Writing for the Science Fiction Market | Some Key "Getting Started" Guidelines

Writing science fiction (sci-fi) can be immense fun. Although I've read a great many sci-fi novels, from a writing perspective, I don't speak from experience, but simply echo what my sci-fi writer friends and key sources tell me. This brief but laser-focused article identifies the important points that can really make a difference and therefore can help you get started.

• Key tip 1: to thrive as a science fiction writer (or any kind of freelance writer), you need to get deadly serious when considering the business side of your writing.
• Key tip 2: as with all of your writing efforts, whenever you first start out in a new area or market, you need to do your homework, to better understand your target readers and the area into which you're getting, BEFORE you get started.

If writing sci-fi is for you, read and digest the following:

• Science fiction is popular with several different markets and specific age groups. For example, many teenage boys seem to like science fiction themes at present. Yet, most teenage girls don't seem to command a similar level of interest. The key point is to just note differences and adjust your writing to match.
• However, also remember trends can change quickly.
• Science fiction is less likely to become dated and so may enjoy a longer shelf life compared to some other fiction / non-fiction themes.
• Sci-fi topics stand a better than average chance of being made into blockbuster films. Understandably, the film rights is where the preferred money / royalties target lies for most sci-fi authors bent on literary success. With this approach, the book is just the vehicle; the preferred destination is the movie rights - and why not?
• An author writing sci-fi can more easily sell their product to a worldwide market.
• Contrary to what you might think, sci-fi authors don't need to come from a scientific background. However, they do need to perform the necessary background research and develop clarity and an interest in defining and understanding the environmental details of the story.
• You can write short stories or full-length novels, but short stories allow a sci-fi author to test out interest in a theme without committing a large amount of time and resources to the project before you're more certain that such a huge task will be worthwhile to complete.

So if you think writing science fiction might be for you, why not boldly go where others have gone before and resolve to become the next Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek and other gems?