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It is your job to come up with some inventive new tale. These tropes can be found in dozens of sci-fi stories. I could go on and on and I bet you know a couple more too. The following are typical examples of science fiction tropes:Īdvanced tech shows a glimpse of a future However, I would urge you to be careful and provide your own unique take on them and avoid a string of clichés.
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It helps you form a story readers recognize and love. So what mix can help you write a good science fiction story?Ī trope describes certain common recurring language, tactics, images, motives, or even clichés of a particular genre.įinding out what tropes are common for the genre you like to write in can be very handy. If not, the story might be considered fantasy, where ideas are explained by the supernatural or magic.Įvery genre has different needs, approaches, ideas, and tropes. It’s imperative that the ideas presented can be explained scientifically. The relationship with science – in any form – is important, it should be somewhat believable. “Fiction about science” actually covers a lot because sci-fi stories deal with science and technology, often set in the future. Most of my short stories belong to either genre. Which begs another question: what’s the difference between science fiction and fantasy? People make distinctions between hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi. These are some of my favorites, although people disagree on the latter being pure science fiction. War of the Worlds, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Asimov’s Foundation Series, 1984, Brave New World, Ready Player One, Black Mirror, Star Wars. What do you like about science fiction? What are your favorite science fiction stories?
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Looking at this enumeration of sci-fi elements, it becomes ever more clear that sci-fi is considered the literature of ideas. All these concepts can be used to touch upon a specific issue, whether that’s something in society, future developments, human nature, etc. What makes a good science fiction story? I love science fiction because it’s a beautiful way to hold up a mirror to the reader, dealing with futuristic concepts, ideas, speculations, space travel, time travel, and more.
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