Asking Questions and Generating Ideas

Writers want to tell an interesting and engaging story.  This isn’t an easy task, either.  We’re each one out of thousands of story-tellers, and it seems every possible idea has been done in some form or another.  This can make writing our own stories seem daunting.  Even futile.  I should know, because I’ve struggled with this insecurity before.

Speculative fiction gives us the advantage of opening up the possibilities.  The universe is vast.  There are so many things to see and do that humans have yet to discover, and this is an exciting fact.  This doesn’t mean, however, that the story ideas always come easily.  They frequently don’t.  There are, however, plenty of ways to defeat writers block.  I’ve used these methods myself.

Next time you’re watching a film, ask yourself questions. 

How could things have happened differently?  What if a character missed their flight and couldn’t make it to the important meeting?  What if the protagonist saw through the antagonist’s lies and decided to try to beat them at their own game.  Asking these kinds of questions regarding stories you love help get you thinking like a writer.  Plus, the urge you may occasionally feel to yell at the screen when a character does something stupid can be harnessed for good use.  That’s a great thing, if you ask me.

You can also ask friends to give you tidbits of plot.  Ask one friend for a character or two.  Ask another for a setting.  Ask a third to give you an inciting incident to kick the story into motion.  Ask someone else for another incident to send events into a new and interesting direction.  Use these things to create a story idea.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.

Character #1: Female, age 35, doctor

Character #2: Male, age 20, mechanic

Setting: spaceship, passenger liner, carrying 20,000 people, currently in orbit around Earth

Inciting Incident: A bizarre space anomaly is spotted, and it’s heading straight for Earth.

From this setup, questions naturally arise.  How should they respond to seeing the anomaly?  What is it?  What will happen if it reaches Earth?  Will the world be destroyed, or will it be changed in some strange way?  Should the spaceship stay and try to help if things go awry?  Should they flee to protect the 20,000 people onboard?  The story could go in so many different directions.  What role will our main characters play in all this?  They won’t be the ones making the final decision about whether the ship stays or goes, but they’ll certainly have plenty to do when trouble strikes.

The idea may ultimately be terrible.  It might also be brilliant.  In either case, it’ll get your brain thinking creatively, and that’s the most important part of all this.

Science Fiction, Science Future

- by Sylvia Ney

One of my favorite stops this summer was at the Reuben H. Fleet museum in San Diego, California. I took my daughters to the traveling exhibit "Science Fiction, Science Future".

We spent the day learning about what has led to our current understanding of science, what humans are currently working to develop, and being teased with challenges for the future. Gallery stops included:

- understanding what we know of sound and light
- move this object with your mind challenge
- become invisible
- design your own cyborg
- interact with robots
- and more than I can write about in one post!

Here are just a few of our explorations:

A section honoring the history of science fiction development - its authors, artists, and innovators. Rare books from the Department of Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA), artwork from comic book publisher IDW, and even displays from the Star Trek franchise were available for perusal - including a very special challenge (see pics below).

Created by the renowned Scitech Discovery Centre in Perth, Australia this exhibit is a visually compelling way to share a deeper understanding of how science fiction concepts of today are becoming a reality: including holograms.

Visitors are completely immersed in possibilities for medical technology, communication, and even transportation. This exhibit includes many innovations, inventions, and challenges -  a taste of anything a science lover could be looking for, especially when sharing the concepts with family and friends.

Thanks to this trip, my daughters truly enjoyed a glimpse at the possibilities for themselves and their future. I can't wait to see how they will contribute.

How will you contribute to our science fiction, science future? Will you or someone you know want to compete in the tricorder challenge listed in the above picture?

U is for Unknown

U is for Unknown

Hello everyone, Mel here.

In Speculative Fiction, as with most genres, the unknown is the driving force of the story. It is the most effective weapon in the writer’s arsenal. If used rightly, the reader is left with no choice but to turn pages at a frantic pace until, finally, they get to that last page when all mysteries are solved, all questions answered, all unknowns known— unless, of course, there’s a sequel.  J

My contribution to this work, Haunted, uses this tool more than any other story I’ve written. The mystery remains until the last line of the last page.  Sorry, no spoilers here—I want you to enjoy the unknown.

 

 

Speculative Fiction

Parallels: Felix Was Here

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We create stories to help us shape a chaotic world, to navigate inequities of power, to accept our lack of control over nature, over others, over ourselves. -Doug Dorst.      

Speculative fiction.

Up until Haunted, I’d never written in this genre. Most of my work has more of a paranormal bent. Now don’t get me wrong, I read it all the time; in fact it’s one of my favorites—I love the mish-mash of it all—nothing like escaping reality for a good time. It works because it comes so naturally to us. Who among us isn’t curious about what might have been?   Think about it. Our life is made up of a million choices. What if we’d made just one differently? Would our whole world be changed? Possibly.  Who can wrap their arms around that? And the most frightening part? Sometimes the choices aren’t even our own. What if that train that was supposed to pick up your mother was late—you know that train where your mom and dad met? It’s like Back to the Future on steroids. Almost makes you never want to leave your house, doesn’t it? But there’s a cost there, too.

Everything has a cost.

Just something to think about.

-Melanie Schulz

What is Speculative Fiction?

Before I get to the issue of the day, I’d like to mention that we’ll be posting here on this blog on Wednesdays.  I can’t say if it’ll be every Wednesday or every other Wednesday because we’re still working all of that out, but if we’re going to be posting, for now it’ll be on a Wednesday.  Once the A to Z Challenge starts, that will of course cease to be the case.

Now, on to the topic I wanted to address.

The IWSG anthology Parallels: Felix Was Here is coming out soon, and it’s comprised of ten tales that make use of alternate history or parallel universes.  These elements are part of a much broader category known as speculative fiction.

What is speculative fiction?  This is a far more interesting and difficult question than many people realize.  In a way, all fiction deals on some level with the question “what if?”  So does speculative fiction.  In the realm of speculative fiction, though, you’re asking the question “what if the world was different than it is now in this specific way?”  The differences may be realistic but significant in their consequences, or they may be wildly different from what we expect from the world in which we live.

The realm of speculative fiction can include science fiction, fantasy, horror, and various other genres.  It is a broad umbrella that encompasses many types of fiction.  That’s one reason why it’s such a tricky thing to define.  It’s about possibility and impossibility, as paradoxical as that may seem.  It allows us to go on adventures that we couldn’t otherwise enjoy.  Speculative fiction allows the writer and reader to explore important issues facing humanity in the context of an exciting story.

Here are a few examples for you to give you an idea of how inclusive the category of speculative fiction truly is.  Follow the links to learn more about any of these stories.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

Fifteen years after the Allies lost WWII, the United States is occupied by Japan and Nazi Germany.  This is a classic example of alternate history.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

This is a classic science fiction novel that famously includes the three laws of robotics.  Asimov's three laws have been referenced throughout the genre since they were first introduced.  This exploration of robotics is just as much an exploration of humanity.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Arthur Dent just wanted to save his house from being demolished to make way for a bypass.  Then his friend Ford reveals that he's an alien, Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass, and they end up in a stolen ship with the president of the galaxy.  The key to surviving is to not panic.  This blend of science fiction and humor helps you see the absurdity of the world in which we live.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

This farmyard full of talking, intelligent animals may fit into the realm of fantasy in many ways, but it's one of the most famous examples of social/political satire out there.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

A hobbit is drawn into an adventure he never expected.  This high-fantasy novel is, as is well-known, connected to the famous Lord of the Rings epic.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

This is an example of contemporary science fiction.  It's our world plus genetically modified dinosaurs, and things go entertainingly awry.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Shadow gets out of prison.  His wife has just died, and his world is suddenly filled with gods and all manner of crazy things he never expected.  This is an interesting mix of contemporary fantasy and mythology.

The Stand by Stephen King

In a plague ravaged world, a handful of survivors are forced to take sides in a struggle between good and evil.  As if merely staying alive weren't challenging enough.  This story is an interesting mix of post-apocalyptic, horror, and fantasy.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

This story spans generations and introduces many remarkable characters.  A bizarre mix of historical, contemporary, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic themes, this novel explores the nature of human connections across time and space.

This is only a partial list.  I could go on forever with examples.  If you enjoy good stories that stray from reality in interesting and perhaps unpredictable ways, then speculative fiction may be right for you.  Jump in and enjoy the ride!

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Parallels: Felix Was Here!