmakepeople questiontheirfeelings,andthestrainonrelationshipswouldbefascinating. Bycombiningconceptsyourideasbecomemorecomplexandoriginal, suggestingpossibilitiesthatwouldbedifficulttothinkupontheirown.Ifan ideaappealstoyou,butdoesn'tquitesuggestastory,combineitwith somethingelse,nomatterhowordinary,andseewhereittakesyou. ExpandingScenes Asyourideasgrow,trywritingascenewhichcouldbepartofthestory. Don'tspendtoomuchtimethinkingaboutthis.Simplywriteit.Youonly have to write a few lines. Even if you don't know what the story is about, howitwillendorwhothecharacterswill

be,startwritingascene.Imagineoneperson,inonesituation,andwrite. Withtheaboveexampleyoumightimagineapersonfeelingemotionsfor somebodyshehasnevermet.Shemightfeelinlove.Youcouldwriteabout herreactionsasshetriestohidethisfromherpartner. Insomecasesyouwillfindthatthestorybeginstowriteitself.Ifnot,don't worry.Thescenesyouwritenowmayormaynotendupinthestory.All thatmattersisthatyougetusedtotheimaginaryworld,watchingyourideas develop.Don'tworryabouttheexactwordingyet,andforgetabout grammar.Getonwiththewritingandwatchtheideagrow. Tomakethisprocesseasier: Avoidwritingawholehistory;concentrateonafewminutesofthecharacter's life. Imaginehowyouwouldfeelinthissituationandwritethisintoyour character. Usemorethanonecharacter,becauseinteractionisalwaysmoreinteresting. Giveyourcharactersnames,foraddedrealism.

TestingYourIdeas Somesciencefictionideasarehuge,concerningspace,timeandthenatureof existence.Otherideasdealwithsmallmatters,suchastheeffectof technologyonpersonalrelationships.Bothapproachestosciencefictionare valid,sodon'tbeputoffifyourideasseemtoolargeortoosmall. Havingcreatedideasthatexciteyou,andwrittenafewscenes,itistimeto testyouridea.Askyourselfthesequestions: Woulditinterestme,ifsomebodyelsewroteit? Isitoriginal? Isitbelievable? Iftheanswertoallthreequestionsisyes,youarereadytodevelopthestory infull. Ifyoufindyourselfworryingaboutthelastquestion,rememberthatagood writercanmakeunbelievableideasacceptable.

Whenaskingyourselfifastoryisbelievable,decidewhetherit feels believabletoyou,ratherthanifit is actuallypossible.

Theideaofanalienracewhichonlysleepsonceayear,althoughextremely peculiar,isacceptable.Astoryabouthumanslearningtodownloadtheir memoriesintocomputers,althoughhighlyunlikely,doesfeelbelievable. Ifanideaisn'tworking,ordoesn'tseemquiterightyet,acceptthatitmay needfurtherdevelopmentandputittooneside.Neverthrowyournotes away,becauseonedaytheywillproveuseful.Fornow,keepwritingandget asmanyideasaspossibleontopaper.Beforelongyou'llbereadytowrite yourfirstsciencefictionstory.

Checklist Buyplentyofnotebooksandpens,andusethemfrequently. Readthroughyournotesanddevelopthem. Cutoutnewspaperandmagazinearticleswhichinterestyou. Readasmuchaspossible,notingyourthoughts. Askyourself'whatif?'asoftenaspossible. Linksomeofyourideastogetherandseewherethisleads. Asyourimaginaryworlddevelops,picturethepeoplewhomightlivethere. Thrownothingaway.Everynotecouldproveuseful.

CaseStudies PeterAsks'WhatIf?' AtworkPeterhastostudytechnicalengineeringmanuals.Whilereading aboutpumpvalveshemakesnotesaboutartificialheart

valves.Thatnighthespendsanhourdevelopinghisnotes.Byasking'what if?'hewondersifvalvescouldbeappliedtohumanthoughts.Whatifthe governmentofthefutureusedvalvestosealoffunwantedthoughts?Or perhapsindividualscoulduseneuralvalves,toshutoffthepast.Peterwrites a scene in which a man persuades a surgeon to insert a brain valve to repress painfulmemories.Thisisagoodstartingpointforhisstory. MichaelCombinesIdeas DuringhisschooldayMichaeltakesnoteswheneverpossible.Henotesthe wayhisclassbecomesrestlessatthesametimeeveryday,whenthesungets intheireyes.Onthetrainjourneyhomehenoteshowthewarmweather makeshimfeellonely.InasparehourMichaelgoesthroughhisnotes,but noneoftheideasparticularlyappealtohim.Tosolvethedilemmahe combinestwoordinaryideas.'Whatif'hewrites,'peopleexperienced lonelinessatcertaintimesofthedayoryear?Whatif,asthesunwentdown eachday,therewasonehourinwhicheverybodyfeltaneedtobewith others?'Hereadsthroughtherestofhisnotes,addingthoughts,beforesetting hisworkaside. RuthSetstheScene DuringcollegelecturesRuthsupplementsheressaynoteswithstoryideas. Sheobservesthestruttinglecturer,andwritesadescriptionofhisfaceand beard.WhenhetalksaboutlensrefractionRuthmakesnotesabouttheway solidobjectscanbendlight,toprojectadistantimage.Itoccurstoherthata lenscouldbeusedtoprojectthemindoutofthebody.Attheweekendshe setsanafternoonasideforwriting.Shewritesasceneinwhichascientist, basedonherlecturer,usesafocusedbeamoflighttomovehismind.Things gowrongwhenhismindisprojectedintoawall,orananimal,oranother person.Perhapsthelenscouldalsobeusedtoreadmindsortoinfluence people?Ruthseesthathercharacterwilldeterminethedirectionofthisstory, anddecidestodevelophimindetailbeforewritingthestory.

DiscussionPoints 1.Duringthenextfewhoursmakenotesaboutanythingthatcatchesyour attention.Whyisitimportanttomakesomanynotes?

2.Readingthroughyournotes,picksomeinterestingpointsandask'whatif?' Howdoesthishelptocreateideas? 3.Taketwoideas,nomatterhowordinarytheyseem,andcombinethem. Howcanthishelptocreateanimaginaryworld? 4.Imagineascenefromyourstoryandbeginwriting,relatingittoyour ideas.Whydoesthishelpwithstorydevelopment? 3 PuttingYourIdeasonPaper

FindingaTheme Withsomeofyourideasworkedoutyoumaywanttolaunchinandwritethe firstpage,asshownlater,butyoumightneedtodosomemoregroundwork first. Yourresearch,preparationandnotesareallpartofthestory-writingprocess. Themoreworkyoudonow,theeasieritwillbetogetintothestory.When writersarefacedwithablankpage,manyfreezeandexperiencewriter's block.Itiscommontofeelacompleteinabilitytowrite.ByworkingwithSF ideas,scenes,imagesandfeelingsintheearlystagesyouwillavoidthis problem.Whenyouarefacedwithablankpageyouwillbereadytowrite. Oneofthebestwaystogiveyoursciencefictioncohesionanddirectionisto chooseathemebeforeyoubeginwriting.Athemeisthecoreideathatdrives yourstory.Oneofyourmainaimswhenwritingistorevealthistheme.

Everyscene,lineofdialogueandimagewillcontributetotheexpressionof yourtheme.

Althoughstoriescommunicateimages,scenesandemotions,theoveralleffect istocommunicatetheunderlyingtheme. Insomecasesyourwritingwillevolveasyouwork,oftenquiteunexpectedly. Forthisreasonitissafetobeginwritingastorywithoutanyideaoftheexact theme,ifyoufeelcertainthattheideasarestrongenough.Asyouwriteyou discoverthetheme.Inmostcases,however,itiswisetoexploreyourideas first,toseewhatthemetheyareleadingto. ChoosingaTheme Themescansometimesbesummedupwithoneortwowords,such

asdeath,regretorjealousy.Anyaspectofexistencethatcanbesummedup brieflycouldbecalledatheme.Whateveryourstoryis really aboutcanbe calledyourtheme. Inrealitythethemesaremorecomplicated,becauseastorywouldneverbe simplyaboutdeath.Itwouldbeaboutthedeathofafriend,orthedeathof parents,forexample.Inthiswaytheeventsofyourstorydictatetheexact shadingofthetheme.Therearemillionsofdifferentviewpointsofdeath,and allcouldbeusedtocreateastory.So,whenexploringyourtheme,resistthe temptationtolabelwithoneword. UsingSFtoTakeThemesFurther InSF,fantasyandhorroryouhavetheopportunitytotakethemesmuch furtherthanusual.Insteadofwritingaboutfamiliarformsofdeath,youcould writeaboutsuspendedanimation,partialbraindeath,orstoringhuman memoryoncomputerchipsafterdeath.Here,theSFideasdictatethemes whichcouldnotbeexploredbyanyothertypeoffiction.Thisisthestrength ofSFandsomethingyoushouldalwaysaimtoexploit.

ReferringtoYourIdeas Yourthemeismuchmorethananidea:itistheoverallpicture.Whenasking 'whatif?'tofindideas,thethemewilloftenslotintoplace.Whatifsomebody regrettedactionsthathappenedinadream,orduringavirtualreality adventure?Whatiftheseregretsweremoresubstantialthantheeventsin theirreallife?Whatifsomebodywasjealousofanartificialintelligence?By takingonthesemorebizarrethemesyouarestilllookingatdeath,regret, jealousyorwhateverotherthemesyoucomeacross,butyouarelookingat theminanewway. Ideasareonlypartofthestory.Theideaofstoringmemoriesonorganic computerchipscanbeusedtoexplorethemesofmortality,insecurity,death, regretandmanyothers.Italldependsonthewayyourstorydevelops. Theideaisastartingpoint,anditisthecharactersandeventsofthestory thatwilldictatewhatthestoryisabout. Althoughwecanlabelthemesapproximately,toexplainathemefullywould takemorethanafewlines;itwilltakeanentirestory.

Thisiswhywewrite.AlthoughathemecouldbesummedupasTheNature ofTrueLove,simplywritingthisdowncommunicatesnothing.Bywritinga storyinwhichthecharactersmeet,argue,splitupandthendiscovertheirtrue feelings,weunderstandthethemefully.

Insciencefictiontheuseofextremeideaswillallowyoutocommunicate extremelycomplex,challengingoriginalthemes.

WritingYourFirstPage Writingthefirstpageofanystoryisdaunting,andthebestwaytoavoidthe fearistorealisethatyourstorywasbegunalongtimeago.Duringyour note-takingyouprobablywrotelinesandimagesthatwillappearonthefirst page.Youhavebeenwritingnotesforsometimeandnowyouaresimply puttingeverythingintoplace. Rewritingisamajorpartofthecreativeprocess,sodon'tbeafraidofmaking mistakes.Youcancorrectthemlater.Fornowgetwordsontopaper,tosee howthestorydevelops.Writefreelyandsteadily,withouttoomuchworry aboutstyle,grammar,orthesoundofsentences.Youwillmakemistakes,but itisimportanttocorrectthemafteryouhavewrittenafewpages,ratherthan themomenttheyarewritten. Writefirstandeditafterwards.Thisallowsyoutocreatefreely,without stumbling. Examinetheideasyouhavecreatedsofarandtrytogetafeelingfor possiblethemes. Remembertotietheideastothescenesandcharactersyouhaveexploredso far,andletthestorysuggestatheme. Workthroughyournotes,addingnewdetailstogetamuchbetterpictureof thestory. ChoosingaStartingPoint Havingwrittenplentyofnotesyouneedtodetermineastartingpointforyour story.Evenifyoudon'tknowexactlywhatwill Fig.1. Theprocessofstorycreation. happen,whoallthecharacterswillbe,ortheexactworkingsofyour imagineduniverse,youhavetostartsomewhere. WritingtheFirstLine Thefirstlineofanystoryshouldbe: compelling unusual attentiongrabbing.

InSFafirstlinecandictatetheentiretone,styleandapproachofastory.It isvitalthatyoufindalinewhichsetsthestoryupinthisway.Ifyouworry aboutthatnow,however,youwillnevergetthestorywritten.Insteadof tryingtofindaperfectfirstline,getstraightintothewriting,asdescribed below,andcomebacktotheopeningparagraph.Onceyouknowmoreabout thestoryitwillbemucheasiertofindagoodfirstline. ConcentratingontheAction Agoodstorywillusuallyshowthemostimportanteventsfromacharacter's life.Itwillshowatimeofgreatchangeandconflict.Yourcharacterwill havetobattlewithinternalproblems,suchasfearorjealousy,inorderto solveexternalproblems,suchasbeinghuntedbyakillerandroidorescaping fromtheThoughtPolice. Tofindtheidealstartingpointtrytobeginthestoryasclosetothevital eventsaspossible,justbeforethemajorchangetakesplace.Ifthestoryis aboutJedexperimentingwithanewkineticdrug,andunravellingamystery fromhispast,beginthestoryjustbeforeheobtainsthedrug.Althoughbuild- upisimportantyoushouldn'tspendpagesandpagesshowingJed'sordinary life,havingbreakfast,travel-mattingtowork,networkinghisbraintothe officecomputerandsoon.Somenormalityisrequired,tomakethecontrast meaningful,butdobeginthestoryclosetotheimportantchange. Itisimportanttostrikebalancehere.Althoughthefirstpageshouldinterest readers,avoidlettingofftoomanyfireworksstraightaway.Iftherearelots ofexplosions,hover-carchasesandphaserbattlesonpageone,thedrama won'tinterestthereaderiftheydon'tknowwhatthecharacterislike.So althoughyoushouldbeginclosetothekeychangeandaction,youalsoneed toestablish who thecharacterisandmakethereadercareforyourcharacter. Thiswillbeexploredinmoredetaillater,butfornowyouneedtochoosea momentwhenthestorycanbegin,towritethefirstpage. RevealingVitalInformation Thefirstpageshouldideallyrevealwho,why,what,whereandwhen. Whoisthestoryabout? Whyisithappeningtothem? Whyisitsoimportant? Whatisactuallygoingoninthestory? Whereistheactiontakingplace? Whenistheactiontakingplace? Althoughstoriesareaboutgradualrevelationsofinformation,withnewtwists anddiscoveries,itisimportanttoknowtheabovefactorsonthefirstpage.If youwriteadescriptionofyourcharacter,herproblems,andwhatisgoingon, butneglecttomentionthetimeorlocation,yourreaderwillnothavethefull picture.Ifyouthengoontomentionherwalkingdowntothebeachhouse, andlookingupatthemoon,yourreadermaybepuzzledbecauseitisjustas likelyyourcharacterwaswalkingthroughLondonatmidday.

ShowingtheStory Insteadofexplainingwhatisgoingon,andwhoisinvolved, show thereader thestory.Bydescribingyourcharacterinteractingwithotherpeoplein differentlocationsyouwillconveyallthenecessaryinformation.Oneofthe bestrulestofollowis: show,don'ttell. Insteadoftellingusthatsheisonthebeach,showherrunningherhands throughthesandnervously,mutteringtoherselfaboutherboss.Don'tsay thatsheisunhappy,showherfrownandrevealherunhappythoughts.Don't tellussheiscold,butshowhertighteninghercardiganagainstthewind.By showingthereaderyouavoidstallingtoexplain.Thisisthebasisofgood fiction.Avoiddirectstatementsandshowuswhatisgoingon.Revealwhois there,whattheyaredoing,whyitmatters.Showuswheretheactionisand whenitistakingplace.

Intheirhastetorevealideas,charactersandstories,SFwriterstendtoover- explain,whichspoilsthestory.Whenwritingyourfirstpage,getintothe habitofrevealinginformationby showing uswhathappens.

ImaginingFiction Althoughfictionmayseemdauntinglycomplexthereisasimpletechnique whichhelpseverythingtoslotintoplace.Imagination. Byimaginingascenebeforeyouwriteit,andwhileyouwriteaboutit,you willautomaticallytesttherealismofscenes.Youwillalsobeusingamore creativethoughtprocess.Tryingtothinkupstoriesandplotsthrough reasoningcanbecounter-creative.Anover-analyticalapproachmayforce you to discount ideas through logic, before you have played with them creatively. Althoughlogicalthoughtisimportant,tomakesurethatideaswork,thata plotisplausibleandthatyourstorymakessense,simplytryingtothinkup ideasisahugetask.Ifyoubeginascenewithoneline,andthentrytothink ofthenext,itisextremelydifficult.Ifyouwriteoneline,andthenimagine whathappensnext,itismucheasier.Havingimaginedthenextevent,you writeaboutit. Thissubtledifferenceinapproachtofictioncansolvemanywriting problems,andhelpswiththedelicateworld-buildingmentionedinChapter1. Whenwritingyourfirstpage,insteadoftryingtoworkoutwhatwould happennext,whatyournextlineshouldbeorwhetheryouarerevealingthe rightamountofinformation,simplyimaginethescene.Imagineyour characterintheinventedworld,interactingwithotherpeople,anddescribe whatyousee. EnjoyingExperimenting Asever,don'tbeafraidtoexperiment.Youwillprobablywriteseveral versionsofyourfirstpageandthatcanonlybeagoodthing.Atthispointbe relaxedaboutwritingdifferentversions.Astimegoesbyyouwillneedto experimentlessandfirst-draftpageswillbeclosertoperfection.

Checklist Workoutwhatyourstoryisreallyabout. Makesureyourideasandthemesarelinked. Considerwhattypeofcharacterswillbestexploreyourtheme. Imaginetheaction,dialogueandimagesbeforewriting.

Writeseveralversionsofthefirstpage. Rewritethepage,usingthe'show,don'ttell'principle. Checktoseeifyouarerevealingwho,why,what,whereandwhen.

CaseStudies PeterTriesOutaTheme AfterreviewinghisnotesPeterfeelsthathisstorywillbeaboutrepression. Hewantstowriteaboutthewaypeoplecreateanillusionofcontrolby ignoringproblems.Hecreatesacharacter,Brian,whoiswoundedbyapast relationship and tries to purchase a brain valve on the black market. In the first scene he shows memories intruding into Brian's mind as he talks to the surgeon.Strangely,thepainofthememoriesisalmostpleasantandBrian isn'tsurehowtoproceed.Thisisn'texactlywhatPeterhadplanned,butit mayofferevenmorescopetoexpresshisthemesoitissomethinghecan workwith. MichaelAdaptshisIdeas Lookingbackattheideaofperiodiccyclesofloneliness,Michaelrealises thathisthemewillbethewaylonelinessaffectsbehaviour.Heimaginesa characterwhotriestoignoreloneliness,butfrequentlysuccumbstoit,acting insociallydangerousways.Unsureofthefulldetails,hewritesseveral versionsofthefirstpage.Hismaincharacter,LiamAnderson,istryingto gethomefromworkbeforetheloneliness(causedbysomeeffecthehasyet toestablish)setsin.Michaelhasshownhischaracter'sappearanceand mannerisms,thefuturisticworldhelivesinandhisfearofloneliness. RuthWritestheFirstPage Ruthrealisesthathercharactermustbeself-involved,tokeephisinvention secret,soherthemewillbeaboutselfishness.Sheimaginesthecharacter perfectingthemachine,withthesoleintentofinfluencingthemindofthe womanheloves.Shehasshownnointerestinhimandheplanstousethe projectortochangehermind.SetinafutureOxfordUniversity,herfirst pagerevealsa

placewhereastonishingtechnologyclasheswithold-worldstylesand attitudes.Themoodyatmosphereofthelocationcontrastswiththe desperationofhermaincharacter.

DiscussionPoints 1.Lookbackatsomeofyourfavouritestoriesandnovels,anddetermine theirthemes.Howisthemeestablishedinthefirstfewpages? 2.Whatisthedifferencebetweentheideasandthethemeinastory?How willthisaffectwhatyouwrite? 3.LookatfirstlinesfromyourfavouriteSFstoriesandnovels.Howdothey captureyourattentionandcontributetothestory? 4.LookatfirstpagesfromSFstories.Dotheyholdyourattentionaswellas conveyingrelevantinformation?HowquicklyandeffectivelydoSFwriters conveythe'worldview'? 4 CreatingPeople

DiscoveringCharacters Whatevertypeofstoryyouwrite,whetherpersonal,globaloruniversal,your characterswillbringittolife.InSF,fantasyandhorrorcharacterscan includeandroids,aliensandcomputers,aswellashumans.Itisthewaythese charactersinteractanddevelopthatwillexpresstheideasandthemesofyour story. If,forexample,yourideaconcernstheeffectofemotion-drugs,theinterest doesn'tlieingovernmentreports,labtestsortheoreticalarguments.Thereal interestliesinthewaysuchdrugscouldaffectpeople.Byshowingoneor twocharactersdealingwiththisproblem,yourstorywillreflectthewayit couldaffectawholesociety. InventingPeople Sometimesyourstorywillarisefromafully-imaginedcharacter.Yournotes andresearchwillleadyoutoimagineoneperson,andthestory,ideaand themewillrelatetothischaracter. Withmoststories,however,youwillfindtheidea,themeandsettingbefore youhaveanyfirmcharactersinmind. Whetheryourcharactersareclearinyourmind,orcompletelyabsent,the followingtechniqueswillhelpyoutocreatemorerealisticpeople.Youcan spendeitherafewseconds,orafewhours,workingontheseinitialstages. Forashortstoryonlyafewminutes'workwillberequired.Youwillalways find out more about a character from the actual writing, so this preparation, althoughdetailed,shouldbebriefandinspirational.

Useyourimagination,findtheanswersasrapidlyaspossibleandletthe storydotherestofthework.

Whenyouareusedtocreatingcharacters,havingwrittenseveralstories,you willlearntocutoutmuchofthispreparation,butitisthebestwaytolearn. Itwillhelpyouduringperiodsofconfusedanduncertainwriting. Wheninventingcharacters,youmustdetermine: name age sex appearance temperament religion employment socialclass birthplace/nationality. IntermsofSFyoumayalsohavetodecide: race(alien,human,android) languagespoken specialabilitiesandneeds(suchaspsychicpowers,breathingchlorine, feedingonlight) origins(Earthorelsewhere). Thesearetheabsolutebasics,thatprovideaskeletonforyoutoworkwith. MakingaCharacterUnique Tomakeacharacteruniqueyoumustgenerateacomplexandrealistic personality.Thinkaboutyourcharacteranddeterminehisorherpreferences intermsof: entertainment food habits termsofexpression favouriteplaces specialmemories hobbies education.

Youcanalsodeterminewhetheryourcharacterpreferscompanyorsolitude, citiesorcountryside,flyingordriving,argumentorcompromise.Youshould establishahistoryforeachcharacter,withanyquestionsthatcometomind, writingnotesabouttheirpastrelationships.Askyourselfhowacharacter feelsabout: parents closefriends childhood partnershipsandmarriage politics. FindingtheSoulofaCharacter Therearethreequestionswhichwillhelpyoutogaininsightintoyour character. Whatannoys,elates,depressesorupliftsyourcharacter? Whatisyourcharacterafraidof? Whatsecretsdoesyourcharacterwithhold? Thecharacteryoudevelopatthisstagewillhelpyouwhenyoucometowrite. Manyofthesedetailswillneverbeprinted,buttheywillhelpyouto understandhowyourcharacterwillchangeandreact.Youarealsofreeto changethesedetailslater.Ifyoufindthatyourdominantcharacterisactually submissive,usingcontrolasafront,youcanchangeyourapproach.Finding outaboutcharacterinthiswayishalfthefunofwriting.InSF,fantasyand horrorthesecretandhiddenaspectsofcharactersareoftenthemost fascinating,soexpectsurprises. SettingYourCharacterinaContext Afullyimaginedcharacterdoesnotexistinisolation.Likepeopleinthereal world,charactersexistinatime,aplaceandinrelationtootherpeople.To fullyunderstandyourcharacteryoumustunderstand where theyare,and who theyrelateto. Whendevelopingyourcharacterrememberthatmostofthemwillbebrought togetheratsomepoint.Itisthewaytheseindividualsrespondtoeachother thatwillprovidethefrictionandharmonywhichcreatesemotionforthe reader.

NamingCharacters Imagineseeing StarWars forthefirsttimeandfindingouttheevilrulerof theEmpirewascalledKevin.InfacthewasknownasDarthVadar,aname whichemanateshostilityandevil.Namesshouldsuitthepeoplethey representand,wherepossible,theyshouldbeoriginal. Surnamescanmakeanordinarynamemoreoriginal.Therearemillionsof PamandJacksintheworld,buttherewillbefewpeoplecalledPam StuyvesatorJackStone.Giveacharacteramoreinterestingnameandyou givereaderssomethingtorememberthemby.ThinkofJean-LucPicard, LukeSkywalker,andevenDuncanMcLeod,andyoucanseehowastrong nameworks.Acompletenameisalsoeasytorememberandmakesyour characteramoreroundedindividual. InsciencefictionyournameswilloftenbemoreunusualthanBobandSarah. Evenso,namessuchasTqyrnxandFgrurtaaredifficulttopronounceand canannoyreaders.NamessuchasOdo,QuarkandDaxsoundalienwithout beingtooobscure. LookingforNewNames Mostsciencefictionwritersuseplacenameslistedinaworldatlastohelp withideas.Foreachstoryyoucanchooseoneregionandletallyournames bebasedonplaceswithinit.Thisregionalflavourtoyournameshelpsto add extra realism. If the names aren't quite what you want, shift letters and lookforwordcombinationsthataremoresuitable. Chooseanamethatsuitstheperson'sculturalbackground,andrememberthat inconversationnicknamesorshortenednameswilloftenbeused.These showthewaythatotherpeoplewithinastorythinkofyourcharacter,andare aneffectivewayofrevealingthestateofrelationshipswithoutdirect exposition.Neverforgetthecharacter'sreactiontotheirownname;itcanbe revealing. IfonecharacteriscalledPeter,avoidcallinganotherPetra,orconfusioncan result.Eachnameshouldbesimpletoreadanddistinguish. Withoutnamesyourcharactersareonlyideas.Givethemgoodnamesand youturnthemintopeople.

StrengtheningCharacters Bydevelopingthepeopleofyourfiction,asdescribed,youmaystumble acrossakeycharacteristicwhichgivesyourcharactertruedefinition.

Althoughcharactersarecomplexeachwillhaveakeycharacteristic,one aspectoftheirpersonality,whichsaysmoreaboutthemthananythingelse.

Thischaracteristicwilltieinwithyourthemeandideas.Ifyourstory concernstheeffectsofafalse-memoryvirus,exploringthethemeof emotionalillusions,thecharacter'skeycharacteristiccouldbeaninabilityto faceuptothepast.Whateverelsethepersonmaybelike,intermsofmood, preferencesandappearance,thisinabilitytoacceptpastmistakesandevents willdriveallthemaindecisionsandactions. FindingtheKeyCharacteristic Thekeycharacteristicisoftendeterminedbyacharacter'syearning.A characterwhoiscontentandatonewiththeworldwillnotbeinteresting. Readerswanttoreadaboutcharacterswithflawsandunfulfilleddesires.Itis thewayacharacteractstodealwithflaws,andtobringaboutchange,that makesastorycompelling.Alonelycharacter,yearningforlove,oramarried characteryearningforseparation,ismoreinterestingthanonewhoishappily marriedwithnoproblems. Whencreatingyourcharacter,askyourselfwhatyourcharacter reallywants. Theanswerwillhelpyoutounderstandthisperson'smaindrivingforce. GoingBeyondtheObvious Notethatthecharacter'smainaimandkeycharacteristiccanbeopposedto eachother.Akeycharacteristicmaybeabruptness,whilethemainaimmay betoestablishfriendship.Thestorywillexplorehowthesetwomustbe balancedforthecharactertosatisfytheyearning. Akeycharacteristiccanbeaburden,oranaspectofthepersonalitythat requiresexpression.InGeoffRyman's TheChildGarden forinstance, Milena'skeycharacteristicisafierceindividuality,whichmakesherlonely. Ratherthansuppressingher

individuality,shedevelopsit,andisthusabletoformthefirstmeaningful relationshipinherlife.Theendresultisthatbybeingfiercelyindividualshe learnstoexpressuniversalemotions. WritingAboutChange SFisaboutchangeanddevelopment.Externalproblemsmustbedealtwith, butforrealchangetotakeplacesomethingmustchangewithinthecharacter. Soifonecharacterwantstofindlove,shemayhavetolearntocontrol anger.Thereisalwaysatrade-off,toachievebalance,anditshouldneverbe easy.Yourstoryshouldbeaboutthemostimportantmoments,difficult decisionsandpainfulactionsinacharacter'slife.

PuttingCharactersintoAction Onceyoubegintoformyourstoryyouwillhavetodecide: whothemaincharacterwillbe howmanycharactersthestoryrequires whatthemainrelationshipsare whethertousefirstorthirdperson whichviewpointwillbeused. Allstoriesrequireatleastonecharacter,butmostcontaintwoormoreso thatsomesenseofrelationshipcanbeshown.Insomenovelsthereare hundredsofcharacters. Acharacterisn'tsimplyapersonwhoyouinvent.Acharacterisapersonina specificsituation.InSFthisismoreimportantthanusual,becausetheSF situationdictatesexactlyhowthecharactermustactandrespond.When inventingcharactersyouarecreatingpeopleinsituations. WorkingwithaViewpointCharacter Theviewpointcharacteristhepersonwhoseeyesweseethestorythrough.In first-personfictiononecharacterdescribestheactionasamemory. 'IwalkedintothefirstdecontaminationchamberwithSashabehind me.Sniffingthecoldair,Idetectedawhiffofsalt.' Inthethirdpersonyoudescribetheactionmoreremotely.

'Jaredwalkedintothedecontaminationchamber,withSashabehind him.Sniffingtheair,hedetectedawhiffofsalt.' Beforeyoubeginwriting,decidewhethertousefirstorthirdperson.Both formsareequallyusefulinsciencefiction,withfirstpersonprovidingan intimateapproachandthirdpersonamoresteadytone.Bearinmindthatif yourcharacterdiesattheendofthebookitwillbedifficulttojustifyfirst person. ChoosingaViewpoint Inboththeaboveexamplestheviewpointbelongstoonecharacter,Jared. Weseethestoryviatheperceptionsofoneperson.IfSashahaddetectedthe smellofsaltthatwouldhavebeenaviewpointshift,whichwouldsound wrongtothereader.Whetheryouusefirstorthirdpersonyoushould describetheactionfromtheviewpointofonecharacteratatime. ShiftingtheViewpoint Inlonger,structured,worksyoucanshiftviewpoint,fromchaptertochapter, butyoumustdosoconsistently.IfSashahasthreeviewpointchapters,so shouldJaredandBreena. Withineachchapteruseoneviewpoint,showingonlytheactionthatthe charactercouldperceive.Neverrevealinformationthatthecharacterisn't awareof,suchas'BehindthewallaBaskingTrollwaswaitingforhim,but hehadnoideaitwasthere,andwalkedintoitspath.'Ifhedoesn'tknow,we shouldn'teither.Onlywhenheseesthetrollleapingathisfaceshouldthe readerfindout. BeingConsistent Equally,youcanonlyshowthethoughtsandspeculationsoftheviewpoint character.IfyouareusingJared'sviewpoint,youcandescribehisfeelings andthoughts,butnobodyelse's.AlthoughhemaybelievethatSashais confusedorupset,basedonherexpressions,actionsanddialogue,hecan neverbecertain.Itisacceptabletoswitchtoherviewpointinaseparate chapter,butwhenwritingfromhisviewpointsticktoit. Viewpointswitchesaretemptingattimes,buttheyweakencharacterisation. Readersliketogetinsidethemindsofindividualcharacters,soyouwrite fromoneviewpointatatime.

MakingCharactersDistinctive Thebackgroundworkyouhaveperformed,buildingupanimpressionofthe characters,willhelpyoutodescribethem.Ifyouimagineclearly,your descriptionsofthemshouldmakethemdistinctive.Ifthreecharactersarein theroom,youraimasawriteristomakethereaderimagineeachperson clearly.Everywordofdialogue,everymovement,reaction,expressionand gesture,shouldbedistinctive. Whenrevealingcharacteristicsavoidmakingstatements.Theworstsortof writingconsistsof'Karenwasangry.'Thewaytorevealacharacteris throughactionandperception.Itwilltakeseveralscenes,perhaps,toreveal thatKarenisdetermined,perhapsshowingherindangeroussituations(with peopleormachinery).Thiswillcreateabettereffectthansimplystatingthat sheisdetermined.Torevealthatsheisangry,showherfacereddening. 'Karenlookeddown,knowingthatherfacewasgoingred.'

Revealcharacterwithoutstatements,byshowinghowpeopleact,interact, andhowtheythink,feelandperceive.Don'tsay,hewasaworriedman, showhimworrying.

Beconsistent.Ifacharacterrefusestomakeeyecontactonpageone,don't showhimgazingintosomebody'seyeslateron.Changeinacharacterwill occur,butsuchchangeshouldbeprogressivesothatitisbelievable.

DealingwithAlienCharacters Whenyoucometodescribenon-humancharacters,whethertheybealiensor androids,specialcareisneeded.Forthereadertoidentifywithaliensthey musthavetraitsthatarerecognisabletous.Inmanycasesthesetraitsare exaggerated,aswiththewarlikeKlingonsof StarTrek. Youraliensshouldn'tsimplybehumanswithdifferentanatomy. Tomakealiensinterestingtheyshouldbe truly alien,perhapswithdifferent methodsofeating,breathing,reproducingandeventhinking. Theirperceptionoftheknownsensesmaybegreaterormorelimitedthan ours. Theymayperceivesensesweareunawareof. Sometimestheywillhaveabilitiesbeyondours. Inothercasesconceptssuchaslovewillbeacompletemysterytothem. Itisthisslurringofcharacteristicswithinaliensthatgivesyousuchpotential forcreativity. Youraliensofferroomforexperiment,buttheyshouldarisefromthe demandsofthestoryandfitinwithyourworldview.Ifyouarewriting aboutanandroidslavetradebetweenEarth,theMarsColonyandtheplanet Hedrall4youwillhavetoinventhumancharacters,Marscolonistsand Hedrallians,andeventheandroidsthemselves. MakingAliensDistinctive Onceyouhaveinventedaraceofaliensyouhavetoinventtheindividual characters.Justaseveryhumanisunique,allyouraliensshouldbeunique. Althoughtherewillbegeneraltraits,preferences,requirementsandabilities, eachindividualwilldifferwithinthoseparameters. Avoidmakingallyouraliensidenticalinnature,becausesuchgeneralisations areneverplausibleorenjoyable.In StarTrek:TheNextGeneration muchof theinterestarosefromseeingCommanderWorffightagainsttheangerofhis Klingonpersonality,whileretaininghisculturalheritage.Thistypeofconflict withinaliensoftenmakesthemmoreinterestingthaniftheyare'typical' Hedrallians. UnderstandingtheAliens'HomeWorld

Tofullyunderstandyouraliencharacters,youshouldunderstandthe workingsoftheirhomeworld.

Ifyourstoryissetinanalien'shomeworldthiswillbenoproblem,asyour generalworld-buildingwillrevealthenecessarydetails. Fig.2. Theelementsofworldbuilding. Ifthealiensareawayfromtheirhomeworldyoushouldstillkeeptheir originsinmind. Whenweknownothingofarace,otherthanitsappearanceandactions,itis trulyalien.Whenwelearnaboutahomeworld,withitsculture,economics, religionandsocialstructure,wecometounderstandarace.Manystoriesand novelshavebeenconcernedsolelywiththisdiscoveryofanalienheritage. Evenifthereadersneverseethealienshomeworld,spendsometimemaking notesaboutitsothatyouunderstandhowandwhereyouralienslive.

Checklist Areyourcharactersalldistinctive?

Canyouimaginehowyourcharacterswillrespondtoeachother? Areyourcharacters'nameseasytoreadandremember? Doyouhaveenoughcharacterstocreatesufficienttension? Isthereroominyourstorytogiveeachcharacterfullexpression? Beawareofyourcharacters'appearance. Knowthecharacters'fullbackground. Determineeachperson'skeycharacteristic.

CaseStudies PeterInventsCharacters Peterrealisesthathismaincharacter,Brian,couldbepatheticifhesimply wantstohidefromhispast.TosolvethisPetermakesBrianastruggling,yet talented,pianist.Heistryingtosuppresspainfulmemories,believingthat personalmiseryisspoilinghispianoperformances.Tomakethismore interestingBrianwillbesomebodywhotakescriticismwellinpublic,butis mortifiedbyitinprivate.Perhapsthepainfulmemoriesinvolvehisclosest friendadmittingthatshedoesn'tthinkheisagoodpianist.Peterdetermines thatBrian'skeycharacteristicisadesiretobeliked,throughhisart.Peter alsooutlinesthefriendandthesurgeon,writingbriefdescriptionsandscenes ofinteraction. MichaelFindstheRightPeople MichaelhasalreadyestablishedthatLiamAnderson'skeycharacteristicisa fearofloneliness.TomakethismoreinterestinghewantstomakeLiaminto acharacterunabletofaceuptothis.Hewilltrytoliveinisolation,refusing toletpeopleclose,findingthattheLonelinessHouralwaysdestroyshimbit bybit.ToaddpoignancyMichaelwritesascenewhichinvolvesLiam'ssister tryingtogetclosetohim.Herealisesthatseveralcharacterscouldbetrying togetclosetoLiam,whichwilladdironyandpainto

thestory.AfterwritingseveralscenesMichaelconsidersswitchingthe viewpoint,tomakeVeronicathekeycharacter,butrealisesthereismore interestifthereaderidentifieswithLiam. RuthGivesherCharacterMoreDepth Ruthdevelopshercharacters,byinventingfullbackgroundsforeach.To avoidturningtheprofessorintoacliché(eccentric,mad)shemakeshim appearordinary,under-dressing.Hisbestfriendsarefactoryworkers,with whomhespendshisevenings,thoughhedoesn'tadmitthistohiscolleagues. WhenwritingaboutElissa,thewomandesiredbytheprofessor,Ruth realisesshewillbemoreinterestingifshecontainsacontradiction.Onthe surfaceshecanbeangelicandcalm,buthersecretnaturecouldbemuch darker.Thisfactoralonewillaffectthestory,becausetheprofessorisonly lookingatthesurface. DiscussionPoints 1.Imagineallofyourmaincharactersinonescene.Howdotheyfeelabout eachother?Canyoutellthemaparteasily? 2.Whoistheviewpointcharacter?Trywritingthescenefromseveral differentviewpointsandseehowthisaffectsthestory. 3.Whatisthemainrelationshipbetweenyourcharacters?Howdoesthis reflectyourideaandtheme?Howcanitbedeveloped? 4.Howdoessituationaffectcharacter?Putoneormorecharactersinto differentsituations(suchasescape,imprisonment,firstmeeting).Howdoes thisaffecttheirinteraction?

5 EvolvingYourPlot

LettingCharactersCreateYourStory Plotisaseriesofeventsthattakesthestoryfrombeginningtoend.You showthereadersegmentsofanimaginedreality,whichrelatetoeachother inalogicalmanner.Eventuallythesesectionsofimaginedlifecreatemeaning andemotion,andtellacharacter'sstory.

Plotisthestructurethatturnssituationintostory.

'Bellantriedanewemotion-drug'isasituation,whereas'Bellantriedanew emotion-drug,becausehewantedtoforgethispastrelationships'isastory. Sotheplotofthisstorymightbe'Bellanstealsthedrug.Hefightshisurgeto takeit.Heargueswithafriendaboutit.Hetakesthedrug.Hedealswithits consequences.'Theplothasevolvedfromthecharactersituation,thetheme andtheintendedemotion.Whenfleshedoutwithfullscenes,character interactionandimagery,thiswillbeastory. DecidingWhatHappensNext Wheneveryoufindanideaitwillprobablybeasituationwhichneedsturning intoastory.Althoughsomewritersliketoplanaplot,youdonotneedtobe somechanical.Itcanbejustassatisfyingtostartwithaproblemandbegin writing. Plotaroseinfictionasawayofkeepingreadersinterested,andofhandling time.Assuchplotisatool,notarestrictiverule.Itissomethingyoucanuse tomakeastorybetter,butitshouldneverbeyourmaster.Iftheplottakes overyoumayforceyourcharactersintoincongruoussituationsandlosetrack ofyourtheme.Keepyoureyesonthelogicofplot,butdon'tletadesirefor moredramaforceyouintofindingextremeplots.Therelevanceofaplotto

yourcharacters,themeandstoryismoreimportantthanplottingacomplex seriesofeventsforthesakeofit. UsingPlotCreatively J.R.R.Tolkien's LordoftheRings containsastunningplot,butTolkienlet thestoryevolveashewrote,withoutanyideaofwhereitwasgoing.The shockhefelt,ashemadeimportantandfrighteningdiscoveries,waspassed ontothereaders.Hebackedcharactersintocorners,makingthesituationas difficultaspossiblesothatthestorywoulddemandanimportantplottwist.If he'dtriedtoplanplotsbeforewritinghemayhavedismissedriskyideasas beingunworkable. Althoughplotisusuallydefinedastheplanofeventsinanarrativeordrama, planningisnotnecessary.Insciencefiction,fantasyandhorroritdoeshelp, however,ifyouunderstandthelogicaldirectionofyourfictionbeforeyou begin. AddingtheDramaticElements Thebestdramaoccursthroughcharacterinteraction.Youdon'tneedovert drama,but something musthappen. Astoryusuallyopenswithaconflict.Yourstorywillconcernthemost importanteventsinthecharacter'slife,asituationthatrequiresresponseand characteraction.Fictionisallaboutresponsetosituation.IfBellantakesthe emotion-drugs,andfindsthatheislosingpreciousmemories,theplot demandsthathedosomethingaboutthis.Ratherthansittingthereand thinking'Ohdear',hemusttrytoresolvethesituation.Perhapshewillseek helpfromanotherperson,takeanotherdrug,orexperimentwithtelepathy techniqueshelearntasachild.Whateveryoudecide,hemustdosomething. BringinginAction Ifyoufindthatacharacterdoestoomuchthinking,youmayhavecreateda non-starter.Readersdon'twanttoknowaboutpurevictims-thosewhosit backwhiletheworldhappenstothem-theywanttoreadaboutpeoplewho fightconflictanddrivethenarrative. Thebalancebetweenvictimandactionisadelicateone.Yourcharactermust beavictimofcircumstance,whethercausedfromwithinorwithout, otherwisethereisnoconflict.Apurevictim,however,isnotinteresting.This doesn'tmeanthatallstoriesmust havehappyendings,wherethecharacter'sactionspayoff.Itmeansthat storiesareabouttheactionsofyourcharacters,inresponsetoconflict.By detailingeventsthatacharacterbringsabout,inthefaceofaconflict,you createaplot.

StrengtheningthePlot Thebestplotsworkintwoways: theygetworse theyforcethecharactertochange. Iftheworstmomenthappensatthebeginning,andthingsgraduallyget better,thereaderwillfeelthatsomethinghasgonewrong.Thesituation shouldworsen,tocreatetension.IfKalosbecomesinfectedwithanempathy virus,hecouldreactinseveralways.Hischaracterwilldeterminewhetherhe cries,commitssuicide,denieshissituation,seeksacure,oruseshisnew powerofempathytoreachouttoothers.Solongashedoesn'tjustsitthere, it'suptoyouwhathedoesandhisactionswillcreatetheplot.

Theprogressiveworseningofaproblemmakesaplotinteresting.

Eachproblemyourcharacterfacesshouldbeworsethanthelast.IfKalos triestofighttheempathydrug,thenextstageofthestoryshouldshowthe effectsworsening. Asplotprogresses,althoughthesameproblemwillworsen,trynottorepeat theprobleminexactlythesameway.IfKalosfightstheeffectswith meditation,andthentheyworsen,heshouldfightthemwithself-mutilation rituals,adifferentdrug,orbyseekingviolentconfrontation.Atthispointyou couldincreasetheeffectsofthedrug,toprogresstheplot.Tomakeitreally interestingthereshouldbeanadditionalthreat.Kaloscouldrisklosinghis honour,apositioninsociety,hisjobasasecurityherder,ifhebecomestoo empathic.Hecouldalsolosehisfriends.Bymakingthethreatmorepainful, theplotworsens,andhewillbeforcedtochangetoresolvetheproblem. Thisaspectofplottingisespeciallyimportantinsciencefiction,becauseit re-emphasisesyourcoreideainalogicalway.

ApplyingLogic Whenyouworkcreativelyyoumaythinkthatlogicisanathematoyour process,butitshouldn'tbe.Althoughtheworldisoftenillogical,andour actionsdon'tmakesense,fictionworksbestwhenplotsevolvelogically. Avoidover-useofcoincidence,chancehappeningsandout-of-character events.Ifyousticktothelogicofyourcharacters,theme,situationandidea, theplotwillevolveinanimpressiveway. Insciencefiction,fantasyandhorroryoumustmaintainastrictlogic,in keepingwithyourworld-building. Ifcursespellsdon'tworkincrystalcaves,thenyourcharactermustfind anotherwaytoholdbacktheOrcs.IfAngramarWolvesdrinkfreshriver water,youwon'tfindthemincities.Ifwarpdrivescan'tbeusednearworm holesonpage20,thenyoucan'twarpawayfromawormholeonpage60. Whenplotting,therestrictionsofthelogicalworldyoucreatewillhelp, ratherthanhinder,becausetheyurgeyoutofindcredible,interesting solutionsratherthanobvious,lessexcitingideas. LettingCharactersDevelop Thechangethatoccursinyourcharacteristhemostimportantpartofa story.Plotcanshowhowthischangecomesabout.Ifthisstoryisabout Kalos'lackofselfrespect,andthewayhemustchangethis,thenwemust seethechangeinhim.Thestorycouldberesolvedwhenheacceptsthe empathyeffectsand,throughanewselfrespect,allowshimselftobecloseto others. Aplotshouldprogresstotheworstpossiblemoment,atwhichpointthestory shouldberesolvedthroughtheactionsofyourcharacter.Itmayberesolved positively,withyourcharacter'schangeandactionsachievingthedesired result,oritmayendintragedy.Whateverendingyouchoose,itshouldbe broughtaboutbycharacter action. Theworstmistakeyoucanmakeistoshowsomebodythinking,'Iknowwhat todo.' Show uswhattheydo.Nevertelluswhatacharacterhasdecided. Showusthroughaction.IfKalosdecidesthathecanformnewrelationships, don'tlethimmullthisover;showhimtransmattingovertohisbrother's house,offeringthehandofreconciliation. Wheneditorssayastoryneedsastrongerplot,thisiswhatthey

mean.Theyaren'taskingformoreactionintermsofbattlesandexplosions, theyareaskingforastorybuiltaroundasituation.Theywantyoutodevelop yourcharacterinresponsetoaconflict,sothatasthecharacterchangesthe storycanberesolved.

FormingaSubplot Subplotsoccurinalmostallfilms,mostnovelsandmanyshortstories.They aresecondarystories,plotsthatrunalongsidethemainplot.Ifthemainstory isaboutonecharacter'sfightagainstadisease,thesubplotcouldconcernhis partner'sbattletotellhimadifficulttruthbeforehedies. ConnectingPlotwithSubplot Plotandsubplotshouldbecloselylinked.Ifyouthinkofyourmainplotasa river,flowingprogressivelyon,thesubplotscanbethoughtofasthestreams thatfeedit.Theyshouldnotbearbitrary,butshouldbetiedupwiththe mattersofthemainplot. Subplotsgivenovelsbroaderscope,butthedownsideisthattheyalsomakea novellessfocused.Usesubplotscarefully,toenhanceastory,ratherthan simplytoaddextraaction.

ClosingaPlot Indesperationforagoodendingitisoftentemptingtobringinadeusex machina -wheresomeoutsideeventsolvestheproblems.Thiswasrecently usedinthefilm JurassicPark.Thecharactersareputintoareallydreadful situationattheend,withdinosaursapproachingfromallsides.Thefilm makerschosetosolvethisbyhavingabiggerdinosaurcrashthroughthe building,bycoincidence. Nomatterhowimpressivethespecialeffects,mostoftheaudiencewas disappointedbythis,becauseithadnothingtodowiththepeoplewehad beenwatchingfortwohours.Ithappenedbychanceand,assuch,meant nothing.Wewantedtoseethecharactersresolveasituation. JurassicPark shouldhavebeenaboutpeoplefightingdinosaurs,notaboutchance happenings. Inyourownfictionmaintaintheintegrityofthestory,andgiveitthemost relevantandlogicalending.Thereisnosuchthingasagoodending,onlythe right endingforyourstory.

Checklist Analyseplotsofyourfavouritestoriesandnovels. Lookatthelogicofyouridea. Examinecauseandeffectinfiction. Noticehowplotworsens. Imaginethefullscopeofyourstory. Ensurethatyourplotarisesfromthecharacter'ssituation. Developaplotthattestsyourmaincharacter. Lettheconflictdevelop,becomingprogressivelymoredifficult. Allowcharactertodevelopwithintheeventsofyourplot. Studysubplotinfictionthatyouenjoy. Makeroomforsubplot,toadddepthtoyourstory. Findtherightendingforyourstory.

CaseStudies PeterEvolvesaPlot Whilewritingscenesofinteraction,PeterrealisesthatBrian'smisguided actionswillhavenegativeconsequences.Hewritesthefirstpartofthestory, showingthatoncethebrainvalveisinplaceitstopsthememories.Aside effectisthatBrian'spianoplayingisnowpassionless,meaningheisliked evenless.Peternowmakesnotesonthewaythisplotcanevolve.Theseare generalnotes,showingameetingwiththefriend,anothermeetingwiththe surgeonandtherealisationthatresolvingthiscontradictionwillbehis purposeinthestory.WiththatbasicplanPetercontinuestowrite,lettingthe scenesandplotevolveashewrites.

MichaelIncreasestheConflict TogivedirectiontohisplotMichaelimaginesseveraldifferentendings.Heis stilluncertainexactlyhowthestorywillend,buthedeterminesageneral directionandbeginswriting.Tomaketheplotmoreeffective,hemakessure thattheeventsofthestoryprogress,withtheconflictbecomingmoresevere. Herealisesthattomakethestoryworkhehastowritescenesofaction whichshowLiam'ssufferingandconflict.Ineachcasetheproblemgets worse,graduallyforcingLiamtochange. RuthExpandsherStory Ruthfindsthattomakeherstoryeffective,thediscoveriesaboutElissamust comequiteearlyinthestory.Atfirstshethoughtthatthisrevelationwould betheconclusiontotheplot,butnowbelievesitisthestartingpointfor development.Whilewritingthestoryshefindsthat,althoughtheprofessor onlyseesskindeep,hehasadepthofcharacterwhichshewantstobringout inhim.AsshewritesscenesofinteractionbetweenhimandElissaheis forcedtofaceuptohertruecharacter,andthusforcedtoseeherasaperson. Theplotresolvesonlywhenhehaschanged,usinghisinventionasaformof communicationratherthancontrol. DiscussionPoints 1.Asyourstorydevelops,examinetheplot.Isitgettingprogressively worse?Doestheconflicttestyourcharacter'sweakness? 2.Imaginedifferentendingsforyourstory.Whichisthemostinteresting? Whichwilldemandthemostofthecharacter?Whichendinghelpstomake senseofyourthemeandideas? 3.Charactersmustdevelop,inordertoresolveaplot.Howcanyour characterchange,tomakethestorywork? 4.Subplotworksbestwhenitreflectsthemainplot.Howcanyoubuilda subplotaroundthemaineventsofyourstory?

6 MakingYourStoryBelievable

CreatingRealism Sciencefictionshouldbebelievable.Nomatterhowfantasticyourideas, images,oraliens,yourreadershouldbelievethatyourfictionalworldis realistic.Thankfully,readersdosuspenddisbelief,evenwithwondrous stories,buttheywillonlygosofar.Ifyouwriteanimplausiblescene,anout ofcharacteraction,orapoorsentence,readerswillnotice.Whentheynotice amistake,suspensionofdisbeliefevaporatesandyourworkisruined.

Tomakereadersbelieveyourstoryyouneedtowriterealistically,giving everythingreason,focusandmeaning.

WritingRealistically Tomakefictionrealisticyouneedarealisticcharacter.Theworkyoudid earlierondefiningacharacterwillensurethatyourviewpointisarealistic one.Ifyourmaincharacteractswithintheboundariesofarecognised personality,yourstoryshouldbebelievable. Characterswilldevelopandchange,thusalteringtheircharacteristics,but thiswillhappeninareasonableway.Someshiftswillbegradual,otherswill besudden,buttheyshouldalwaysbelogical.Acowardlycharacter,for example,maysuddenlyfindthecouragetoenterarat-infestedCombat Tunnel. That would make sense if his son was trapped at the other end, screaming for help. If nobody was trapped, and he was doing it for the laugh, itwouldseemartificial.Thetransformationwouldn'tringtrue.Afteryou havewrittenascene,askyourselfwhetherornotitringstrueforyour character. RealisingtheUnreal InSFyouhavetheadditionalproblemofdescribingaliens,spaceshipsand technologythatsimplydoesn'texist.Howcanyoumakesomethingunreal realistic? Again,usingastrongcharactercansolvemanyproblems.Imagineyour character'sperspectiveoneventsandshowthat.Ifshelivesinafuturistic landscapecrustedwithlighttowers,transferbeamsandshippingfloaters, thenthesethingsmaynotbewondroustoher.Theyshouldbedescribedina matteroffactway.If,however,thetowershavejustbeenbuilt,andsheis seeingthemforthefirsttime,theywillhaveagreatimpactonher.Before writinganysceneofwonder,thinkofthecharacter'sviewpoint. GivingaSenseofWonder Yourreaderwillstillfeelasenseofwonderwhenreadingaboutadvanced technologicalideas,evenifthecharactertakesthemforgranted.This techniquecanevenincreasethesenseofwonder;whensomethingsounusual istakenforgranteditseemsanevengreaterachievement.Inthisdecadewe takehomecomputersforgranted,butjust20yearsagotheconceptwas almostalien.Ifthepeopleofthe1960ssawavisionoftiny,super-powerful homecomputersbeingtakenforgranted,thatwouldseemwondrous. GroundingaStory ThemostdifficultaspectofSFisdescribinganimaginedfuture,while makingitsomethingthatcontemporaryreaderscanrelateto.Thisiseasier withnear-futureSF,wheretheworldisonlyslightlydifferent.Inafarfuture, oronadifferentplanet,thetaskismuchgreaterbecauselifeasweknowit mayhavebeencompletelyeradicated. DrawingonToday'sConcerns Tomakeastorymeaningful,andbelievable,youshouldgrounditina contemporaryconcern.Sciencefictionisconcernedwiththefuture,butthese speculationsareimportanttousbecausetheyreflecttheworldtoday.Astory aboutemotion-drugsisimportant,notbecauseofthesciencebutbecauseit reflectsmodern-dayuseofalcoholandillegaldrugs.Anepiconthesubject ofTerraformingMarsmatterstousnow,becauseitreflectscurrent environmentalconcerns. Nomatterhowmythologicalascientificdevelopmentmay appear,itsoonbecomesmundane.Astoryaboutvideogames,cars, aeroplanes,ortelephoneswouldbeboring,notonlybecausethetechnologyis familiarbutbecauseitisthewaythesecreationsaffecthumansthatmatters. Inthesamewaystoriesaboutvirtualreality,teleportationandspacetravel arealsoboring,unlesstheydomorethanshowtheobviousimplicationsof thetechnology.Alwaysrememberthehumanangle.

SFquestionsourachievements,hintsatourresponsibilities,askswherewe aregoingandwhowearetoday.

Whateveryourideaandtheme,andnomatterhowabstract,considerthese factorstoensurethatyourstorymatters.Ifyoucanmakereaderscare,they willwanttobelieve. RevealingYour'WorldView' InSF,fantasyandhorroryouhavetoestablishtheuniqueworldyouare writingabout,withinafewlines.Ifyourstoryissetthreehundredyearsfrom now,youshouldmakethatclearassoonaspossibletoavoidreader confusion. Ifyourfirstscenedescribesamanmeetingsomebodyelseinapark,and showsthemtalking,youshouldtrytomakeitclearwhaterathestoryisset in.Otherwisereadersmayfeelthatitissetinthepresentday,andwhenthe charactersteleportuptothemoonthestorywilllackrealism. Toestablishthedate(withoutstatingitdirectly),builddetailsofthefuture intotheopeningscene.Youcouldshowthemsmokingself-lightingcigarettes whichgiveoffabluesmoke,whilegazingacrossattheskytowerwhich windsallthewayintospace. Whenthestrangeandnewistakenforgrantedinastoryitwillseemmore believable,yetmorewondrous.Ifweweretoshowsomebodyfromfour hundredyearsagoTowerBridgeinLondon,theywouldbeamazed,even thoughwetakeitforgranted.Yourcharactersshouldbeequallyunabashed bymoderntechnologies. TakingTechnologyforGranted Avoidover-explaining.Ifyoumustexplainhowsomethingworks,suchasa hovercar,trytodosowithrelevance.Onewayaroundthisistoshowit beingsomethingthatconcernsthecharacter.Withthisexampleyoucould say: 'Asthecarliftedoff,Jedhopedthetetrion-coilhadbeenreplaced recently.Itwasn'tthathedidn'tlikefly-cars,justthathewould rathergobyaground-rail.' Thesebriefsentencestakethetechnologyforgranted,whichmakesit realisticyetalsoshowushowthemachineryworks.Atthesametimethis alsorevealsalittlebitaboutJed'stechno-phobiccharacter. Whenwritinganovelsetinthepresentwedon'tdescribehowacombustion engineworks,howTowerBridgewasbuilt,theprinciplesofflightandsoon. InSFtechnologyisintegral,butitisn'tallaboutexplaining. Ensurethatyourstoryisinternallylogical,believable,andthateverythingis relevant. Byallmeansspendhalfapagedescribingthetwinsunsoverthecoal mountains-ifthestoryrequiresit,ifthemoodisnecessary-butdon't rambleforthesakeofit.ToomuchSFisglossyonthesurface,without intelligentcontent,sowritewithintegrity.Everywordshouldcontribute towardsthewholeofthepiece. Yourfictionshoulddomorethansimplyreportonthefuture;itshould commentonhumannature,helpingustostandbackandobserveourselvesin themomentofnow. AcceptingtheUnusual Acharactershouldnotgettooinvolvedwiththetechnology,unlessthe technologyischangingforthecharacter.Althoughatransportationpadmight beunusualtous,ifitisordinaryforyourcharacterheshouldnotshowtoo muchshockaboutseeingoneoutsidehishouse.Acontemporarystorywould notsay'Conradturnedonthetelevision,aglassandplasticdeviceusedfor viewingcodedinformationsignals,relayedbyanelectronbeam,asimages, resemblingatwo-dimensionalversionofaframedreality.'Youwouldjust saythathewatchedTV.Inthesameway,ifyouover-explainitbecomes obviousthatyouarewritingdowntothecharacter. Theskillistouseassumptionsinawaythatdoesrevealinformation.There aretwomainapproachestorevealingworldview:

thefirstissubtleandgradual thesecondismoredirect. RevealingInformationGradually Inthefirstapproachyouwilldescribeacharacterwhoisrecognisabletous intermsofhabits,preferencesanddesires(evenifthispersonisanalien). Theunusualaspectsoftheimaginedworldwillberevealedgradually, throughthefirstfewscenes.RatherthanstatingthatEarthwasrunbyan organiccomputer,whichprovidednutrientstothepeopleinStateSupply Tubesonstreetcorners,youwouldbemoresubtle.Yourfirstscenecould involvecharacterssittinginacafé,drinkingonlywater,feelinghungry,but unabletoorderfood.Astheytalkitbecomesobviousthatthisisn'tour world.Whentheyaretoohungrytocontinuetalkingtheycould,materof factly,goouttotheStateBuffetSlabs,pulloutasugartube,andingest.At thispointonecharactermightsayit'stimeforhishibernation. BombardingInformation Theotherextremegoesstraightforthesciencefiction. 'TherewerefullmoonsintheskywhentheKrammashipsfinally arrived.Ingmarwatchedfromthehissailbarge,astheshipsunfolded theirwings.' Thisstylehastheadvantageofinstantlycreatingastrongimpressionofyour imaginedworld.Itsmaindisadvantageisthatyoumaylosereadersifyour ideasaretooextreme.Ifyoudobombardinformation,dosoincertain sections,butuseamoregradualstyleelsewheresothatreadershavetimeto adjusttotheideas.

EncounteringAliens Aliens,bydefinition,areunusualtous.Evenifyourcharacterhasmixed withaliensforyears,theywillstillfeelnon-human.Tomakealiens interesting,however,wemustbeabletorelatetothem.Humanoidaliens, withdistortedforeheads,doublenosesoreyesintheircheeks,areeasierto copewiththanslimespheresorconsciousgases. Manywritersgofortheeasyoption,usingonlyhumanoidaliens.Thisisthe greatestweaknessoftelevisionseriessuchas Star

Trek.Afterawhilethealiensallcometoseemalittletoohuman,too recognisable.Humanoidaliensaredifficulttojustifyinscientificterms,and althoughtheyareeasytorelatetotheymayseemmoreunrealisticthannon- humanoids. ConcentratingonCharacter Ifyoudowriteaboutslimeglobesorsimilar,non-humanoidaliens,youcan stillmakethemrealistic.Again,thinkofyourcharacter'sperception. Justbecauseanalienisweirddoesn'tmeanitisunrealistic. Ifyoudescribeaslimespherewell,withafullyimaginedhomeplanet, history,meansofcommunicationandsocialorganisation,itwillbe believable.Makesurethatyouappreciatewhattypeofairitbreathes,whatit eats,howlongitlivesfor,whatreligionitmayhaveandsoon. MakingtheAnatomyBelievable Intermsofanatomy,makesurethateverythingisthereforareason.Don't giveamonstertentaclestomakeitmoredramatic.Ifithastentaclesthey shouldbepresentforareason:doesitusethemtocatchhummingflies,to matewith,asweapons,sensoryorgans,orevenforcommunication? Thisiswhyimaginingahomeworldforaliensisvital.Evenifitisnever describedinyourstoryitmakestheappearanceofyouralienslogicaland sensible.

HandlingTime Allfictiondealswithimaginedmomentsoflife.Insteadofwritingdowna character'sentireexistence,frombirththroughtodeath,chroniclingevery meal,day-dreamandaccident,detailsceneswhicharerelevanttoyourstory. Fictionisawayofpackaginglifeandlookingattheinterestingbits.InSF, fantasyandhorrorgettingthepaceofastoryrightisavitalaspectofmaking itbelievable. Sometimesyoudescribeeverymomentofascene,detailingtheexact sensationandobservation.Atothertimesyoudescribedecadesinasentence. Mostofthetimeyouwillworkinthemiddle-ground,makingthetransition betweenscenesassmoothaspossible.Tothereaderitshouldn'tbeobvious thatyouare

playingwithtime,onlythatyouareconcentratingonthemostimportantparts ofthestory. If,forexample,twocharactersgooutforameal,theeventsbeforeandafter theyeatmayberelevant.Toavoidaboringdescriptionofthemealitself,you couldwrite: 'Shesmiledasshetookthefirstmouthful,alreadyfeelingtheheat. Bytheendofthemealshewastoohot,findingitdifficultto breathe.Perhapstheimplantwasplayingup.' Heretimeisspeededup,thensloweddownagain,smoothly. MakingLargerShifts InSF,morethananyothertypeoffiction,youwilloftenberequiredtomake largetimeshifts.Thesecanbeanythingfromonetoahundredmillionyears. Whenyoudescribelargesegmentsoftimeyouhavetojudgethedegreeof requireddetail.'Forthenextdecadeheworkedalone'mightbesufficient. 'Bytheendofthecentury,thefirstsolarmillswereinplace'mightworkin somestories,butinothersmuchmoredetailwillberequired.Although massiveshiftsintimecanbehandledinamoment,youmaywanttospend severalpagesdescribingthecentury,andexactlywhathappened,bothinthe worldandtoyourcharacter. Large-scaletimetransitionsarequitedifficult,though,becausetheycanbe impersonal,sopepperthemwithsceneswherepossible. 'AfterthreeyearswithoutseeingLallan,hemetherinaKimotabar. Theybarelyspoke.Shewaswearingtoomuchskullmakeup,and lookeddrowsy.Hethoughtaboutthatforweeksafterwards,while workingattheFreezer,butbythetimetheymetagain,during Middlemasseason,he'dforgottenwhatshelookedlike.' Pacingastorymayseemcomplicated,butitissimpleifyoufollowonerule: onlyincludetherelevantinformation,ortoputitanotherway,give everythingareason. GivingEverythingaReason Ifascene,explanation,descriptionorconversationdoesn't

contributeinsomewaytotheoverallstory,itshouldn'tbethere.Soiftimeis passinginyourstory,withyearsgoingby,askyourselfwhetheradescription oftheinterveningeventsreallyisessential.Ifnot,simplystatethattheyears havegoneby.Ifdetailisneeded,decidehowmuch.Sometimespagesor chapterswillberequired,inothercasesaparagraphwillsuffice. Whenwritingcreativelyyoushouldn'tquestionyourselftoomuch,oryou willstemtheflowofwords.Onceascene,description,orpassageoftime hasbeenwritten,however,askyourselfifitreallybelongsinthestory.Does ithaveareasontobethere?Determinewhetherthepassage: movesthestoryforward revealscharacter establishesmoodandatmosphere expressesthetheme. Ifitdoesatleastoneofthese,thenitprobablybelongsinyourwork.Ifit doesn'tdoanyofthese,itisunnecessarypaddingthatwillmakeyourstory sluggish,soyoumightwanttocutitout.Equally,ifascenerestates somethingthereadersalreadyknow,dropit.Ifyoushowtwocharacters arguingaboutcompassiononpagethree,itwouldbeboringtoseethem arguingaboutitagainonpageseven.Itcouldbeinterestingiftheargument haschangedinmeaningorintensity,implyingchangeinthecharacters,or significanceinrelationtoevents.Otherwise,everylineshouldoffer somethingnew.

UsingMistakesasInspiration Asyouwritethestory,withnewelementsbeingintroducedanddeveloped, checktoseethatyourworldviewstillholdstogether.Ifthereare contradictions,arisingfromnewideas,readerswillnotice. Lookforloopholesintheplot,byaskingyourselfifthereisaneasierway outofasituation.If,forexample,yourmaincharacteristrappedonaplanet, tryingtostealashuttlesothathecanescape,thismightnotmakesenseifhis mother-shiphasteleportationcapability.Inthisexampleyouwilleitherhave todisabletheteleportationthroughanaccidentofsomekind,orremovethe shipfromthislocation,ormakehissignalimpossibletoreceive.

Insomewayyoumustmaintainthelogic,withoutitlookingasthoughyou areforcingthefactstosuityoursituation. Usethesediscrepanciestoaddinterestandexcitement.Ifyouregardthemas opportunities,theycanbringnewideastoyourwork.

Checklist Isyourcharactersuitedtothestory? Areyourcharacter'sactionsbelievable? Makereaderscareaboutacharacter,tohelpthembelieveinyourstory. Useassumptions,ratherthanexplanation,torevealtechnology. Imaginethefullconsequencesofeveryactioninyourstory. Revealyourworldviewthroughrevelationandbombardment. Checkthateverylinegenuinelycontributestothestory. Findloopholesinyourplotandusethemtodevelopyourwork. CaseStudies PeterWorksonWorldBuilding Withthestorynowcomplete,Peterchecksonthelogicofhisidea.He realisesthattheideaofjustonesurgeonhavingthiscapabilityisalittle implausible.Thismakeshimdevelopacultureinwhichthereisanentire blackmarketofsuchbrainvalves.Henowmakesmorenotes,buildinga fullerpictureofhisworld.Rewritingthestorythesurgeonnowtakesona moresinisterappearance,andBrian'sactionsfeelmoredaring,givinga greaterlevelofrealism. MichaelWorkswithCharacter Michaelworksonworldbuilding,toensurethattheLoneliness

Hourhasalogicalcause.This,inturn,affectsotheraspectsofthestory, whichrequiredevelopment.Togivecohesiontothisrewritingprocess, MichaelconcentratesonLiam'scharacter.Bymakinghimacharacterthat readerswillsympathisewith,thestoryismorebelievable.Inthefirstsection Michaelusesideabombardmenttosetthescene,laterrevealinginformation gradually,sothattheideasarerevealedwithinthestoryratherthanas explanations. RuthRevealsInformation LookingbackoverherstoryRuthrealisesthatitssteadytone,andformal setting,meanthatitwillbesuitedtoacalmstyle,withgradualrevelations. Usingscenesofargumentandaction,sherevealsherimaginedworld, withoutexplaining.Theimportantinformationissetoutimmediately,with moredetailbeingreleasedthroughoutthestory.

DiscussionPoints 1.Takeascenefromyourstoryandwriteitusinggradualrevelations.Now rewriteitusingbombardment.Whichismosteffective?Howcanyou combinethetwo? 2.Lookformistakesinyourwork.Whatareasofdevelopmentdothey suggest? 3.Examinetheeventsthatareoccurringinyourstory.Doeseverythinghave areason? 4.Readthefirstpageofyourstory.Howquicklydoyouestablishyourworld view?Haveyouleftroomforthedevelopmentofthisidea? 7 BringingScienceFictiontoLife Sciencefiction,fantasyandhorrorarerenownedforrichimagery,stunning scenesandasenseofwonder.Whenusedwellyourdescriptivelanguagecan conveyimages,sensoryimpressions,emotionandatmosphere.Precise, imaginativedescriptionisanareaofhugepotentialandisneglectedbymany writers.Ifyoulearntocreatestrongimagery,yourstoriescanbemore complete.

CreatingImagery Oneofthemosteffectivewaystocreateastrikingvisualeffectisthrough juxtaposition. 'Embarrassed,shemovedtowardsoneoftheplastictables,placing herdaffodilbesidearunnysaucebottle.' Byplacingsomethingfragileandbeautifulnexttosomethingmundane,each objectisgivenmorevisualimpactandaspecificatmosphereiscreated. Youcanexperimentwithsuchvisualtechniquesinnote-form,togetthefeel fortheprocess,beforeactuallywritingthemintoastoryoranovel.When youcometowritefictionletthedescriptionoccurnaturally,asapartofthe writingprocess.Neverdescribeforthesakeofit;usethedescriptionwhen thestorywouldbeflatwithoutit,whenthestoryrequiresthatthereaderbe awareofmorethanisalreadyimpliedbythesituationordialogue. CalmingYourStyle Maintainasteadywritingstyle,andavoidtoomanyadjectivesandadverbs. Theworstmistakeawritercanmakewhendescribingistoover-doit.Over- writingisamajorprobleminanyareaoffiction,anditmakesdescriptions soundridiculous.Notonlyare

'toweringmountains'and'sparklingstars'clichés,buttheyareruinedby adjectives.Itisoftenenoughtopointoutthatthestarswereoutandthatthe characterobservedthem. Itispossibletodescribearichscenewithoutadjectives.Sometimes,simply cuttingtheadjectiveswillstrengthenapiece. GoingBeyondtheObvious Insciencefictiontheseslightlyalteredwaysoflookingatthingsarealsoan essentialpartofdescribinganimaginaryworld.Ifyourstoryissetinthefar future,youcan'tusesimilesandadjectivesinthesameway.Ifapplesno longerexist,forexample,youcouldn'tcompareanalien'sskintothefleshof anapple.Norcouldyousaythatarocketengineglowedwiththecolourofa streetlight.Goingbeyondtheobvious,andusingmoreoriginaldescriptions, isthebestwayaroundthisproblem. Ifyoudescribeasunset,theobviousdescriptionwillconcerntheclouds,the sunandthecolourofthesky.Itismoreinterestingtodescribetheeffectof thesunsetonthesurroundingland.Imagine,forexample,sunsetlighton someone'sface,orsunsetbrighteningthelandscapebeneaththickening clouds.

Don'tlookstraightintotheobviousglareofanimage.Looktooneside,see howitaffects people.

Whenthesunsetsmostpeoplestarestraightatit,andareblindtowhatever itilluminates.Bylookinginanewway,observingthingsotherthanthe obvious,youcanuncoveroriginaldescriptions.Ifyouaredescribing mountains,it'smoreimportanttoshowthecharacter'sperceptionofthem thantoconveytheirfactualappearance. RevealingPerception Perceptionisthewholepointofdescription.Thewayacharacterperceives snow,forinstance,saysmoreabout them thanitdoesaboutthescenery.A sadcharacterwillbeawareofthecloying,weteffectsofthestuff,asitfinds itswayintonostrilsandears.Ahappycharacterwillkickthesnowplayfully, orenjoythenumbingfreezeworkingthroughherboots. Whendescribing,alwaysrememberthatyouareconveyingthe character's perception.

Thisisthepurposeofwriting:toconveylevelsofmeaningandemotions whichlieinthesubtlespacebetweenlabelssuchashappyandsad. DescribingOriginalImages Thereisalwaysanewwaytodescribesomething,nomatterhowoftenithas beenobservedbyanother.Yourownperceptionwillalwaysbeoriginal,so don'tbeafraidofsunsets,mountainsorsnow.Youcanmakethemyourown, bywritingwithhonestperception.Snow,forinstance,isdifficulttodescribe inanoriginalway.Ifyouobserveitcarefullyyoucouldsaythatsomeflakes movefasterthanothers,andthatagainsttheskytheylookgrey.Theproblem here is that this is too direct and analytical. If you imagine a character perceivingthesnowitcanbeseeninanewway. Whenyousimplylookatflakes,theyarenothingotherthanshapesand shades.Whensomebodystandsinasnowstormaspartofyourfiction,snow cancompetewithtearsonthecheeks,orbreathinthemouth.Inthisway descriptionisn'tonlyawayofexpressingyourstory,itisawayoffinding outwhatishappeningtoyourcharacters.Lookatthewayyourcharacters seetheworld,andyouwillunderstandthembetter.

ShowingEmotionThroughImagery

Thebeautyoffictionisthatitallowsyoutoexpressawholerangeof emotions,whichweareunabletoname.

Byintegratingimageryintoastory,itrevealsemotionswithoutyouhavingto makestatementsabouthowthecharactersfeel. IntegratingImagery Withoutdescriptionfictionisonlyacollectionofideas.Imagesenableyouto communicateexactmoodsandemotions,whetheryouwritehardSFor violenthorror.Descriptionbringsfictiontolife,butitoftenfallsintocliche andcanbeover-used.Toavoidthisusedescriptionasanintegralpartofthe writingprocess,ratherthanassomethingthatistaggedonforeffect. Tomakeasceneworkwell,mingle:

characterthought observation action. 'Thelightwasn'tstrongenoughtowarmherarms,butDeriancould heartheLakeCleanserspoweringup,triggeredbydawn.Promising herselfthiswasthelastsabotageshe'dhelpAverywith,sheedged uptotheclosestboulder,andsawtheCleanserswaddleoutoftheir Kevlarnest.Theirlegsweresquatlikealizard's,movingsilently, smellinglikeburntpaper.Shecouldmakeoutthewood-coloured veinsrunningthroughtheirshells,withshadowslikeneedles flickeringinthecore.Asthefirstoneskulkedunderthesurface, leavingaslapofripples,sheunclippedhergrenade.' Thewriterhasn'tbrokenoffto'dosomedescription'.Aswellasdescribing, weareclearlymovingthroughtheeventsofthestory,andthoughtsofthe character. This is more effective than stating what happened, what she saw, whatshethought.Byminglingtheevents,asanexperience,itismuchmore realistic. Whendescriptionisusedinthisway,thesensationsarepartofthecentral character'sexperience.Descriptionshouldbetherelevantexperienceofyour maincharacter. CreatingDescriptionWithoutImages Descriptionismorethanimagery.Manywritersnevergetbeyonddescribing themostbasicvisualicons,whileneglectingtheothersenses.Thinking visuallyandpicturingscenesisuseful,butappreciateallsenses,notinghow theycanberelevanttoyourwriting. Thefollowingextractishighlydescriptive,andgivesthereaderastrong impressionofthescene,withoutanyvisualreferencesassuch. 'OnmywayoutofCatherine'sflatthatnightshegotme,drapedher armsaboutmynecklikeadampscarfandpoutedforakiss.' ThedescriptionisbasedaroundthewaythenarratorfeelsaboutCatherine, thewaysheappearstohim.Thereisnorecordofwhat

herlipsorarmsactuallylooklike,butthisdescriptionconveyshowshe appearedtohim.Thisallowsthereadertoimprinttheirownvisualsona situation. Thistechniqueisespeciallyeffectivewhencombinedwithassumed technologies,asdescribedinChapter6. 'Istrokedherhair,myfingershesitatingoverthelipofherexternal driveonthebackofherneck.Itwasempty.' Thissoundsunusualtous,butbecausethecharactertakesitforgrantedwe believeit.Thementionofalipmakesthisvisualenough,withoutafull descriptionoftheexactappearance. Whenyouwriteabouttechnologywhichisbizarretothereader,but mundanetothecharacter,itiswisetodescribewithoutmuchdetail.

UsingtheSensestoRevealMood Perception,bydefinition,reliesonoursenses.Thisiswhydescribingspecific sensationsgivesagoodimpressionofreality.Ratherthansaying'itwashot' describetheheatonaparticularpartofthebody.Heatfeltintheheadis differenttoburningsunonyourarms. Yourstoryshouldmakeuseofallthesenses.

DescribingSound Expressthesoundsofyourstory.Weallknowhowimportantthesoundof dialogueis-whetherimposedthroughdescriptionofthevoice,orbythe choiceofwords-butmanywritersneglectsoundinthestoryitself.You don'tevenneedtousedescriptioninthemodeofmetaphororsimile;simply mentioningaphonegoingoff,orawindowbreaking,ifusedcarefully,can createthecorrectmood.Thereareways,however,ofdescribingsoundsin newways,tocreatesurprisingeffects.'Shedippedherspoonintohercup, suckedit,thenclattereditonherteeth.' UsingTasteSensationsSparingly Tasteisalsoimportant,butshouldbeusedsparingly.Don'twastetime describingthetangybiteofacupofcoffee,unlessitreflects

somethingthatishappeningtothecharacter.Thecoppertasteofanose bleed,however,couldbehighlyrelevanttoascene. SuggestingRealityThroughTouch Thesenseoftouchissounderestimatedthatmanywritershardlyeveruseit. Thisisperhapsbecausemakingtouchrelevantororiginalisdifficult.When itworks,though,touchaddsanimpressionofrealitythatfewoftheother sensescanmatch.'WhenIwokeupitwasbecausecloudshadcoveredthe sunandgreatsplattersofrainwerefallingonmybarearms.' RememberingThroughSmell Smellshouldneverbeunderestimated,asitcutsstraighttotheemotional memoryofthereader.Itisimpossibletoreadthefollowingquotewithout feelingtheatmosphereoftheroomdescribed: 'Thecellarsmelledofoldbooks,dirtywaterandplants,butasshe wentfurtheritgavewaytoanodourofmouldandpeaches.' Usethesensesexactly,becausetheyareadirectsourceofrealismandhelp toestablishemotionandatmosphere.

Checklist Todescribeeffectivity,observeaccurately. Useallfivesenses. Describethespecificperceptionsofsensations. Usejuxtapositiontomakeastrongpoint. Avoidusingclichésandadjectives. Gobeyondtheobviouswhendescribing. Bewaryofusingcontemporarymetaphorsforstoriessetinthefuture.

Usethecharacter'sperceptionofsensation,torevealemotion. Describewithoutimagery,tomaketechnologyappearordinary.

CaseStudies PeterGoesBeyondtheObvious Peter'sstoryisbasedentirelyonBrian'sperceptionsandmis-perceptions,so itisimportantforhimtomakehisdescriptioneffective.Insomesceneshe makesitclearthatBrianfeelsoppressedbyhis'friends',althoughthereader canseethattheyaretryingtobehelpful.Oncethebrainvalvehasbeen fittedPeterbluntsBrian'sperceptions,reflectingthedampingeffectithason hisemotions.Workinginthisway,PetertiesBrian'semotionalstatetothe descriptionandimagery. MichaelWorkswithCharacter Michaelhaswrittenlotsofdescriptivescenes,buttheseallspoiltheflowof thestory.Herewritesthesescenes,buildingthedescriptionsintocharacter action.Heenhanceshisdescriptionbylookingatthewayhischaracter perceivessensationsinrelationtohismood.Duringthescenesofthe LonelinessHour,Liam'sperceptiondarkens,sothateverythingisseenfroma bleakandhopelessperspective.Tomakethesedescriptionsmorepowerful Michaelbuildsinextraobservationsofsmellandtouch. RuthRevealsInformation TheweakestareasofRuth'sstoryconcerntheprofessor'sperceptionof Elissa.Althoughheisonlymeanttobeobservingheratasurfacelevel,Ruth findsthattheobservationsarelitteredwithclichésTogetaroundthis problemsheshowstheprofessorobservingElissadoingspecificthings,in specificsituations.BydescribingthewayElissaacts,ratherthanjusthow sheappears,thedescriptionsbecomemoreeffective.Ruthbuildsonthe imagesandemotionssetoutinherfirstdraft,bycontrastingthesleepy Oxfordatmospherewiththeshockofnewtechnologies. DiscussionPoints 1.Lookoveryourstoryforthesectionsofdescription.Isthisdescription builtintotheactions,orisitseparate?Howcanyouintegratethetwo? 2.Takeasceneofdescriptionfromyourstory.Rewriteit,ensuringthatyou usethecharacter'smoodandemotionstoreflectperception. 3.Writeaboutthesciencefictionelementsofyourstory,withoutimagery,as thoughtakingthemforgranted.Doesthismakethemseemmorerealistic? 4.Findexamplesofallfivesensesinyourstory.Whichsenseisusedmost? Whichisusedtheleast?Howcanyourestorethebalance?

8 DevelopingYourStyle Styleisthesoundofawriter's'voice'andyoursshouldbeunique.Whenused wellstylecanenhancemoodandemotions,throughdialogueanddescription. SF,fantasyandhorrorwritersareoftenrememberedfortheirstyleasmuch astheirstories,soit'sworthworkingonyourownway. Styleisconcernedwiththewaythatyouwrite,asmuchaswithwhatyou writeabout.Thefollowingexamplesshowavarietyofstyles,eachsaying roughlythesamething: 'Pauladarkenedthewindowsalittle,thenpulledthesliderrightdown, blackingoutthesunset.' 'Shedarkenedthewindows,slammedthesliderandblackedouttheview.' 'Pauladozedthesceneryout,firsttohaze,thentar-flickedit.' 'Thesunsetbrownedasshefadedherwindow,buildingsandclouds becomingblackoutlines.Herfingershesitatedonthecontrols,butthenshe pulledthesliderdown,quickasablink,andthescenerywasgone,replaced withblacknessandherownreflection.' Noneoftheseisnecessarilybetterthananyother,butsomeareeasiertoread andallhavedifferenteffects.Asthelatterexampleshows,thelengthofa piecealsoaffectsstyle.Inashortstoryyouhavelessroomformanoeuvre,so atighter,morecompactstyleisrequired. SettingtheTone Thestyleyouchoosetoworkinshouldarisefromtheoveralltoneofthe storyyouarecreating.Itmaybesimilartooneoftheabovestyles,oritmay besomethingtotallynew.Therecouldbemanyotherversions,determinedby thesubjectandcharactersbeingwrittenabout. Oftenthenatureofthecharacter,era,planet,society,themoodandthe settingwilldictateastory'stone.Astorysetinacybertechfuture,with franticdrugtaking,willhaveahip,rapid,illusory,slang-riddenstyle.A storysetinaquasi-Utopian'societyismorelikelytohaveamoresubtle, perhapsMiserablisttone. Juxtapositioncanbeimpressive,ifyouclashastyleofwritingwiththe culture.A'street'styleofwriting,setinaromanticage,couldwork,butonly ifthisclashalsoexistedwithinthestory. Styleisn'tusuallysomethingthatbecomesapparentwhennote-taking.Once youbeginwriting,however,youwillfindyourstorysettlingintoatone, approachandfeel. Checkthatthetoneofyourstorysuitsitsmoodandaims. Imaginethatyouhaveneverreadthestoryandfeelthetypeofatmosphereit creates. AlteringtheMoodThroughStyle Stylecanbeusedasatechnique,tocreatespecificeffects.If,forinstance, youwanttocreateexcitement,youcanuseshort,sharpsentences.This doesn'tmeaneverysentenceshouldconsistofafewstaccatowords,butthat amoreurgenttonewillcreateanurgentatmosphere. 'Thewindscreenwipersfroze,thescreenmattingwithrain.Hedidn't feelanimpact,butthewindscreenflewoutlikepowder.Saltyrain coveredhishands,stinging.' Bewaryofoverkill,though,becausetoomanyshortsentencescanbe frustratingforreadersandsoonbecomesanobviousdevice.Analternativeis touselongsentences,whichconveylotsofaction,fromtheviewpointofa bewilderedcharacter.Thissenseofcalmduringpanicisrealistic,andcanbe chilling.

Excitementisalsogeneratedthroughsuspense,wherethereisthepromiseof somethinghappening. 'Stormswereforecast,buttheskywasfeaturelesswhite.Thatwasa relief,becausehedidn'twanttoputhisface-tankon.Itonlyheldan hour'sworthofair,andthelastinhabitedvillagewasmorethanan hourbehind.Thenextonemightbeasfaragain.Ifitcametothat, thetankwouldonlyputoffthesuffocation,nomatterhowfasthe drove.' Here,thestylereflectstheevents,withhintsandsuggestions,matchingthe actualsuspenseandfearexperiencedbythecharacter. StylingforHorror Inhorroranunderstated,matteroffactstylecanbethemostoppressiveand frightening. 'Thesunshinemademyhangoverthump,andtheberriesonthe rowantreeseemedtopulse.Idrewabranchtowardsme,tryingto focus.Eachberrydarkened,thenwentlight,throbbingintimewith myheadache.Iheldonefruitbetweenmyfingers,andasIpressed feltthecracklingoftinybones.Somethingredwentdownmyarm.' Styleisjustasimportantduringsolemnandsteadymomentsasitisduring timesofexcitement,shockandwonder,sopayattentiontostyleatalltimes. ControllingYourStyle Over-writingcanoccurwithanyword,ifitisforcedintoasentence.'He crampedhimselfintothefrontoftheshuttle'mayactuallyberelevant,ifthe shuttleissmallandthecharacterislarge,butifnotthisisover-writing. 'Sheskippeddownthestreet'mayexpresshappiness,butitisprobablygoing toofar.'Stephenslumpedintothedwell-sac'couldbegoodwritingifhe reallyistired,otherwiseit'sover-writing. Itisthe context ofthesewordsthatmakesastylemeaningful. Checkthroughyourwork,toseeifitisover-written.

Itisalsopossible,althoughlesslikely,thatyoucouldbeunder-writing. Ifeverysentenceiscompletelystraightforward,itwilltendtosoundas thoughyouaresaying'Shedidthis,thenthishappenedandthenthis.'Under- writtenstoriescansoundboring,lackinganarrativedrivethatcompelsthe readertoreadon.Enrichyourstyle,tosuitthemoodofyourfiction.Use styleasawritingtool,ameansofexpression,ratherthanthewholepointof yourstory,anditwillimproveeverythingthatyouwrite. BeingSpecific Aneffectivewaytoimproveyourstyle,whileenhancingtheimpactofa story,istousespecificwordsratherthangeneralisations.Whendescribinga sceneyouwilltendtosay'trees'insteadof'sycamores',or'fruit'insteadof 'apples'.Inmostcasesmorespecificitywillimproveadescription. 'Atthenextstreethewentdownstepstotheleveloftheriver. Lookingacrosstothestonebanksatthecathedral,greenwithplants, hetriedtomakeouttheplacewherehemetAmeline.' Thissimplelinecanbemademorespecific,bychangingafewgeneral words. 'AtPontDeSullyhewentdownstepstotheleveloftheSeine. LookingacrosstothewalledbanksatNotreDame,greenwithivy, hetriedtomakeoutthebenchwherehemetAmeline.'This expressesmore,withoutbecomingwordy. Beingspecificisoneofthemostefficientwritingtechniques,andcanbe builtintoallyourwork.Itisaninstantwayofaddinganimpressionof description,withoutactuallydescribing.Ifyoubuildthisspecificword selectionintoyourwritingitwillimproveyourstylebyenrichingyour language. AddingMotifs Manywritersenhancethestyleofastory,bybuildingmotifsintothework. Motifsarewords,phrasesorimageswhicharerepeatedthroughoutastoryto createaspecificeffect.

Itistherepetitionofastoryelementthatmakesitamotif,andthusaddsto itssignificance.Ifyourstoryinvolvesacharacterseeinganinjuredbird,that issimplyanimage.Ifyourcharacteralsodreamsaboutinjuredbirds,orsees severalinjuredbirdsduringthestory,itbecomesasignificantmotif. UsingMotifsEffectively Astheaboveexampleshows,motifscanstretchcredibilitybecausetheyrely oncoincidencetoanextent.Whenusedsubtly,however,theycanworkwell. Motifsshouldreflectanideaortheme,occurringatspecificpointsinthe story,ratherthanarbitrarily.Theinjuredbirdmotifcouldworkinastory concernedwithcompassion.Themotifcouldappeareverytimethecharacter hastofacelossofsomekind.Thewaythecharacterreactstothemotif wouldchangeandthusbesignificant. Thistechniqueworks,evenifthemotifissosubtlethatreadersdon'tnoticeit consciously.Ifyoumentionalightbulbblowing,duringtwoviolentscenes, thiswon'tnecessarilyseemsignificant.Ifyouthenwriteacalmscenein whichalightbulbblows,thiswillsetupatensioninthereader,preparing themformoreviolence. Youwillfindthatmotifsoccuroftheirownaccordasyouwrite.

Checklist Avoidover-longsentences. Useshortsentencessparingly,tocreatetensionandexcitement. Applystyletechniquetoeverylineofyourwholestory. Usemotifscarefully,toreflectyourtheme. Alterthestylethroughwordchoice. Letstylereflecttheeventsandemotionsofyourstory. Bespecificwhendescribing. Cutsentenceswhichareover-written. Ensurethatyourstyleisrelevanttothestory.

CaseStudies PeterAdjustshisStyle Peterlooksbackoverhisstoryandfindsthattowardstheenditsettlesintoa steady,yetharsh,style.Thisisthepartofthestorythatworksbest,sohe appliesthesamestylethroughout.Somesceneshavetobechangedslightly asaresult,buthefindsthatoverallthestoryisimproved.Byusingspecific words,insteadofgeneralisations,heisabletocutsomelengthydescriptions whileretainingasenseofdescription. MichaelWorkswithCharacter Michael'sscenesofdescriptionhavealreadybeenimproved,butheimproves thewholestorybyusingspecificobservationsthroughout.Hefindsthatthe motifofwatchesoccursseveraltimes,perhapsreflectingtheideaofthe LonelinessHour.Healtersthestory,sothatthemotifofthewatchrepresents fear.ThisisparticularlyeffectiveduringasceneinwhichLiamawakens duringthenight,staringattheglowofhiswatch. RuthRevealsInformation Ruthchecksthroughhertextforover-writingandcutsaccordingly.Although thestoryisnowmuchtightershefeelsthatitislackinginstyle.Itreadswell, butthereisnothinguniqueaboutit.Shetakesonesceneandrewritesit, experimentingwithdifferentstyles.Whenshefindsonethatfeelssuitable, sherewritesthewholestory.

DiscussionPoints 1.Takeascenefromyourstoryandrewriteitinadifferentstyle.Howdoes thisalteritseffectiveness? 2.Rewriteyourstory,turninggeneraldescriptionsintospecificobservations. Whydoesthisimprovethestory? 3.Readthroughsomeofyourfavouritestories.Whatmotifsreoccur?Howdo theyrepresentthemesandideas?

9 DealingwithDialogue Whenyourcharactersspeaktheymovethestoryforwardandexpress emotion.

Creatingrealisticandeffectivedialoguewillgiveyourstoryanextraedgeof reality.

ChoosingaStyleofSpeech Ifyoulistentopeopletalkingeverybodyhasthereownwayofphrasing things.This choiceofwords ismoreimportantthanthewaytheyspeak.In fact,choiceofwordscanoftenimplyagrufftone,aquietvoice,orastutter, withoutyouhavingtomentionit.Insciencefictionthiswillapplytoall characters,whethertheyareandroids,aliensormutants. Yourprimarytaskwhenwritingdialogueistogiveeachcharactera recognisablewayofspeaking.Ingoodfictionyoushouldbeabletotellwho isspeaking,withoutitbeingstated,throughthechoiceofwords.Although thissoundsimpossibletoabeginner,youwillfindthatwell-imagined characterswillgeneratetheirownvoice. Allcharactersshouldusethecorrectlanguagefortheirsituationand background.AtimidhumanwillspeakdifferentlytoatimidWammakalien. Althoughanindividual'scharacteristicswillaffectspeech,insciencefiction youshouldconsiderthenatureofthecharacter'srace,cultureand background. OrderingWords Themostsubtleeffectsoccurnotthroughdialect,idiosyncraticphrasesor expressions,butthroughthesimpleorderingandchoiceofwords.Wealldo thisnaturally,whentalking.Thewayyou

wouldasksomebodyoutforamealwouldberadicallydifferenttotheway yourbestfriendwouldaskthesamequestion.Thechoiceofwords,andthe wayinwhichtheywerespoken,wouldalsovary,dependinguponwhoyou wereaskingout.Thisiswhyyoushouldimagineacharacterspeaking,to makesurethatyoudon'tsimplyputyourownvoiceintoeverycharacter's mouth. ModifyingSpeech Acharacter'sstyleofspeechwillbedeterminedbythatperson'soverall nature,butwillalsobeinfluencedby: whothecharacterisspeakingto howwelltheyknoweachother theenvironmenttheyarein thenatureoftheconversation theemotionspresent. UsingtheWayPeopleSpeak The way charactersspeakcantellusasmuchaboutthemas what theysay.A mumbling,stutteringcharacterisclearlynervous,eveniftheactualwordsare forceful,aswith'Nothing'sgoingtostopme.'Tomakethisworkyoumodify thesentencebyadding'hestuttered.' Modifierscanruinagoodpieceofwriting,whenover-used.Ineverypageof dialogueyoushouldhavenomorethanacoupleofmodifiers.Ifeveryline containssomethinglike'hemumbled,shescolded,shereplied,hesnapped', youareover-writing.Usenomorethanoneortwomodifiers.Therestofthe timeyoucansimplyuse'said'.Thisisn'tasnoticeableasyoumaythinkand islessboringthanrepeatedmodifiers. Toavoidtheproblemaltogether,youcanbuilddialogueintoaction.'Jane lookedup,chewingafingernail.''Idon'tknowwhattodo."'Inthisexample youdon'tevenneedtosay'shesaid'becauseitisobviousthatsheis speaking. HearingtheSounds Trytoimaginethesoundofthecharacter'svoice,asyouwrite.Ifitdoesn't soundrealistic,takeitout.Letthecharactersspeakforthemselves.Imagine them,imaginewhatisabouttohappen,andinyourmindhearhowtheytalk. Thissoundsdeceptivelysimple,butmanywritersbelieveitisthebestwayto testdialogue.

Thedifferencebetween'DidyouhearaboutStuart?'and'Isupposeyouheard aboutStuart?'mightseemsmall,butcouldchangethetoneofascene. Withoutthewritertellingushowthiswassaid,wecandetectadifferenttone ofvoiceforeach.Themeaningofthewordsisjustaboutthesame,butthe wayitappliestothesceneisdifferent. Thesimplestwaytogetthisrightistoaskyourself,'Whatwouldaperson reallysayinthissituation?'Peopledon'tmakespeeches,andtheydon't alwayssoundgood.Realpeopleusepoorexpressionsandmessthingsup whentalking.Ifthatsuitsthecharactersyouarewritingabout,letthem speakthatway.

MakingDialogueRealistic Readoverthelinesyouhavewrittenandseeiftheysoundrealistic. Avoid,'AsyouknowImustgetbacktothestation,soIwillleave.'People nevermakestatementsinthiswayanditisapoorwayofrevealing information.Toareaderthisdialogueisobviouslycreatedbyawriter;it soundsunrealisticanditspoilsastory. Tomaketheaboveexamplemorerealistic,yourcharactercouldsay,'I'moff, I'llbebacklater.'Anothercharactermightsay,'I'mgoingnow,love.Seeyou later.Allright?'Thesamemeanings,butthesearedifferentintermsof characterisationandmood.Thesedon'tsoundasthoughtheyarewritten;they soundlikespeechandeachdoesmorethanrevealwords.Bothmovethe storyforward,whilerevealingcharacterandevenrelationship. DevelopingaConversation Usedcorrectly,dialoguecancontributemorethanconversationtoastory. Thebasicrule,asever,istochooseyourwordscarefully.Don'tinclude everyconversation,oreverylineofaparticularconversation.Onlyusethe conversationsandlinesthatyouneed. Inmanycasesyoucanbypasswholescenesofdialogue,withsomethingsuch as'Hecontinuedtorambleon',or,'Shetoldmethewholestory,asweflew overtheminefield.' DroppingClichés Peopleoftenspeakinclichés,butthisdoesn'tgiveyoutheexcusetowrite them.Wherepossibleavoidclichéddialogue,exceptwheretheuseofcliché expressescharacter.Apersonwhocontinually

adds,'knowwhatImean'totheendofeverysentenceisconveyedwellby cliché,butreadersdon'twanttoreadtoomanylinesof'wellbasically'or'at theendoftheday.'Clichésareirritating,sousethemwithcare.Writers choosethewordsthatgivethebestimpressionofaconversation,notan actualconversation,soitisgoodpracticetodropclichés. Imaginethatyourcharactersarerealpeople,ratherthanstereotypes,and picturehowtheywouldspeak.Althoughsocialbackgroundwillinfluencea character,itisnotthesourceofanentirepersonality.Insciencefictionclass systemsmayberifeorabolished,orentirelydifferenttoours.Other influences,suchasreligion,race,history,politicalallegianceandsoon, couldhavemoreeffectonspeech.Inalmostallcases,though,your character'spersonalitywillhavethestrongesteffect. ConveyingSecrets Dialogueismosteffectivewhenitrevealsmorethanthecharacterintends.In manycasesthecharactersmaynotevenrealisewhathasbeenrevealed.Only thereadercanseetheirony.If,forexample,onecharactersays'I'mnot certainwhereI'mgoing'thiscouldmeantwothings.Onthesurfaceitmeans thecharacterdoesn'tknowherwayhome,butitcouldalsoreflectthe character'smistakesinherpersonallife. Thistypeofironyshouldbeusedwithcaution,however,asitcansmackof cleverness.Useittoaddalayerofmeaning,withoutbeinganobviousjoke. Anotherwaytousethistypeofironyistoshowcontradiction.Inreallife peoplecontradictthemselves,especiallyinarguments.Ifyoushowa charactersaying'Icanneverfindenoughtime'itwouldberealistictohear themsay,'There'snothingtodoroundhere'afewlineslater.Peoplearefull ofcontradictions,sousethemtoaddrealismandconveyinnerconflicts.

HandlingtheLanguageofScienceFiction Languageevolves.Thewaywespeaktodayisdifferenttothewaywespoke twentyyearsago.Newwordsareinvented,suchasinternet,CD,alongwith phrases such as road rage and palimony, all reflecting developments in cultureandtechnology. Wealsoevolvenewstylesofspeech.Whenwritingsciencefictionyour speechshouldreflectanevolutionincommunication,while

remainingreadable.Todothisyouwillhavetoinventnewwordswhich mirrortheimaginedworldofyourstory. CreatingNewWords Foreverynewaspectofrealityyouimagine,youwillneedanew(but vaguelyrecognisable)word. Ifyouwriteaboutateleportationsystem,thinkofawordorphrasethat peoplewouldgenuinelyusetodescribeit.Todaywesaycarinsteadof automobile,andTVinsteadoftelevision,soateleportationsystemcouldbe knownasamat(frommattertransference),oraporta. Slangisrealistic,soitispossiblethatateleportationsystemwouldactually beknownasashifterorblaster. Considerwhoistalking,andwhethertheywoulduseslang,ordinary terminology,orthetechnicalnameofanobject. CopingwithTranslation Ifyourstorycontainsanentirelyalienrace,youtranslateeverythinginto English,apartfromnewwordsspecifictotheirculture.Whenyouwrite aboutaliensinteractingwithhumansthereismoreofaproblem. YoucanpretendthataUniversalTranslatorhasbeeninvented,butthatmay bestretchingcredibilitytoofar.Anotheralternativeistosetthestoryfarinto thefuture,whenaliensandhumanshavelearnteachother'slanguage.Ifyou arewritingafirst-contactstory,however,youwillhavetodealwiththe learningofanewlanguage.Youdon'thavetoinventanalienlanguage,but intermsofplotyouwillhavetoallowtimeforanunderstandingtodevelop.

Checklist Ensurethatyourdialoguereflectsthecharacter. Giveeachcharacteradistinctivevoice. Modifyspeechsparingly. Useactiontoshowwhoisspeaking. Adaptspeech,accordingtothecharacter'ssituation.

Readoutthelines,checkingforrealism. Cutunnecessaryconversation. Dropclichés. Useironyandcontradictoryspeechtoreflectyourtheme. Inventnewwordsandspeechstyle,suitableforyourstory. Checkforwordswhichmaybechangedorreplacedinthefuture.

CaseStudies PeterRewritestheDialogue WhenreadingoutthedialoguefromhisstoryPeterfindsthatmuchofitis unrealistic.Thesentencesareover-formed,soundingmorelikespeechesthan conversation.Hischaractersarespeaking at eachother,ratherthanholding conversations.Herewritesthedialogue,imaginingthepeopleactually speaking,hearingthewordstheywoulduseinhishead.Hefindsthathehas usedthephrase'brainvalve'throughoutthestory,butrealisesthatthisisan archaicwayofnamingsuchafuturisticobject.Hewritesdownseveral technicalnames,suchasAnachronisticDevianceFilter,alongwiththeslang namesMemlockandWire,eventuallyoptingforBlocker. MichaelCutstheModifiers Michael'sdialogueisquiteeffectiveinitself,buttherearetoomany modifiers.Evenafterthoroughrevision,cuttingmostofthemout,hefinds thathisspeechcontainstheword'said'toomanytimes.Byintegratingspeech withtheactionsofthecharactersheisabletocutthesedown.Thedialogue inhisstoryismuchlessjarringnow,andeachcharacterhastakenonamore distinctivevoice. RuthRevealsInformation Ruthhasdeliberatelyusedanoldfashionedstyleofspeechinherstory,with occasionalnewwords,toshowtheconflictinhersociety.Evensothereare somephraseswhicharen'tquiterealistic,

soshecutstheseout.Inonesection,wheretheprofessorisspeakingto Elissa,Ruthbuildsinironiesandcontradictions,toshowthetruesituation.

DiscussionPoints 1.Readthedialogueinyourstoryoutloud.Doanywordssoundunusual,or outofplace?Howcanyoumakethespeechmorerealistic? 2.Countthemodifiersusedinyourstory.Aretheyoriginal?Aretheyall necessary?Howcanyouavoidusingtoomany? 3.Findasceneinwhichtwopeoplearespeaking,andrewriteitwithout modifiersorclichés.Useactionandstyletomakeitclearwhoisspeaking. Doesthismakethecharactersmoredistinctive? 4.Lookforthesciencefictionaspectsofyourstory,suchasnew technologies.Dotheirnamessoundplausible?Wouldtheysoundbetterif theyweremorelikeslang?

10 RoundingOffYourWork

ChoosingHowtoEnd Intherealworldlifegoesonandtherearenoendings.Infictionendings roundoffyourstoryandmakeitcomplete.Whenyouputanendingonyour storyyouareeffectivelysaying,'Theymayhavelivedhappilyeverafter,but weareinterestedinwhattheydidhere.'Itisawayofdefiningthescopeof yourstory.Putsimply,thisprinciplesoundsalmosttooobvious:thestory endswhenithasbeentold. Endingsareavitalpartofastory,becausetheyareallthereaderisleftwith. Thefinalparagraphandclosinglinesealyourwork.Whentimedcorrectly, andhandledwithcare,agoodendingdoesmorethantieuplooseends.An endingshouldalso: showhowthecharacterhaschanged revealorrestatethetheme providealastlineorparagraphwhichrepresentsthestory. Insomestoriestheexpectedmeaningofastorycanbeturnedupsidedown. Inothersaparticularimageoreventwillrestatethethememorepowerfully. Astrong,relevantendingisespeciallyimportantinSF,fantasyandhorror becauseitisawayoffullydefininganidea.

Aswellasmakingfinalpointsaboutyourcharactersandtheme,theending willbeawayoftakingyourideatoitslimit.

FindingtheRightMoment Anendingshouldn'tbeadramaticmoment,taggedontoastory.Itshouldbe thelogicalconclusionofallthathasgonebefore.No

matterwhatthetone,pace,mood,themeorplot,theendingshouldcome whenthelogicalpremiseofyourpiecehasbeenreached.Followingthelogic ofplotyoushouldreachafinalmoment,whenthecharactermustchangeto resolvetheplot.Yourcharacterthenfailsorsucceeds,andthisdictates wherethestorywillend.Whenwrittenwellthisendingwillalsoreflectthe fullexpressionofyourideaandtheme. MakingtheEndingLogical Whetheryouwriteastandardplottedstory,basedaroundcauseandeffect,or moreexperimentalfiction,theendingshouldbelogical.Thisdoesn'tmeanit shouldbeobvious,butitshouldbe fitting. Endingsaren'tnecessarilydramatic,buttheyaresignificant,andinvolve morethanthoughtorreflection.Duringthefinalpageofyourstory somethingshouldhappenwhichbringstheplottoaconclusion.Ifthestoryis abouttryingtopreventanenginefailureinaspaceship,itwillendeither whentheproblemissolvedorwhentheengineblowsup.Youwouldn'tend thestorywithgasstreamingoutofthematterconduits,withyourheroabout totakeaction.Anendingalwaysoccursafterthecharacterhastakenthe final,mostdifficultactionofthestory. WindingDown Followingthisstagethereisoftenabriefanti-climax,orwinddown,where thestorysettles.Thismayconsistofafewlinesoracoupleofparagraphs. Thisallowsyoutoshow: characterreflectionandunderstanding anappreciationofwhathasbeenachieved animpressionofthestoryasawhole. KnowingWhentoStop Althoughyoushouldavoidramblingonpasttheendofastory, neverenda storytoosoon.Ifthecharacterisfacingproblems,givethemafairchanceto dealwiththeseratherthanclosingbeforedevelopmenthastakenplace. Endingscanbeleftopen,withnothingdecided,ortheymaycloseona negativenotewitheverythinggoingwrong.Bychoosingyourmomentof closure,youselectthemoodandattitudeofthestory. Whenwritingyourfinalparagraphs,avoidsummingup.

Althoughanendingshouldgiveanimpressionofsummarisingwhathasgone before,bewaryofanendingthat only summarises.Thebestendingsoffera closinglinethatinsomewayshedsnewlightonthestory. Thefollowingapproachesshowsomeofthewaysinwhichyoucanproduce thatlastline. ReflectionandRelevantObservation Thesesummarisewhathasgonebeforebymood,ratherthancontent, althoughtheimagesmaysymbolisewhathasgonebefore. Dialogue Canstandaloneorbecombinedwithnarration.'"Iwon'tbelong,"hesaid, knowingitwasalie.'Singlelines,especiallywhenrepeatingaphrasefrom earlierinthestory,areextremelyeffective. Memory Amemorycanprovideapowerfulending.Ifyourmaincharacterremembers somethingofrelevancethiscanaddsomethingnewtothestory,while showingthedevelopmentthathastakenplacetomakethismemory meaningful. Realisation Realisationinacharactercanreflectnewawarenessinthereader,creatinga strongeffect.Aclosingline,wherethenarratorsupposesorsuspects somethingnew,isoftenmoreforcefulthanadirectstatement.Forexample,'I suppose when people lie they always blink more than once' is more telling than,'Iknowhewasaliar.' Thereareasmanyapproachesasthereareshortstories.Analyseyour favouritestoriesandseehowtheyworktoagoodclosingline.Inthebest storiestherewillbeentirelynewwaysofending,createdspecificallyforthis story. Finally,toavoidthewrathofeditors,never,evercloseyourstorywithThe End.

RewritingCreatively Rewritingispartofthecreativeprocess,andcantransformpoorandaverage storiesintosomethingexceptional. Whenrewritingyoushouldroutinelycheck:

spelling grammar thelogicofyourplotandideas realism originalityofimages. Havingspentsomuchtimeandeffortwritingyourstory,itistemptingto viewafirstdraftassomehowuntouchable.Inrealityallstoriesbenefitfrom editing,soyoushouldrevisethoroughlyandrewriteruthlessly.Yourstoryas awholeismoreimportantthananysingleline,imageorphrase.Bewilling tocutoutfavouritesentencesandwordsiftheydon'tgenuinelycontributeto yourstory. Somepeoplefindthatleavingthestoryforafewdayshelpstogivethem perspective.Whenyoucomebacktoyourstoryafterabreaktheerrors, flawsanddiscrepanciesstandoutmorethantheycouldduringthefirstbursts ofcreativity. FineTuningaStory Rewritingconsistsoffinetuningyourworkby: cutting reordering addingnewwords. Askyourselfifeverysentenceisthebestitcouldbe.Arethereanychanges youcouldmake,togiveitmorerelevancetothestory,amoreconsistent style,abettersound?SeeFigure3foranexample.

FindingaTitle Onceapiecehasbeenwrittenandediteditistemptingtorushitintothe post.Thissortofhastecanleadtoworkbeingsentoutwithbland,irrelevant titles.Ifyourtitleisintriguing,originalandexpressive,itwillhelptosell yourstory,soit'sworthputtinginsomemorethought. 1.Atitleshouldcommunicateinformation,butitshouldalsosoundgood, intriguingreaders.Popularphrasesandquotationsareanexcellentsourceof titleideas,aswith RingingtheChanges,GetaLife,LevelCrossing.

Thefollowingexamplereadsquitewell,butseeifyoucandeterminewhere thechangescouldtakeplace. 'Rachel'seyesdidn'tappeartobefocusedonhimanymore.Oneofthem lookedlikeitwascrying.Stuartsmiled,becausehethoughtshewas smilingathim,butittookonlyamomenttorealiseshewaswincingwith pain.Lettinggoofherhand,herskinstucktohis.Herpalmwascovered withblisters,whichgaveoffsomethingthecolourofhoney.Hewipedthe stuffontothesheet,thenwalkedoffhurriedlytowardsthedoor.' Bymakingafewsimplecuts,deletingadverbs,reorderingandmakingbetter wordchoices,thiscanbemademorereadable. 'Rachel'seyeswereunfocused,shiningwithtears.Whenhermouthturned up,hesmiledback,thenrealisedshewaswincingwithpain.Lettinggoof herhand,herskinstucktohis.Herpalmwasblottedwithblisters,which leakedsomethingthecolourofhoney.Hewipedthemucusontothesheet, thenbackedofftowardsthedoor.' Takeyourtime,andreadoutloudifnecessary,toseewherethepauses,jolts andunnaturalsoundslieinyoursentences.Cutoutunnecessarywordsand makeeverysentenceearnitsplace.

Fig.3. Howtofinetuneyourstory. 2.Puns,suchas FissionImpossible,TheFutilityRoom and TheComfortof Stranglers,arecommon,butbewaryofsoundingtootabloid. 3.Alliterationcanbeeffective. TheBlackBurns and DominoDreams are bothsimpletitles,buttherepeatedlettersmakethemsoundimpressive. 4.Titlesshouldalwaysberelevanttoyourstory.Ifyouthinkupawonderful phrase,suchas TheColourPurple or LookBack

inAnger,onlyuseitifitistrulyrelevant.Althoughyouarefreeto experimentwithexpression,ensurethatitenhances,ratherthanconfuses, yourfiction. UsingKeyWords Sometimeskeywordsorphrasesfromwithinstorieswork,aswith The MathematicsoftheNight and BecauseofDust. Snippetsofdialoguetakenoutofcontextarealsointeresting,butmakesure theyareimportantpiecesofconversationwhichsumupthestory. Don't WakeUp,LeaveMeAlone and WhatHappensNow? areallsectionsof dialoguethatbecametitles. Powerfuljuxtapositionsarecommon. ShavedFish,SugarSleep and The FatalBodice allwork,becausethecontrastisunusualandmakesthereader wanttoknowmore. Readersholdtitlesintheirminds,asakeytoastoryorpoem,somakesure yourtitlereflectsastory'smeaning.Thetitleshouldbememorable,aswell asenhancingthestory'smaintheme.

Checklist Chooseanendingthatdoesmorethansummariseyourstory. Useanti-climaxtosettlethestory,followingaction. Showhowyourcharacterhasdeveloped. Resolvetheplotthroughaction,ratherthandecision. Findasuitabletitle. Keepathesaurusandbookofquotationstohand. Setyourstoryasideforawhile,beforerewriting. Cutruthlessly,honingeachsentence.

CaseStudies PeterClosestheStory WhilewritingPeterrealisesthatthestoryisreachinganatural

conclusion.Hedrivesittowardsthefinalaction,whereBrianisforcedto takearisk,removingtheBlockerhimself.Althoughthisisthefinalaction, PeterrealisesthatforthereadertoseethechangeinBriananothershort sceneisrequired.Hewritesafewclosingparagraphs,showingBriandays later,inadifferentsituation.Ratherthanshowinghimplayingthepiano again,whichwouldbetoocorny,areferenceismadetoaforthcoming performance.Atfirstthissceneistoolongsohecutsitduringtherewrite, givingthestoryasenseofbalance. MichaelRewritesThoroughly Michael'sstorydoesn'thaveanobviousending,sohekeepswriting,letting theplotdevelop.Eventually,whenhefindsasuitableresolution,herealises thatmanyofthemiddle-sectionscenescanbecut,givingthestoryamore snappypace.Herewritesthewholestory,cuttingoutscenesthatdon't contributeandtighteninghiswritingthroughout.Heexperimentswithseveral closinglines,eventuallyoptingfordialogue.Theshortspeech,whichcomes soonafterthemainaction,addsnewmeaningtothestorybutalsomakesit feelcomplete. RuthFindsaTitle WiththestorycompleteRuthgoesoverthewholemanuscript,strikingout unnecessarywordsandreorderingsentences.Shethensetsthestoryasidefor afewdays.Whenshecomestoreadthroughitagainshespotsseveralmore mistakesandalsofindsthattheendingistooabrupt.Itmakessense,butit happenssoquicklythatthereaderisleftfeelingempty.Shefillsoutthe closingpagewithanextrasceneofinteraction,makingsurethatshedoesn't simplypadthestoryout.Shethentakesseverallinesatrandomfromthe page,combiningwordsuntilshefindsasuitabletitle.

DiscussionPoints 1.Whatisthelastthingthathappensinyourstory,intermsofplot?How soonafterthiswillthestoryend? 2.Writeseveralclosinglines.Dosomeoftheseclosethestory,morethan endit?Doanyofthemaddsomethingnewtothestory?

3.Rewriteyourstory,finetuningsentences.Howwillthishelpyouwhen younextwriteastory? 4.Writedownaselectionoftitlesforyourstory.Whichwouldintrigue readersthemost?Doesyourtitlereflectthestory'scontent? 5.Lookbackatyouroriginalnotes.Howfarhaveyoucomesincethe originalidea?Hasthestoryachievedeverythingyouwanteditto?

11 SellingScienceFiction Whetheryouwritestoriesornovels,youwantyourworktoberead.Science fiction,fantasyandhorrorarepopular,withavidreadersandenthusiastic editors.Sellingshortstoriesiseasierthannovelsanditwillhelpifyougain areputationinthefield.Ifyouapproachaneditorwithyourfirstnovel, showingalistofpreviousstorysales,itcancertainlyhelpwiththewayyou arereceived.

IdentifyingYourMarket Thesecrettosellingyourworkisfindingtherightmarketforeachstory. Everypublicationhasitsownhousestyle,whichmustbeadheredto.The keyismarketstudy.

Whetheryouenteracompetition,submittoamagazine,orapproachabook editor,youshouldknowwhattypeofworktheyarelookingfor.

Youwillhardlyeversellsciencefictiontomagazineswithageneral readership,soitisawasteoftimesendingittothem.Onceyouhavefounda sciencefictionmagazine,youmustbeawareoftheirpreferences.Some magazineslikehardSF,withlotsofmetalandtechnology,whileothers preferamorefantasticalapproach.Somemaybeopentohorror,whileothers willshunit.Whilesomemagazineswilllovethementionofvirtualreality, otherswilldismissitasold-fashioned. Attheveryleastbuyonecopyofthemagazineyouintendtowriteforand readthestoriesitcontains.Ideally,askforthemagazine'sguidelines.These aresometimesvague,butalwayshelptoanextent.Havingstudiedtheseyou canwriteastorytosuit

themagazine'sstyle,orlookthroughyourfileofstoriestofindsomething suitable. Beforesendingoffcheckthatyourstoryissuitableintermsof: subjectmatter characterisation theme length title styleofwriting overalltone. Ineachcase,checkthatyouhavecoveredtheseareasinawaythatwill appealtoaparticularmagazine. Therearefourmainoutletsforshortstories. SmallPessMagazines Byfartheeasiestwaytogetpublishedisthroughsmallpressmagazines. Theyrangefromphotocopiedpagesthroughtoglossy,moderndesigns, coveringahugerangeoftastesandquality.Althoughthesemagazinesare readbyonlyafewhundredpeoplethesesometimesincludeprofessional editors,publishersandliterarycritics,alongwithSFenthusiasts. Althoughbreakingintothesmallpressiscomparativelyeasy,editorswon't takeastoryfromyousimplybecauseyousenditin.Ifyouidentifyyour marketcorrectly,writeappropriatelyandtothebestofyourability,you standagoodchanceofbeingaccepted. Paymentisalmostnegligible,oftenincontributors'copiesofthemagazine, ratherthancash.Therealrewardisseeingyourworkinprint,reading subsequentreviewsandreaders'letters,anddevelopingareputation. Editorialdecisionscantakeacoupleofmonths,butsometimestheycome withindays.Theeditorsarehelpful,andwilleitherpointyouinasuitable directionoradviseyouonhowtoimproveyourstories.Theytrytoavoid standardrejectionlettersand,whentimepermits,replyindetail. Semi-ProfessionalMagazines Semi-professionalmagazines,suchas Interzone,aremuchmoredifficultto breakinto,althoughrejectionlettersmaycontainusefuladvice.The competitionisincrediblyfierce,anditisabsolutelyvitalthatyoustudythe marketandtuneyourworkaccordingly.

Anthologies Anthologiesareanexcellentandunderestimatedwaytobreakinto publishing,becausebookeditorslovetoslipinnewtalentamongstthebig names.Many,suchas Year'sBestFantasyandHorror (DAWBooks),and BestNewHorror,onlyrepublishwork,butsomeareopentounpublished stories.Thesetendtobeirregularanditwilltakesomedetectiveworkto trackthemdown.Byjoiningsomeofthesocietiesmentionedattheback,and establishingcontactwithotherwritersandeditors,youwillstandmore chanceoffindingoutaboutsuchanthologies.Youcaneventrywritingto publishingcompanieswithaspeculativequery. WritingCompetitions Writingcompetitionsareoftenopentosciencefiction,fantasyandhorror,so longasyouavoidclichésorextremestyles.Thekeytowinningwriting competitionsisabalanceoforiginalityandpolish.Competitionjudgesare usuallylookingforpromiseinawriter,soifyoucancraftastory,while writingoriginally,SF,fantasyandhorrorcanwin.Readtherulescarefully though,andreadpastwinners'storiestodeterminewhattypeofstoryusually wins,toavoidwastingyourowntimeandmoney.

PresentingWork Whereveryousendyourwork,presentitprofessionally.Handwritten,badly typedorscruffypageswillberejectedimmediatelybymosteditors.Takethe timetopresentyourselfprofessionally.Editorscareaboutcontentmorethan presentation,buttheywillbemorewillingtoreadamanuscriptifithasbeen puttogetherwithcare. UsingaComputer Ifyouplantospendalotoftimewriting,youwillfindthatacomputeris essential.Withminimaleffortyouwillbeabletopresenttypeset,quality manuscriptsinminutes. Writingonaword-processoriseasierthantyping,becauseyouarefreeto chopandshifttext,addingwordsandreorderingasyouwrite.It'samore creativeandhomogenousprocessthantypingorhandwriting.Yourstories arealsostored,andfiledondisc,whichmakeskeepingtrackofyour submissionseasy.Writersalso

makegreatuseofspellingandgrammarcheckers,alongwiththeautomatic wordcountfacilities. Aprofessionalapproachisessential,evenifyouarewritingasaminor hobby.Wheneditorsseeaneat,word-processeddocument,theyknowyou areserious.Manyalsoliketotakesubmissionsondisc(alongsideaprinted copy),toenabletheirtypesettertodoacleanandspeedyjob. AlthoughyoucanuseanytypeofIBM-compatiblePC,mostwritersfavour AppleMacintoshcomputers,astheyaremostprevalentinthepublishing industry.Asforsoftware,youcan'tgowrongwithWord6.0,orsomething similar. PrintingOutYourStory Whenastoryhasbeenfullyedited,andisreadyforsendingoff,printitout andmakesurethatyou: useA4whitepaper doublespacethelines leaveanunjustifiedright-handedge spellandgrammarcheckthoroughly leavewidemarginsallround includepagenumber,nameandtitleoneachpage useanewprintercartridge bindwithapaperclip;neverusestaples. Eachstoryshouldcontainacoveringsheetwhichstates: thetitleofthestory yournameandaddress theapproximatewordcountofthestory. HandlingCopyright Yourcoversheetcanalsoincludeabriefcopyrightnotice,suchas©1997 ChristopherKenworthy.Thisisnotalegalrequirement,becausecopyrightis automaticallyyoursthemomentyouwritesomethingdown,butthiswill showeditorsthatyouareaseriouswriter. Thecoveringsheetshouldalsostatewhichrightsarebeingoffered.This meansthatwhenyousellastoryyougivesomebodypermissiontopublish yourstory,undercertainconditions.Whenwritingshortstories,youwill probablyonlysell:

TheRunningSore JacobKlines 5600words Disposablemanuscript FirstEnglishLanguageRights 1JonesDrive Smithstone Amberside Wiltshire W235XZ Tel/Fax01234123456 [email protected]

Fig.4. Samplecoversheet.

FirstBritishSerialRights(anunpublishedstoryinaBritishmagazine) FirstNorthAmericanRights(anunpublishedstoryinaUSmagazine) FirstEnglishLanguageRights(firstpublicationofastoryintheworld) ReprintRights(republishingastoryelsewhere). Copyrightneedn'tbecomplicated,andeditorswillrarelytrytocheatyou,so bewillingtotaketheiradvice.Tokeepitreallysimple,justtypeFirst EnglishLanguageRightsonthecoveringsheet.Iftheeditorswantsomething else,theywillletyouknow. Unlessaneditoroffersyoualotofmoney,avoidsellingAllRights.Ifyour storyisasuccesstheowneroftherightscansellitagainandagain,forever, withoutyourpermissionandwithoutpayingyouanotherpenny.

ApproachingEditors Editorsarehuman,buttheyareamongstthebusiestpeopleonearth. Althoughtheymaybeinterestedinyourpastwritingsuccesstheyarenot botheredaboutyourexamsresults,socialbackground,countryoforigin,or literaryaims.Don'tborethemwithalongletter.Yourlettershouldinclude yourname,addressandthetitleofthestory.Mentionpreviouspublishing history,hererelevant,andifyouhavearecentissueofthemagazineyoucan mentionthat,butdon'tcrawl.Yourletterneedn'tbeanymorecomplicated thantheoneinFigure5. Youwillbetemptedtodescribeyourstory,explainingwhatitmeanstoyou, whoitwillappealtoandsoon.Don't.Sticktothefacts.Editorswanttoget onwithstoryreading,sogivethemachance. Don'ttrytobeoverfriendlywitheditors,usingtheirfirstname,unlessyou havecorrespondedforawhile.Don'ttrytobefunny.Evensmallpress publishers take their magazines seriously and will be more impressed by an understatedapproach.

JacobKlines 1JonesDriveSmithstoneAmberside WiltshireW235XZ Tel/Fax01234123456 [email protected] AndyCox,Editor TheThirdAlternative 5MartinsLane Witcham Ely Cambs CB62LB May8,199X

DearMrCox Ienjoyedtherecentissueof TheThirdAlternative,andwouldliketosubmit astoryforpublication.Pleasefindenclosed TheRunningSore,whichis 5600wordslong.AnSAEisenclosedforyourreply. Yourssincerely

JacobKlines

Fig.5. Samplecoveringlettertoaneditor.

IncludinganSAE Alwaysincludeastamped,self-addressedenvelope(SAE)withany submissionorletterofenquiry.Ifyoudon't,yourworkwillbethrownaway andyourreputationwillbedamaged.Usequalityenvelopesandsufficient postage. Presentationisimportant,rightdowntotheSAE,butrememberthatyouare awriternotadesigner. Makeyourmanuscriptproductionsystemasefficientaspossible,oryouwill wastevaluablewritingtime. UnderstandingPayment Paymentforsciencefiction,fantasyandhorrorstoriesrangesfromafree copyofthemagazinethroughtohundredsofpounds.Sometimesanewnovel willsellforjust2,000,andinothercasesthewriterwillbeofferedhundreds ofthousands.Whenyoubeginwriting,expectlittleornopayment. Althoughsciencefictioncanprovideyouwithasubstantialincome,itisyour writingthatmatters.Concentrateonwritingmorefiction,improvingallthe time,andthepaymentshouldimproveofitsownaccord. SellingNovels Theprocessforsellingnovelsisalmostidentical,exceptthatitcantake longer.Whenyousendoffanovelitwillprobablybereadbyaprofessional reader.Ifthereadergivesitaglowingreporttheeditorwillreadit,anda decisionwillbemade.Unlessyourmanuscriptisstunninglygoodorbadyou willwaitatleasttwomonths,andoftentwiceaslong. FindinganAgent Agentsdon'tsellshortstories,unlessyouareextremelyfamous.Theywill takeonnewnovelwriters.Agoodagentwill: getyourmanuscriptreadmorequickly sortoutlegalmatters obtainagooddeal,withafaircontract payforthepostageandprintingofyourmanuscript helptoguideyourcareer. Onthenegativeside,anagentwilltakeapproximately10per

centofyourearningsfromthebook.Youshouldrememberthatagentscan't sellbadbooks.Ifyouhavewrittenagoodnovelitwillprobablysell,whether ornotyouhaveanagent. Findinganagentissimilartofindingapublisher,andalmostasdifficult.You will find a list of agents in The Writer's Handbook. Send them a brief letter of enquiry and, if they are open to your suggestion, send the complete manuscript.Adecisionshouldcomewithinacoupleofmonths.

PromotingYourself Evenifyouarewritingexclusivelyforsmallpressmagazines,youwillgaina reputation.Peoplewillbegintonoticeyourname,andiftheyenjoyyour worktheywilllookforwardtoreadingmore.Thismakesyouattractiveto editors,whowanttoselltheirmagazines.Thisinturnhelpsyoutosell storieselsewhere.Withafewsmallpresssalesyoucanbreakinto professionalmagazines.Thisthenhelpsyoutosellanovel. Toptomoteyourselfeffectively,writeashortparagraphofbiographical details.Thisshouldincludeyour name age interests employment pastexperience andrelevantstorysales. Writethisasaninformalstatementaboutthewriteryouare,ratherthanasa CV. Asyoursalesbuildthebiographywillmakeeditorsmorerelaxedabout readingyourwork.Italsosavesthemaskingforyoutosenditinseparately, asmostmagazinespublishsuchdetailsalongsidethestory. Mostfictionmagazinescontainletterspages.Itisworthcontributingtothese, astheykeepyournameinthepubliceyeandshowthatyouareseriousabout fiction. CopingwithRejection Allwritersreceiverejectionletters.Usuallytheseareprintedforms,saying thattheeditorsdidn'tlikeyourstorybutunfortunately

don'thavetimetoexplainwhy.Insomecasesboxeswillbeticked,showing whichareasofyourstorycouldbeimproved.Themostthoughtfuleditorswill writebrieflettersofadvice. Whenrejectionletterscomeacceptthemaspartofthewritinglife. Sometimestheadvicecanbeextremelyhelpful,evenifitseemshurtfulat first.Ifastoryisrejected,considerrewritingitandthensenditsomewhere else.

WritingSomethingNew Thisbookhaseffectivelydetailedthewritingofoneshortstory.Tobea successfulwriteryouwillwanttowritehundredsofstories,orseveral novels.Withpractisewritingwillbecomeeasierandquicker.

Tobeasuccessfulwriteryoushould live asawriter,constantlyobserving. Youshouldfindtimetowrite,andyoushouldkeepwriting,nomatterhow discouragingtherejections,delaysandmistakes.

Onceastoryiscomplete,writeanother.Don'twaitforarejectionor acceptancebeforewritingsomethingnew.Getstraightintothenextstory. Thetechniques,suggestionsandexamplesinthisbookshouldhelpyouto writepowerfulsciencefiction,fantasyandhorrorstories.Intimeyouwill learnyourownstyle.Youwilllearntoeditandrewrite,whileyoucreate. Eventuallymanyofthetechniqueswillbecomesecondnature. Practisewritingeveryday,andkeeptrying.Withpersistenceyoucanwrite storiesthatsell.

Checklist Identifythemostsuitablemarketforeachstoryyouwrite. Presentyourworkasprofessionallyaspossible. Writebrief,preciseletterstoeditors. Promoteyourselfwithinthesmallpress.

AlwaysencloseanSAEwithyoursubmission. Considertheadviceinrejectionletters. Practisewritingeveryday.

CaseStudies PeterSendsoffhisStory Peterfeelsthathecouldgoonrevisinghisstoryforever,butrealisesthathe isstalling.Hecompletesthestorytothebestofhisability,thenprintsitout, sendsitoffandwaits.Inthemeantimehebeginswritingletterstoagentsand publishers,sothathisnamewillbeknownwhenhecomestowriteanovel. Heisalreadymakingnotesabouthisideas. MichaelPromotesHimself WhileroundinghisstoryoffMichaelmakeshimselfknowntoeditors,by writingtoletterpages.Hewritesaboutthetypeoffictionheisinterestedin, sparkingoffadebateinthesmallpress.Thismakespeopleeagertoreadhis work,toseeexactlywhathemeans.Whenhisfirststoryiscompletehe printsitout,putstogetherthepackageofletter,biographyandSAE,then sendsitoff. RuthWritesSomethingNew HavingprintedherstoryRuthsendsitoffandimmediatelybeginsworkon somethingnew.Sheiskeentoknowwhattheeditorthinks,butacceptsthat ifrejectedshewillbeabletolearnfromtheexperience.Whilemakingnotes sherealiseshowmuchshehaslearntaboutthewritingprocess.Her sentences,imagesanddialoguearealreadymorerealisticandflowing.

DiscussionPoints 1.Findapotentialmarketforyourstory.Doyouneedtochangethetitle, lengthorstyle,tomakeitmoresuitable?Isthereabettermarket?

2.Printoutyourstoryandletter.Isyourmanuscriptcleanandclear? 3.Writesomethingnew.Howhasyourwritingtechniquedevelopedsince youfirstbegan?Howcanyouimprovefromhere?

Glossary

A Alien.Anon-humancreaturefromanotherplanet. Alliteration.Therepetitionofconsonantsoundsatthebeginningofwords,as in'beneaththeburnishedbridge'.Thisisespeciallyusefulfortitles. Alternateworld.Afictionalversionoftheworld,basedonaslightlyaltered history. Android.Anartificialhumanoid,designedtobelikeahuman. Artificialintelligence(AI).Amachinewhichiscapableofintelligentthought. Althoughcomputersimulationsofintelligencearealreadypossibletoan extent,sciencefictionexplorestheideathatcomputersmayonedaybe conscious.Ifthiswasthecasecomputersmighthavepersonality,souland couldevenbegrantedcivilrights. Artificiallifeforms.Livingentitieswhichhavebeendesignedand constructed,butwhicharecapableofreproduction.

B Blurb.Adescriptivepassageonabookjacket,advertisingthecontents.Blurb alsoreferstothewordsofpraiseforabook,quotedfromreviewersand authorsonabookjacket.

C Characterisation.Givingthepeopleofastorydistinctiveandconsistent personalities. Cliché.Anexpressionthathaslostitsforcethroughover-use,suchas 'toweringtrees',or'ripplingmuscles'.Althoughclichécanaddrealismto dialoguewhenusedsparingly,itshouldbeavoidedatothertimes.Clichéalso referstoideasthatareunoriginal. Cyborg.Amechanicallyadaptedhuman,whoselimbs,organsandevenbrain havebeenreplacedwithartificialdevices,whichmayenhanceabilities. Cyberpunk.Asub-genreofhardSF,popularinthe1980s,ledbywriters suchasWilliamGibsonandBruceSerling.Itconcentratesonunder-the-skin technology,withcomputer-dominated

futuresrunbycorporations.Heavyon'street'style,withcharacterswhowere moresurfacethansubstance,cyberpunkremainsinfluentialontelevisionand movieSF,althoughitsroleinliteraturehasdiminished.

D Deusexmachina.Anunexpected,artificial,orimprobableeventintroduced suddenlyinastorytoresolveasituationoruntangleaplot. Deusexmachina spoilsstories,becauseitreducestheimportanceofacharacter'sactions. Dystopia.Animaginaryfutureinwhichlifeisextremelybadbecauseof deprivation,oppressionorterror.

F Fantasy.Agenreoffictioncharacterisedbyhighlyfancifulorsupernatural elements.Themostbasicformoffantasydealswithswordandsorcery, worldofmagic,withbattlesofgoodagainstevil.Fantasycanalsobesetin moreordinarysurroundings,whererealityisslightlyblurredandaltered throughdifferentstatesofmindortheapplicationofmagic. Fasterthanlighttravel.Anyformoftransportthatexceedsthespeedoflight, byexoticmethodssuchaswarpingspace. Firstcontact.Themomentwhenhumansandaliensfirstcomeintocontact.A mainstayofSF,thisideacanbetackledinmanyways,fromalienvisitation throughtoEarthtravellersinvadinganotherplanet.Theprotocolsandethics offirstcontactstoriesstillhavepotentialforSFwriters. Freeenergy.Theideathatascientificdiscoverywilleffectivelymakea renewable,clean,inexpensiveformofenergyavailable.Coldfusion,for instance,wouldcreateenoughenergytopowertheworld,fromacupfulof seawater.Whetherthisenergyisactuallyfree,orcontrolledbyindividuals andcorporations,determinesthewaythisideaisusedinSF.

G Gene.AhereditaryunitcontainedwithintheDNAofcells,whichdetermines physicalcharacteristics.Genemutation,replicationandalterationisthebasis formanySFstories. Geneticengineering.Thedeliberatemutationorsplicingofgenes,toalterthe natureofoffspring. Genre.Acategoryofliteraturemarkedbyadistinctivestyle,formorcontent. Peopleworkinginthefieldsofspeculativefictionoftenreferexclusivelyto sciencefiction,fantasyandhorroras'genre'. Gore.Extremeformofhorror,inwhichtheemphasisisonvividdescriptions ofphysicalsuffering,suchasdisembowelmentandmutilation.

H HardSF.Abrandofsciencefictioncharacterisedbyemphasisonplausible technology.Althoughspeculativeitelaboratesknownscience,detailingideas suchasspaceships,hardwiringthebrain,andtheterraformingofplanets. Heightenedrealism.Amodernformofslipstreamwriting,inwhichSF, fantasyandhorrorarewovenintotheordinary,contemporaryworld.This createsasenseofrealismwhichissoextremethatitcanbedreamlike. Horror.Fictionthatfrightensthereader,oftenwithsupernaturalelements.

I Imagery.Theuseofexpressiveorevocativeimagesinfiction.More specifically,imageryreferstothesensorydescriptionsthathelpareaderto visualisethestory.

J Juxtaposition.Placingtwothingsclosetogether,toshowtheircontrast.

M Magicrealism.Aformoffictionwhichcontainssymbolicandbizarreimages andideas,alongsideordinaryevents.Magicrealismisoftenplotless,withthe logicofastorybeingdictatedbyacharacter'sthoughtsandbeliefsasmuch asbyaction.Similiartoheightenedrealism,butoftenmoreportentousand lessintense. Miserablism.Anareaoffictionwheremainstreamliteratureiscombinedwith SF,fantasyandhorror.Althoughitsmoodisoftendarkandurban,itisalso humorous. Motif.Arecurrentimage,phraseorthematicelementinfiction. Mutation.Thechangingofacreature'sgeneticmake-uptoformanewtypeof being,usuallyasoffspring.

N Nano-technology.Thisbranchofscienceconcernsextremelysmallmachines, sometimesmadeofafewatoms,whichworkatthemolecularlevel.Intheory itshouldbepossibletoinjectself-replicatingnanomachinesintoabody,to repairdamagedcells,strengthenweakcellsandrenewbone.Nanomachines couldalsobeusedtomanufacturecomplexmaterialsandfoodsfromwaste products.

P Pace.Therateofspeedatwhichastoryproceeds.Agoodstorywillusually movebetweensteadyandquickpacing. Parallelworld.Aseparatereality,whichexistsalongsideours.InSFa parallel world can be aslightly different version of our reality,or entirely different planets which can be reached through certain crossover points. Specificconditionsneedtobemet,inmostcases,forthecrossovertotake place.

Plot.Thesequenceofeventsinastorywhichformsthemainstoryline.

S Sciencefiction.Aliterarygenrebasedonspeculativescientificdiscoveriesor developments.Itisconcernedwithenvironmentalchanges,spacetravel,life onotherplanetsandotherspeculations,allofwhichaskwhattheworld wouldbelikeifthingsweredifferent. Slipstream.Aformofcross-genreSF,concernedmorewithmood, atmosphereandcharacterisationthanhardplotandscience.Oftenpublished inmainstreammagazines,slipstreamisenjoyedbySFreadersbecauseofthe weirdandunusualelementswhichcolourit. Smallpress.Manysmallmagazines,runindependentlybyenthusiasts,are collectivelytermedthesmallpress. SoftSF.Sciencefictionwhichdealswithstatesofmind,politicsand personality,ratherthanhardscienceortechnology. Spaceopera.AformofSF,whichshowsaherobattlingagainsttheodds throughextremedrama.Moviessuchas StarWars areclassicexamplesof howspaceoperacanentertain,whileColinGreenland'snovel TakeBack Plenty showshowthisformstillhasmuchtooffer. Splatterpunk.Astyleofhorror,whichemphasisesvividdescriptionsof physicalviolence. Steampunk.Asub-genreofsciencefiction,inwhichanalternateviewof historyisshown.Whatif,forexample,HitlerhadwontheSecondWorld War,orifnuclearpowerhadbeendiscoveredtwohundredyearsago? Swordandsorcery.Atypeoffictioninwhichmythicalandmagicalbeings battlebetweengoodandevil. Sub-plot.Astorythatrunsalongside,butinharmonywith,themainplot.

T Teleportation.Atheoreticalformoftransport,inwhichthebodyisbroken downintoenergy,beamedtoanotherplaceandreorganisedtoitsoriginal form. Terraforming.Theprocessofmakingotherplanets,suchasMars,habitable forhumancolonisationbychangingtheatmosphereandsurface,and introducinglife. Theme.Theoverallmeaningofastory.

U Utopia.Animaginaryfutureinwhichlifeisextremelypleasant,andallof ourcontemporaryproblems(suchaswarandfamine)

havebeensolved.Ironically,Utopiansocietiesareoftenportrayedasbeing extremelyunpleasantinSF.

V Virtualreality.Advancedsimulations,inwhichallthesensesarecateredfor, sothattheeventssimulated(suchasflying)seemabsolutelyreal.InSF virtualrealityisusedtocontrolremoterobots,asentertainment,andto providealternaterealities.

W Warpdrive.Anenginesystembuiltintoaspaceship,whichallowsittowarp spaceandthustravelfasterthanthespeedoflight.

UsefulAddresses

SocietiesandAssociations TheBritishFantasySociety.MembershipoftheBFSis£17perannum.You receiveabi-monthlynewsletter,aregularmagazineofnewstoriesandthe benefitofbeingincontactwithhundredsoflike-mindedwritersandfans. TheannualBritishFantasyConventionisalwaysmemorable,notonlyforthe awardsceremonyandbanquet,butfortheinvaluablecontacts.The professionalsminglewithnewcomersandtheatmosphereisunique.Obtain detailsbysendinganSAEtotheBFSSecretary,2HarwoodStreet, StockportSK41JJ. TheBritishScienceFictionAssociation.TheBSFAcoversSFandrelated genres,andisaimedatauthors,publishersandfans.Membershipis£18per annum,forwhichyoureceivethreemagazineswhichcovernewsand information,amateurfictionandcriticalstudies.Mostimportantly,theBSFA organisesanOrbitergroup,whichallowsmemberstostudyeachothers' fiction,offeringsupportandconstructivecriticism.DetailsfromAlison Cook,52WoodHillDrive,Grove,Wantage,Oxford-shireOX120DF. TheGothicSociety.Aquarterlynewsletterandmagazineareproducedby TheGothicSociety,alongwithrelevantbooklistsandinformation. Membershipis£20peryear.TheGothicSociety,ChathamHouse,Gosshill Road,Chiselhurst,KentBR75NS.Tel:(0181)4678475. TheGhostStorySociety.Devotedtosupernaturalfiction,especially traditionalghoststories,thissocietysuppliesmemberswiththreemagazines eachyear,detailingnewbooks,moviesandtelevisionshows.Italso publisherslettersandnewfiction.Membershipis£13.50peryear.The GhostStorySociety,Ashcroft,2AbbottsfordDrive,Penyffordd,Chester CH40JG.

Ansible.DavidLangford'shumorousSFnewsletterisavailablefree.Sendan SAEto94LondonRoad,Reading,BerkshireRG15AU.

Services FreelancePressServices.Offersavarietyofservicesforwriters,and supplieshow-towritebooksviamailorder.FreelancePressServices, CumberlandHouse,LissadelStreet,SalfordM66GG.Tel:(0161)7028225. TheAssociationofFreelanceWriters.Offersservicesandsupportfor writers.TheAssociationofFreelanceWriters,SevendaleHouse,7Dale Street,ManchesterM11JB.Tel:(0161)2282362.

Courses ArvonFoundation.TheArvonFoundationrunsfive-dayresidentialwriting coursesatcentresinYorkshire,DevonandInverness-shire.Studentswork withprofessionalwriters,ingroupsandindividually.Therearemanygeneral fictionwritingcourses,andoccasionallyArvonrunscoursesthatspecialise insciencefiction,fantasyandhorror.ForabrochuresendanSAEtoThe ArvonFoundationatLumbBank,HebdenBridge,WestYorkshireHX7 6DF. IndianKingArtsCentre.Residentialwritingcoursesarerunthroughoutthe year,sometimesspecialisinginSF,fantasyandhorror.Forabrochure contact The Indian King Arts Centre, Fore Street, Calemford, Cornwall PL329PG.

FurtherReading

FictionMagazines TheThirdAlternative,editedbyAndyCox,isprobablythebestslipstream magazine,specialisinginborderlinehorror,SFandmagic/heightened realism.Singleissue£2.50,four-issuesubscription£9.Chequespayableto TheThirdAlternative,5MartinsLane,Witcham,Ely,CambridgeshireCB6 2LB. PeepingTom,editedbyStuartHughes,publishedbyDavidBell,containsa mixedbagofextremehorror,fromnewandbig-namewriters,with occasionalgems.Four-issuesubscription£7.50.ChequespayabletoPeeping Tom,YewTreeHouse,15NottinghamRd,AshbydelaZouch, LeicestershireLE651DJ. Interzone,editedbyDavidPringle,isBritain'spremiersciencefiction publication,containingnewstories,reviewsandcriticalarticles.Singleissue £2.50,twelve-issuesubscription£28.ChequespayabletoInterzone,217 PrestonDrove,BrightonBN16FL. BBR,editedbyChrisReed,isexperimentalintone,butstillconcentrateson plot-driven,moodySF.TheeditorcanalsoprovidedetailsofTheNew ScienceFictionAlliance,whichsuppliescopiesofforeignanddifficultto obtainmagazines.Singlecopy£3.50,four-issuesubscription£11.Cheques payabletoChrisReed,BBR,POBox625,SheffieldS13GY. DreamsFromTheStranger'sCafé,editedbyJohnGaunt,isawellproduced magazineofobscureandsurrealfiction,oftenwithelementsofscience fiction.Singleissue£2.50,four-issuesubscription£9.ChequestoJohn Gaunt,15CliftonGrove,Clifton,Rotherham,SouthYorkshireS652AZ. Substance,editedbyPaulBeardsley,publishesalltypesofsciencefiction withtheemphasisontechnological,plot-drivenstories.

Singleissue£2.50,four-issuesubscription£9.ChequestoNeville Barnes,65ConbarAvenue,Rustington,WestSussexBN163LZ. Kimota isthemagazineforthePrestonSFGroup,editorGraemeHurry. ManagestopublishabroadrangeofSF,fantasyandhorror,alongwith articlesandartwork.Althoughfamouswritersappearhere,theeditorisopen tonewwriters.Singleissue£2,four-issuesubscription£7.Chequesto KimotaPublishing,52CadleyCauseway,Preston,LancashirePR23RX.

MagazinesforWriters Zene comesfromthesamepublishersas TheThirdAlternative,andcontains guidelinesforothermagazinestowhichwriterscansubmitstories.Italso publishesreviewsandnon-fictionarticles.Singleissue£1.95,four-issue subscription£7.Chequesto Zene,5MartinsLane,Witcham,Ely, CambridgeshireCB62LB. FreelanceMarketNews publisheslistsofnewmarketsandcompetitionsfor writers.Six-issuesubscription£13.95,eleven-issuesubscription£25. ChequestoFreelancePressServices,CumberlandHouse,LissadelStreet, SalfordM66GG. Writers'Forum,editedbyJohnBenton,publishesarangeofhow-to-write articles.Singleissue£3.35fromWriters'Forum,9/10RobertsClose, Moxley,Wednesbury,WestMidlandsWS108SS. Writer'sNews and WritingMagazine,editedbyRichardBell,coverall aspectsofwriting,intermsofcraftandpublication.Atwelve-month subscriptiontobothis£41.60.ChequestoWriter'sNewsLtd,POBox4, Nairn,Inverness-shireIV124HU. Writer'sMonthly coversallaspectsofwriting,withthemajorityofarticles detailingfictiontechnique.Forsubscriptiondetailscontact(0181)3476778. WriteLines isthemagazinefor TheAssociationofFreelanceWriters, givingmarketnewsalongsidehow-to-writearticles.Detailsofmembership andsubscriptionratesfromTheAssociationofFreelanceWriters,Sevendale House,7DaleStreet,ManchesterM11JB.Tel:(0161)2282362.

RecommendedFiction Arcd'X,SteveErickson. BlindNeedle,TrevorHoyle. TheChildGarden,GeoffRyman. TheCountofEleven,RamseyCampbell. TheCourseofTheHeart,M.JohnHarrison. TheEarthWire,JoelLane. TheEarthseaTrilogy,UrsulaLeGuin. ExquisiteCorpse,RobertIrwin. FinishingTouches,ThomasTessier. HeadInjuries,ConradWilliams. HouseofLostDreams,GrahamJoyce. TheIceMonkey,M.JohnHarrison. TheImmaculate,MarkMorris. Koko,PeterStraub. LittleDeaths,ed.EllenDatlow. LordofTheRings,J.R.R.Tolkien. MrBadface,MarkMorris. OnlyForward,MichaelMarshallSmith. OutsidetheDogMuseum,JonathanCarroll. ThePrestige,ChristopherPriest. RedMars,KimStanleyRobinson. SaxophoneDreams,NicholasRoyle. TheSearch,GeoffDyer. Spider,patrickMcGrath. TakeBackPlenty,ColinGreenland. Vurt,JeffNoon. Was,GeoffRyman. WillYouHoldMe?,ChrisKenworthy. TheYear'sBestFantasyandHorror,ed.EllenDatlow.

EssentialReference TheEncyclopaediaofScienceFiction,JohnClute,(StMartin'sGriffin). TheWriters'Handbook,(Macmillan). TheWriters'andArtists'Yearbook,(A&CBlack). ASelectionofOtherHowToBooksforWriters CreativeWriting:Howtodevelopyourwritingskillsforsuccessful

fictionandnonfictionwork,AdèleRamet(HowToBooks,1996). Copyright&LawforWriters:HowtoProtectyourselfandyourcreative work,HelenShay(HowToBooks,1996). HowtoWriteforTelevision,WilliamSmethurst(HowToBooks,1992). Writing&SellingaNovel:Howtocraftyourfictionforpublication, MarinaOliver(HowToBooks,1996). HowtoWriteforPublication,ChrissMcCallum(HowToBooks,3rd edition1995).Acomprehensivereferencemanual.

Index

A alien,11,12,25,28,41,43,48,49,60,63,64,70,83,87,111 alliteration,94,110 android,35,41,48 assumptions,62,67

C character,15,16,17,18,27,29,35,36,37,38,40,41,42,43,44,45,46, 47,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67, 68,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,78,79,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,90, 91,92,95,111 characterisation,19,47,85,99,113 cliché,17,51,71,85,110 computer,32,35,63,100,110 copyright,101

D deusexmachina,56,111 dialogue,31,37,46,47,69,73,77,83,84,85,87,88,89,95,108,110 drama,35,52,53,113 dream,32,64 drug,35,52,53,54,78

E editors,12,18,55,92,98,99,100,101,103,106,108 emotion,16,20,24,26,40,43,52,53,60,69,74,75,83 ending,55,56,57,58,90,91,92,95,96

F fantasy,11,14,15,18,19,20,21,32,40,42,53,55,61,64,69,77,90, 98,100,105,107,111,112,115,116,118,119

G genre,110,111,113 gore,17

H heightenedrealism,20,112,117 horror,11,16,17,18,19,20,21,32,40,42,53,55,61,64,69,77,90, 98,100,105,107,111,112,116,118,119

I ideas,11,12,13,15,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31, 32,33,36,37,38,39,40,43,44,53,55,58,59,60,63,66,67,68,71, 82,93,108,110,112 image,29,31,70,81,90,93,112 imagery,52,69,71,72,75,76,112 inspiration,25

J juxtaposition,69,74

L logic,37,52,55,57,67,91,93,112

M machines,14,112 market,25,38,67,98,99,107,108,118 Miserablist,78 modifiers,84,88,89 motif,81,82 mutation,111

N names,23,27,43,44,50,88,89,100 notes,20,22,23,24,25,26,28,29,30,31,33,38,40,42,50,57,67,97, 108

P pace,64,91,96 payment,105 people,13,14,23,24,25,26,28,29,36,37,38,40,42,43,44,45,47, 50,51,53,56,60,63,70,83,85,86,87,88,89,92,93,99,103,108,110 plot,19,37,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,66,67,87,91,93,95,96,111, 113,117 R rewriting,68,92,95,107

S scenes,26,27,31,33,37,47,50,51,52,57,58,63,67,65,68,69,72, 75,81,82,85,96 sciencefiction,11,12,15,18,19,20,22,24,25,27,28,31,43,46,53, 54,55,59,60,63,69,70,76,83,86,89,98,100,105,107,110,111,112, 113,115,116,117,118,119 senses,21,23,48,72,73,74,76,114 slipstream,113,117 smallpress,20,99,103,106,107,108 StarTrek,11,20,22,47,48,64 StarWars,12,43,113 style,11,12,19,33,34,63,68,69,77,78,79,80,81,82,84,88,89,93, 98,99,107,108,111,113 surreal,117

T technology,12,13,14,25,26,27,39,60,61,62,67,73,75,86,110,112, 113 teleport,14,61 teleportation,13,66,87 theme,16,19,31,32,33,37,38,39,40,44,51,52,55,58,61,66,81,88, 90,91,95,99 title,93,95,96,97,99,101,103,108

U universe,15,22,24,33

V virtualreality,12,32,61,98,114 W warpdrive,55 worldbuilding,15,49,67