It was a gamble veering off into a new genre after writing horror all these years, but I am so glad I made that choice. Science fiction is fast becoming my new obsession, with so many ideas flooding in and so much to explore.

I was worried in last month’s post that I would quickly lose interest in sci-fi and fantasy, but I am happy to report that I am more inspired than ever. I had expected fantasy to be my focus. Instead, science fiction has consumed all my waking thoughts.

Reading

I’m reading as much science fiction as I can and discovering so much in the process. I started with the classics, in particular the “Big Three”—books such as Asimov’s original Foundation trilogy, Clarke’s Childhood’s End, and Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land.

To mix things up a bit, I’ve also started The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. The first book Leviathan Wakes is one of the reasons why I am so enthusiastic about the genre. It was a near perfect book in my estimation.

I have a lot more to read if I am to write original, well-thought-out science fiction. I have found multiple online lists and YouTube videos that cover the classics and the must-reads and I’m making my way through them with a smile on my face.

Worldbuilding

Before I started writing, I wanted to have a setting. Initially, I thought I would create a somewhat generic world just to have a jumping off point for my first stories. Instead, inspiration struck me, and I built an expansive world that—at least to me—is quite original.

The planet is called Atha. I’ve been careful to make it as scientifically accurate as I can with my limited knowledge, avoiding things like faster-than-light travel. Still, I focused more on the anthropological/sociological aspects of starting a new society on a different planet. After all, one of my favorite college courses was Cultural Anthropology.

It took me five days to build it, covering everything from history to technology, architecture to cosmology. I am a sucker for bizarre complex religions in my speculative fiction, so I put plenty of thought into creating an overbearing theocratic society.

Writing

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m trying to write a short story a week for the next couple months. I’ve started the first one, entitled “Mother,” about the arrival of humans on Atha.

I hadn’t written in a while. The four months prior to this were spent editing a novel. I assumed that I would be rusty. Instead, as I sat down to write “Mother,” I found the ideas pouring out of me faster than my fingers could move.

This is the second sci-fi story I’ve ever written (the first was years ago and horrible), but I found the genre incredibly fun to mess around in. I wrote the first 1,000 words in one burst. “Mother” will take me another week to finish. I’m aiming for 7,000 words in total, though it may enter novelette territory before I’m done.

Will I submit it? I’m not sure. It could very well turn out to be unintentionally derivative. I’ll have to read a lot more sci-fi before I know. Whatever the case, I’m having fun and learning, and that’s all that matters to me right now.

I have three more stories outlined after this one, all set on Atha, as well as many other ideas bouncing around in my noggin, not quite ripe. Still, I hope to start submitting to anthologies by June.

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I haven’t been this excited about a genre since I first started reading horror so many years ago. There are still parts that intimidate me, especially the more science-heavy aspects, but I’ve grown to love it nonetheless.

It just shows that taking a risk can have great rewards.

Tchau,

Zé