Beginner’s Guide to Writing Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Supernatural
Perhaps the most important rule I have taught myself about writing anything in these genres is: DO NOT FORCE YOUR READER OUT OF YOUR WORLD!!!
So, you created this whole world, dimension, providence, island, whatever. That’s great. That’s step one. Now you have to write it into your story.
There’s some things you need to keep in mind
Don’t make excuses for things not being normal. Don’t explain foreign things by comparing them to non-foreign things. Remember that this world is separate from ours. Their normal isn’t our normal. There is no normal. Forget all normal.
Let the readers learn for themselves. Explain the big things but casually slip in the small things. Have the characters talk about blood sacrifice over drinks. Have the characters pass the temple of their fictional god every day. Keep things casual. You don’t need to explain everything little thing.
But don’t leave your readers in the dark. Explain what contributes to the plot or the characters. Don’t be casual to the point your readers don’t understand a species you introduced. Just don’t make it read like a textbook.
Study the genres you’re writing. Should be obvious. Think about how your favorite works introduce the foreign information. In Welcome to Night Vale, everyone goes with the flow. Things aren’t really understood by the natives. They’re kept in the dark, forced to forget sensitive information through re-education, and nearly everything is illegal. Nothing is explained to the listeners (as it is a podcast – not writing. Sorry.) as it is adds to the sense of mystery and since it’s in the form of a community radio show, it wouldn’t make sense. These characters have been living in this place forever. Nothing needs explained unless it’s out of the ordinary for Night Vale, and then, we usually get to hear from outsider Carlos. In The Hobbit, the first paragraph is iconic. J.R.R Tolkien is speaking to the reader, explaining what a Hobbit hole is. He doesn’t really use this method again after the past first few pages when we’re properly introduced to this new species. Tolkien speaks to his audience and says: “Hey, here’s these people in this world. Got it? Good. Now fasten your fucking seat belts. We’re in for a wild ride.” He explains everything at first and only does it again when one of the characters are in the dark since everyone comes from different places. A lot of the backstory and context is explained through song and personal stories.
These genres take a lot of work. I’m still feeling my way around in them, trying not to make everything too explicitly stated and keeping the reader inside the world. Writing is all about trial and error.
Remember that you made this world, and you can’t be too creative with what you do with it.
janainaart
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