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Aug 16, 2004 Writing fantasy fiction and sci-fi, as anyone who has tried it will know, is not easy. I think that the most important qualification is also the most obvious: the writer should have a weird and wild imagination. He should be open to all possibilities in life (and even beyond) and be willing to use them in his stories. Combined with this, he needs to have a down to earth consistency, and the ability to logically structure material. This explains why fantasy writing is not for everyone. It’s not easy to find the qualities of dispassionate logic and a wild imagination in the same person! There is also a further quality needed by fantasy writers. One that is necessary to all authors, in fact. A writer needs to possess a strong interest in humanity, and the ability to create believable characters and dialogue. Of particular importance when writing science- fiction is a high standard of literary skill and a long history of reading the kind of fiction one likes to write. The broader this reading history is the better. If you only read Frank Herbert, then anything you write is inevitably going to seem like second rate Frank Herbert. Read widely and be your own man. An extra quality is also demanded: a real interest in science, and its application in the present and future world. You don’t have to be an expert like Isaac Asimov, or Arthur C. Clarke, but you do need to be an enthusiastic amateur, like Ray Bradbury for example. Bradbury tells us little about the science behind his stories. However, his ideas and concepts are usually based on sound scientific principles. If you break this rule, your reader will feel cheated and will never read your work again. However improbable the central thesis might be, it should at least be possible. Finally, a look at the particular problems associated with writing short fiction. The short story is an art form in itself and is certainly not, as new writers sometimes mistakenly think, easier than writing a novel. As with a novel, short fiction still needs to have plot, dialogue, description, a beginning, and an end: it’s just that everything has to happen faster. It is thus vital that everything included in a short story has the function of moving the plot along. Dialogue and description, for example, are very different forms of writing and to a large extent perform different functions in a story. They should nevertheless have in common the quality of moving the plot forward. Bearing in mind that the short story writer doesn’t have much, it’s a good idea to learn to double up on some techniques. Okay…so do you think you can do all of these things? Because now comes the most difficult task of all. Pick up your pen, and start writing! ------------ About the author Jon Aristides: Read, 'The Black Scarab of Amun-Ra'. Visit www.jon-aristides.com Email: aristidesjon2001@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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