What propels writers to dream up sci-fi and futuristic
books?
Over time, a few readers have asked me how I come up
with sci-fi stories. I didn’t really understand the question—I mean, to me it
was self-explanatory, right?—so during an online IM session, a reader explained
that she couldn’t wrap her mind around sci-fi. She loved the genre, but it was
difficult for her to imagine cool and unusual things that might happen, be
created, or occur in the distant future.
“Ah,” I thought. “I get it now.” I suppose some might have a
tough time imagining such things. And I guess reading sci-fi and futuristic fiction or watching those movies allows them to just kick back and let someone else take them to those worlds.
The techie stuff and world-building of these genres aside,
writing this material boils down to the same thing: a solid plot and
well-developed characters. Regardless of the genre, all stories require these
two elements. There must be a problem to overcome, a series of events that lead
the hero or heroine to solving the problem whether through h/her efforts or by
the actions of others forcing the proverbial snowball to grow larger. The
science fiction, however, is the candy coating—but it does need to be
believable.
So what makes sci-fi/futuristic writers tick?
Well, there are many things that factor into this question, but
in a nutshell I believe writers have a story to tell. Regardless of genre, we
need to exorcise the people in our heads, lol. We must get those characters,
the settings, conflict, romance, action, etc., out of our heads and onto paper
or a computer screen. If we don’t, we self-combust.
{BOOM!}
And if you set those things aside, looking only at the
science fiction aspect, I think there’s one answer to why we write it: we love
to create, dream, and imagine. Putting it into manuscript form and seeing it
published is an added bonus. However, the biggest benefit of all for a writer
in this genre is asking, “What if?” and running with it like Satan is on our
heels.
I asked a couple of Decadent’s sci-fi/futuristic authors
what was important to them about writing one of their most recent titles in
this genre. Author D.L. Jackson had this to say about her book,
This Endris Night.
I was asked why I loved writing this story. Many who look at the cover
of This Endris Night do not realize it is a science fiction romance story. The
origins of this idea and the reason I enjoyed building this world, come from
possible alien visitations to ancients on Earth, in this case, Alaska and the Native Yupik peoples. I love
the thought of visitors from other worlds coming to Earth, living among the
ancient civilizations, explaining some of the legends of the ancients. This story is a mixture of Yupik
culture and science fiction.
Ah, there it is. The
what-if factor. Are there visitors from other worlds? Whether now or thousands
of years ago, this is the biggest what-if question of all. To sci-fi authors this question is addictive, our so-called drug
of choice.
D.L. goes on to say:
Shiya is a Yupik supermodel, running from a stalker, luring him to the
land of her youth where she can face him on her own terms and put a stop to the
deadly game of cat and mouse. Gunnar is from another world, a doppelganger, on
Earth for one purpose, to recover the wreckage of a two hundred year old crash
that has been exposed from a melting glacier. When he meets Shiya, he knows
more than the crash debris will have to come home with him. Shiya is a hybrid,
proof of his people’s existence and things are about to get infinitely more
complicated when he learns she’s being hunted by one of his kind.
This one story opened up thousands of possibilities for future novels
and novellas that will take place on almost every continent on the planet. I
look forward to expanding this world, rewriting ancient legends and giving them
a science fiction twist. For not all science fiction romance takes place in the
stars.
Amen to that, D.L.! I
couldn’t agree more!
But what about
Decadent’s SFR Elatia series? It opens up a host of avenues to travel, roads or sky paths leading from one planet to another. This line of books introduces the reader to
races of people one never imagined. In Elatia, a writer can dream to epic
proportions and step into a new world never investigated before. One of
Elatia’s authors, Jessica E. Subject, has this to say about what drove her to
write
An Unexpected Return.
My
characters fight for what they want. They both have wonderful lives where they
want for nothing, but both Aris and Xia want something different than what
their parents expect of them. Aris is a prince on Tyto, but he doesn’t want to
rule. He wants to explore the universe, see what else is out there. It’s something
I’m
sure most young adults can relate to.
I agree with Jessica. Although the desire to
see what’s out there beyond our limited part of the world is stronger in our
youth, I believe we all have the need to see and know what’s out there. This is
a topic that leads to hundreds of ideas a writer can elaborate on.
Jessica also says:
Xia
was destined to become an Adamo, following in her mother’s footsteps.
But as she finishes her first level of training, she begins to doubt whether
that career is truly her calling. She feels guilty for wanting something else,
doesn’t want to disappoint her mother. Yet, at the
same time, she doubts she’ll be happy in that profession. Add in a
different career path, and I can totally relate to Xia.
Guilt. Wow, that’s something we all relate to,
isn’t it? Thus another solid foundation for a plot. Regardless if it’s sci-fi,
horror, or even contemporary romance, guilt is known to motivate people in very
entertaining ways—in life as well as fiction, lol.
Lastly, Jessica adds:
When
I introduced these two characters to each other, they both became more focused
on finding happiness rather than the approval of others. So, much of An
Unexpected Return relates to finding one’s own path in the
world, regardless of what others want for you, about finding what makes you
happy.
And for writers,
spinning our tales is what makes us happy. It’s what makes us tick. The same
goes for me. I have to write. To me, it’s the same as breathing.
When I was approached
to write the launch book, Forever Across the Stars, for the Elatia line, I was overwhelmed with deadlines,
and the impending holidays only compounded my stress level. However, I wanted
so badly to take the details I was given and run with them. Not only was I
driven to please Decadent’s lovely owners, I wanted to create something
different. It had been quite a while since I’d written science fiction longer
than 5K or 10K. I enjoyed this particular writing experience more than I have
in a long, long time.
Through a cruel custom of the planet Viktari, Feather, my
heroine, discovers who she truly is and, having been denied emotion for so many
years, she embarks on a personal journey complicated by two men who fall in
love with her and a villain bent on taking over the planet Elatia. I
think Feather is one of the most damaged characters I’ve ever written, one who
transcends her plight and emerges from the fire like the Phoenix. In doing
so, she’s able to accept the love of a special man and finally allow herself to
give her love in return.
So, if you’ve never
read a SFR book, I invite you to try these titles or any of the other numerous
sci-fi and futuristic books available at Decadent Publishing. Who knows, you
might become a new fan of the genre. ☺
***So, now that you've come to the end of this post, how would you like the opportunity to win a cool t-shirt OR a cool tote with D.L. Jackson's book covers? If so, enter by using the Rafflecopter form below.
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