McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
The Key Ingredients to Sci-Fi(?)
Dresdenus Prime:
As always thank you for all the input. To expand this discussion even further -
What do you think is an acceptable balance in science fiction in terms of realism vs fantasy?
I've been doing some general research as I've been writing, and a lot of technologies used in space like weapons and warp/FTL travel are being researched and discussed by scienctists and institutes today. Do you as a reader, or do you think readers in general, would be more impressed if a lot of technologies used in novels are based off reality? Or are people equally accepting of complete fantasy? I don't see people accepting my character saying, "Ensign acitvate the Slip Stream Equalizer!" if this term doesn't have any feasible definition.
At the same time the Fantasy part of Sci-Fi is one of the best parts, because it allows you to create new worlds, new species and economic and political structures, but even when doing that you have to be careful of not venturing too far out of realism correct? If my character lands on the uncharted planet of Gozimbob and the natives are there to greet him, it's going to really take the reader out of the story when the native speaks perfect english and says, "Yo! Welcome to our planet! Hands in the air like you don't care!"
So, did I make sense there? I have a terrible cold and quite poosibly a case of the Monday's (who says that?!). Is it better to have your Science Fiction more grounded in reality? Is it okay to lean more into Fantasy? Or is there a way to balance them equally?
Shecky:
I know this is going to sound like an evasion, but... whatever way you feel best with is the right way. Readers often respond quite well to anything that is at least internally consistent (e.g., not suddenly having the warp drive also be a high-end home theater with no explanation whatsoever, much less one that is at odds with the world as portrayed up 'til then), so that's a powerful tool in your writer's box. Throw in a lot of non-contemporary, purely-imaginary things or only throw in one, it's fine as long as it all fits together without any left-over WTF making the reader stumble.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: Dresdenus Prime on December 10, 2012, 04:29:05 PM ---What do you think is an acceptable balance in science fiction in terms of realism vs fantasy?
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In general ? Do whatever you like so long as you make it internally make sense.
--- Quote ---I've been doing some general research as I've been writing, and a lot of technologies used in space like weapons and warp/FTL travel are being researched and discussed by scienctists and institutes today. Do you as a reader, or do you think readers in general, would be more impressed if a lot of technologies used in novels are based off reality?
--- End quote ---
Me as a reader, yes. I like seeing technologies where the bits based on reality are consistent with reality, and where the research shows if someone looks for it - not that you clout people over the head with it, but that if someone runs the numbers on, say, mass and speed and energy output of your spaceship's engine, they will add up. (This is the kind of thing the back of my head will do while reading if you give me clues in the text.) I wouldn't phrase this in terms of realism and fantasy because I also like it when people do it in fantasy - or at least, if people are doing horses-and-swords in a reasonably grounded secondary world (as opposed to a setting overtly working on fairytale logic) I find it more enjoyable and convincing if they've visibly thought through how far a legion can march in a day and how much it takes to feed a horse. The way I can only think of three examples of fantasy series where the logistics and economics definitely hold together if you prod them hard leads me to believe that many readers don't really need this.
--- Quote --- Or are people equally accepting of complete fantasy? I don't see people accepting my character saying, "Ensign acitvate the Slip Stream Equalizer!" if this term doesn't have any feasible definition.
--- End quote ---
There are plenty of people who just want their fix of action, adventure, romance, and the colour of different suns, and will lump anything like that under "technobabble" whether it is real science or not.
I do not understand such readers. Nor so far as i can tell does it do any harm to their experience and enjoyment of the book for you to get the science right.
--- Quote ---At the same time the Fantasy part of Sci-Fi is one of the best parts, because it allows you to create new worlds, new species and economic and political structures, but even when doing that you have to be careful of not venturing too far out of realism correct?
--- End quote ---
I think we have enough understanding of physics for creating new worlds to be plausibly doable (or alternatively just wait another five or ten years and we should have enough extrasolar planetary systems mapped out to just pinch some real ones) and enough understanding of biological processes for figuring out plausible-ish new species, without them having to be truly fantastical. (As witness TV shows like Alien Worlds or The Future is Wild that basically take a group of scientists, get them to do a bunch of plausible worldbuilding, and computer-animate the results in the style of a nature documentary.) I'm regretfully coming to the conclusion that human beings in general are astoundingly bad at coming up with entirely new systems of political organisation, though.
--- Quote --- If my character lands on the uncharted planet of Gozimbob and the natives are there to greet him, it's going to really take the reader out of the story when the native speaks perfect english and says, "Yo! Welcome to our planet! Hands in the air like you don't care!"
--- End quote ---
hrmm. How many light years away is the planet ? Is it close enough that they could have picked up human transmissions back when humans were still doing more broadcast TV and less cable ? set the conditions correctly, and that could totally work.
(The way my mind goes with that example would be for what the alien actually means by "Hands in the air like you don't care" is "Put your hands up or I'll burn your face off with this here hand-held plasma weapon, you vile alien scum", and miscommunication-related hilarity ensues. But that may just be me, because almost every story idea I think of has "...and miscommunication-related hilarity ensues" in it. Pity the poor aliens whose entire notion of Earth's culture derives from Men in Black.)
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