Why am I not writing SciFi/Fantasy?

[SuperflyMD]

I am an avid Fiction reader.  Easily 95% of what I read is SciFi and Fantasy.  So why, when I sit down at the keyboard to write my first fiction in 20 years, does the output seem to be set completely in the muggle realm?  

For the time being, I'm just going where the story leads me, but I am completely taken aback.

[LizW65]

Huh--that could be me.  Much of what I read has some paranormal element, yet all of my writing so far is in the mystery/thriller genre.  I guess it just comes down to the stories I want to tell.

[SuperflyMD]

Huh--that could be me.  Much of what I read has some paranormal element, yet all of my writing so far is in the mystery/thriller genre.  I guess it just comes down to the stories I want to tell.

I wish my decision was that conscious.

I don't really consider myself a discovery writer. I have an electronic stack of index cards in Scrivener ready to follow The Butcher Method of Plot Design (hehe), but here I am sitting in front of my laptop letting my fingers do the walking without a clue where they are taking me.

[Snowleopard]

Let 'em walk - you can always corral them later.
Besides I suspect that there's some story in your subconscious that wants out - so best be letting it out.

[RobJN]

Been there, doing that.

I read tons of fantasy fiction and a bit of sci fi. I try very hard to write the same type of material, because I like those types of stories and have my own I want to tell.

... so why is it that my best material is contemporary and (only slightly) magical-contemporary...?

My wife tells me it's because I'm boxed in by the "rules" of all the material that I've read and absorbed over the years, and the contemporary stuff I've written isn't penned in (pardon the pun) by such boundaries.

I think she's on to something... which is why I don't read much contemporary fiction.

[Dragoon]

In my experience it comes down to how much preparation you do with the setting of the story.

Contemporary stories are easier because they are about the world we live in, which happens to be quite thoroughly fleshed out with people, history and geography and such.

When writing fantasy/scifi you're starting from scratch, at least if you want to avoid having a cookie-cutter setting. That means you have a lot of inventing to do. You need a realm with nations and cities. Then comes religion and politics. And don't forget history and culture. When you have most of this you have a bunch of "landmarks" to navigate by, which makes it much easier to figure out how the story should go and what motivations the characters have.

Another great thinking-challenge fantasy/scifi has is the element of magic/technology. It's important to nail down very specifically how the m/t works, what it can and cannot do, and how this impacts the setting and story.

With good preparation you'll be able to implement the exotic elements in a natural and believable manner.

I hope this helps.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Contemporary stories are easier because they are about the world we live in, which happens to be quite thoroughly fleshed out with people, history and geography and such.

On the other hand, contemporary stories are harder because there's so much existing people, history, and geography you have to research and make right - while still staying within the laws of physics and so forth every bit as much as SF.

[meg_evonne]

Someone on these threads flet strongly that reading in your genre could cause problems with writing it. Perhaps they were referring to keeping your ideas original and not borrowed and relocated etc.

Yet, all the advice I've received says being as knowledgeable about your genre--historical and new release, is helpful and essential. So there are two sides to that argument.

I'm with Snowleopard, let your fingers do the walking. Something is inside that wants out, then let it out.

[jeno]

This is reminding me of a short story I read - maybe by Neil Gaiman?

It was about a discontent writer who lives in an over the top, gothic world. He keeps trying to write literature, but in his world 'literature' is all about the haunted houses and melodramatic deaths and sword fights. Only the poor writer is unsatisfied by writing about these day to day dramas. He yearns to write something different, something a little strange.

He ends up finding happiness by writing about a depressed suburban housewife.

So, moral of the story - write what you want, dude. They're your words, use them as you will - even if those words take you to strange, uncharted territories. 

[SuperflyMD]

Contemporary stories are easier because they are about the world we live in, which happens to be quite thoroughly fleshed out with people, history and geography and such.

I think that may nail it for me. The story is about a young paramedic (which I once was) in the town where I used to live who stumbles on a drug smuggling ring--can you guess which part is fictional?  I keep stopping myself from using people I actually worked with as characters.

I'm going to finish this story, since I'm already 10,000 words into it (and I like the story, I need to see how it ends) but then I'm heading to something more speculative.

SF

[meg_evonne]

Sharelle Byars Moranville told me that she ran into someone who raved about her books. She was terrified that the person would see themselves in one of her not-so-cool characters. She was relieved when the person never mentioned it or seemed to notice similarity to that character.

Her take, "People never see themselves."

Still to be on the safe side, best to post that all characters are fictional etc etc...  *smiling* 

[Snowleopard]

Along with writing - writers tend to be noticers.  We notice how people around us behave, we notice interesting things in our lives, we notice odd things in the news - print or TV.  So it follows that some of our characters will have a basis in real life.  You just have to be careful and not make it an absolutely spot on representation.