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Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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18 Best Science Fiction Creative Writing Classes in 2024

Showing 18 courses that match your search.

2024 Youth Summer Camp: Sci-Fi/Fantasy ONLINE

Story Studio Chicago

Over the course of one week, writers will generate their own science fiction and fantasy pieces and workshop them with the help of their peers. They will learn the differences between the genres and read the works of notable authors.

Website: https://www.storystudiochicago.org/classes/youth/2024-you...

Categories: Science Fiction

Start date:

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Fall Virtual Workshop

Futurescapes

Futurescapes is an intensive, exclusive workshop, offering writers an unparalleled chance to work with top authors and agents in speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, fantasy, paranormal).

Website: https://futurescapes.ink/fall-workshop

October, 2024

Prerequisites: You may submit any original written work for your application.

How to Write a Novel

Reedsy's course, led by Tom Bromley, is a 101-day program aimed at helping writers finish their first novel draft. It includes daily video masterclasses, a structured approach for drafting, and access to a forum and live webinars for interaction and feedback. The course covers various aspects of novel writing, including preparation, character development, plot skills, and writing techniques.

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Viable Paradise

This one-week residential workshop, running from October 8th to October 13th, 2023, focuses on writing and selling commercial science fiction and fantasy. It offers intensive interaction with best-selling authors and editors, emphasizing the creation of engaging fiction. The workshop combines manuscript critiques, new writing, lectures, and Q&As in an informal, supportive setting on Martha’s Vineyard, fostering a unique learning environment​​.

Website: https://viableparadise.com/

Prerequisites: Application with cover letter and 8,000 word manuscript.

Clarion West Six-Week Summer Workshop

Clarion West

This immersive six-week program is designed for emerging writers, offering a chance to learn in a close-knit community environment. Each week, participants are guided by a different esteemed author or editor, focusing on critiques, writing techniques, and professional concerns. The workshop, held in a vibrant Seattle setting, includes community gatherings, readings, and opportunities to connect with authors and alumni​​.

Website: https://www.clarionwest.org/programs/summerworkshop/

Prerequisites: A sample of your work is required.

The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop

Clarion offers an intensive six-week summer program specifically tailored to the writing of science fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories. Recognized as a leading training ground for aspiring writers in these genres, the program focuses on fundamental aspects unique to speculative fiction. Students benefit from the guidance of highly respected and experienced writers and editors active in the field.

Website: http://clarion.ucsd.edu/

Prerequisites: Application fee, application, and two short stories.

Wild, Weird, and Supernatural: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Camp For Ages 14-18

Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Let’s see how far our imaginations can take us! This workshop is for writers interested in genres within the speculative fiction umbrella. Genres that ask “what if?” are all welcome including sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, horror, dystopian fiction, and surrealism.

Website: https://lighthousewriters.org/workshop/wild-weird-and-sup...

How to Write Riveting Scenes

Literary Arts

The key to any unforgettable work of prose resides in the quality of its scenes. In this class, we’ll look at some of the best scenes ever written and investigate what it takes to write a scene that keeps readers on the edges of their seats.

Website: https://literary-arts.org/event/how-to-write-riveting-sce...

April, 2024

Speculative Poetics: The Basics & Beyond

San Diego Writers

If you’d like to bring more elements of science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror (and their many subgenres) into your poetry, this class is for you! In this class, we’ll explore speculative poetry and its possibilities through short craft readings, example poems, and generative writing.

Website: https://writeyourstorynow.org/classes-workshops/2024-05-1...

Three-Day Critique Workshop

Cascade Writers

This workshop offers a unique opportunity for writers to submit up to 4000 words of their work for critique in a group setting, led by industry professionals including Arley Sorg and Cat Rambo. The program includes pitch sessions to an agent, one-hour workshops, and panel presentations on various writing and publishing topics. It's a chance to polish the first pages and chapters of your project, with optional casual gatherings to network with other writers, editors, and agents​​​​.

Website: https://cascadewriters.com/2024-three-day-critique-workshop/

Prerequisites: 4000 words of your novel, short story, or whatever project you are working on.

Your Personal Odyssey Writing Workshop

Odyssey Writing Workshops

Odyssey is a respected workshop for writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. It offers an intensive, personalized, one-on-one online workshop experience. The program includes lectures, readings, critiques, and individualized assignments, with options for six, twelve, or eighteen-week sessions. Each session accepts only four writers, ensuring deep mentoring.

Website: https://www.odysseyworkshop.org/about-the-workshop/

Prerequisites: A writing sample no more than 4,000 words long.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing I

Gotham Writers

Tailored for aspiring writers of science fiction and fantasy, this 10-week workshop covers the basics of the genre. It includes lectures, exercises, and critiques, making it a great starting point for beginners or a refresher for those already familiar with the basics.

Website: https://wp.writingclasses.com/courses/science-fiction-fan...

How to choose a science fiction creative writing class

Looking to build your writing skillset, learn more about your genre, or finally finish that sci-fi book you’ve been working on? You’re in the right place. That’s why we built this directory of the best creative writing courses.

However, creative writing classes aren’t one size fit all. If you’re planning to join a science fiction creative writing class in particular, you’ll want to make sure that it matches what you’re seeking to learn about the sci-fi genre.

So make sure to consider the following questions when you’re researching sci-fi writing courses:

• Who is the instructor? How many years of experience do they have in writing science fiction?
• Is there something in particular you’d like to learn about writing science fiction? Does this course include it?
• How long is the course, and where is it taught?
• How much does the sci-fi writing course cost? Does it fit into your budget?

More science fiction creative writing resources

Whether you’re a new or established author, there are always evergreen resources out there to how to get a headstart on writing sci-fi. 

Free online materials

• Sci-Fi Creative Writing Prompts (resource)
• Book Title Generator (resource)
• Character Name Generator (resource)
• Plot Generator (resource)
• Science Fiction Short Stories (resource)
• How to Write a Science Fiction Novel (blog post)
• Also try out Reedsy's guide to novel writing (blog post)
• How to Edit a Book (blog post)

Recommended books

• For writers in the UK:  Writers' & Artists' Yearbook  
• For writers in the US:  Writer’s Market 2020

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Have you always wanted to get into writing science fiction and fantasy, but you don’t know where to start? Maybe you’re a long-time speculative fiction reader, or maybe you’re new to the genre, but have an idea you can’t quite let go of? Whatever the case, this course is for you. In 10 weeks, you will learn all about speculative fiction genre conventions through lectures, class discussions, and writing exercises geared toward helping you develop your sci-fi or fantasy novel or short story idea into something you can start writing from the moment the course is done.

As part of this course, you will learn about the different sub-genres of speculative fiction and about writing techniques specific to sci-fi and fantasy, like worldbuilding, magic systems, and using advanced technology. But you will also learn tools and techniques that can be applied to all genres of fiction, like plot structure, character development, and pacing. All of these elements will be taught through a sci-fi and fantasy lens, so that you can directly apply them to your idea.

Each week, you will have a writing assignment geared toward developing your own story idea. You will get weekly feedback from your instructor, and will have the opportunity to get feedback from your peers in a small group setting. Come prepared to suspend your disbelief and geek out about alternate worlds and new, untouched horizons, because this is the one genre where no idea is too absurd as long as it’s written well.

By the end of this course, you will have written two 3,500 word short stories or the first 3 chapters and an outline of your novel. And if finishing that novel is your goal, at the end of the course, you will be given resources to get through your outline and get to the end of your first draft.

Learning and Writing Goals

By the end of this course, students will:

• Have a thorough understanding of what makes speculative fiction different from other fiction genres, and have a good overview of the subgenres of speculative fiction.
• Learn how to apply essential craft elements such as character, plot, setting, pacing, and structure to the specific subgenre of speculative fiction that the student wishes to write.
• Have an understanding of genre conventions unique to speculative fiction, like technology or magic systems.

Students will complete and receive feedback on one of the following items:

• Two complete short stories
• One short story with significant revision
• The first 3 chapters of a novel or novella and a completed outline

Students will also generate new writing each week through weekly writing assignments, and will receive feedback on these assignments from the instructor and some of their peers.

Zoom Schedule

This class will meet once a week on Fridays from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Zoom meetings will be used to discuss the topic of the week, with about half the meeting time set aside for lectures and the remainder of the time given to lecture discussion and Q&A.

Attendance at the weekly lecture session is not mandatory, and lectures will be recorded.

There will be another 60 minute long Zoom meeting each week for group writing and workshopping in small groups, with time to be determined based on students’ availability. Attendance at this session is highly recommended. Whenever possible, students with similar schedule availability will be placed in the same critique groups.

Weekly Syllabus

Week 1: through the looking glass.

This week, we’ll introduce the speculative fiction genre and discuss different subgenres. By the end of the week, you’ll be able to define what makes your story idea speculative fiction, and start thinking about your story’s core concept, the unique aspect that makes your world different from reality.

Writing Goals:

• Short Story & Novel(la) Tracks: Identify the genre and core conceit of either your novel project or your first short story

Week 2: Where No One Has Gone Before

Worldbuilding is important in all forms of fiction, but in speculative fiction, which often relies on strange and wondrous settings, worldbuilding is absolutely necessary. This week, we’ll work on all the basics of building a world, beginning with the core concept you identified last week.

• Short Story & Novel(la) Tracks: Write a short (~500 word) scene from the point of view of an ordinary person in the world your story will be set in

Week 3: You All Meet at an Inn

All stories require characters, and speculative fiction stories are no different. This week, we’ll talk about characters, the role they occupy in the story, and how to build them. We will also talk about how the speculative fiction genre allows us to push characters in ways more realistic stories can’t. At the end of this week, students should be able to identify the protagonist of their story.

• Short Story & Novel(la) Tracks: Identify your main character, and write a short (~500 word) scene from their perspective, before the start of the story.

Week 4: Sufficiently Advanced Technology

Arthur C. Clarke once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” This week, we’ll discuss the basics of building a good technology or magic system, depending on what your story needs.

• Short Story & Novel(la) Tracks: Fill out a worksheet outlining the importance of technology or magic systems on your story and setting. Build your magic system or core technology

Week 5: The Hero’s Journey and Beyond

As fun as it is to imagine fantastical worlds, we do need to at some point write the story. This week, we’ll talk about plot and structure, including common frameworks for story structure like the three act story, and deviations from that structure. For aspiring novelists, this week will also have a discussion on word count expectations across age groups.

• Short Story Track: Outline your first short story
• Novel(la) Track: Outline the first act (or first third, if not using the three act structure) of your novel(la)

Week 6: Avoiding the Infodump and Other Pitfalls

You’ve developed your own unique world, or have introduced fantastical elements into our world, but how do you show all that to the reader while still maintaining good pacing and avoiding the dreaded “infodump”? This week, we’ll discuss pacing and exposition, giving you the tools you need to finally begin putting words on the page.

• Short Story Track: Write the first half of your first short story
• Novel(la) Track: Write the first chapter of your novel(la)

Week 7: Fight Scenes and Other Genre Conventions

Chosen ones? Epic battles? High councils? This week is all about tropes. We’ll tackle how to write action sequences, which are common in the genre, but also talk about how to put a fresh spin on old ideas for those of us who aren’t writing action-packed sword and sorcery adventures. Tropes are not bad, as long as they’re used well!

• Short Story Track: Finish your first short story
• Novel(la) Track:Write the second chapter of your novel(la)

Week 8: How to Hit the Books (And Know When You Need Help)

If you’re writing hard science fiction, you’re going to need to do some research. But even the most medieval of medieval fantasy writers can’t escape occasionally hitting the books (just how far can a horse travel in one day, anyway?). This week is all about where to go for information and how to incorporate that information into the world.

This week we will also talk about sensitivity readers, and the importance of being critical with your own sources, to avoid stereotyping other cultures.

• Short Story Revision Track: Read through comments and begin revision of your first story
• Second Short Story Track: Outline your second short story
• Novel Track: Write the third chapter of your novel(la)

Week 9: More than Escapism

Fantasy and science fiction allow us to explore impossible scenarios, but that doesn’t mean that these stories have to purely be about escaping the real world. This week, we’ll talk about how these genres can be used to shine spotlights on human nature or society. We’ll tackle themes and how to find out what you are trying to say in your own story.

• Short Story Revision Track: Finish your first revision and submit your story for feedback
• Second Short Story Track: Write half of your second short story
• Novel Track: Outline the second act (or second third) of your novel(la)

Week 10: What Comes After the Ending?

For our last week, we’ll go back to the business of writing. We’ll talk about strategies for finishing a long project after the initial inspiration has worn off, and how to start revising. This week will introduce the concepts of alpha and beta readers, and talk about next steps for those with publishing goals, including finding markets for short fiction, finding editors for self-publishing, and querying agents for traditional publishing.

• Short Story Revision Track: Complete line edits of your short story
• Second Short Story Track: Complete your second short story
• Novel Track: Outline the final act (or final third) of your novel(la)

Student Feedback for Elisa Bonnin:

About Elisa Bonnin

Elisa A. Bonnin was born and raised in the Philippines, after which she moved to the United States to study chemistry and later oceanography. After completing her doctorate, she moved to Germany to work as a postdoctoral scientist. A lifelong learner, Elisa is always convinced that she should “maybe take a class in something” and as a result, has amassed an eclectic collection of hobbies. But writing will always be her true love. Publishing a book has been her dream since she was eight years old, and she is thrilled to finally be able to share her stories. She is the author of  Dauntless  and  Stolen City.

Elisa's Courses

Battling the Blank Page: Writing the First Third of Your Novel Untie the Tropes: Write In-Depth YA Protagonists De Novo: How to Build Your Own Fantasy or Sci-Fi World The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy

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40 Sci-Fi Writing Prompts to Supercharge Your Imagination

Science fiction story ideas can come from anywhere. 

A headline about new technology. The way a lion’s mane mushroom resembles a shaggy being from an alien world. The conspiracy theory your aunt won’t stop posting about. 

We live in a big, crazy world full of images, ideas, and innovations just waiting to be twisted or expanded into stellar sci-fi stories. 

And yet, there are moments when the ol’ imagination just won’t get on board with the galaxy of inspiration surrounding us. For whatever reason, we can’t see the possibilities or tap into our natural curiosity.

When that happens, writing prompts can help. 

If you’ve been relentlessly hitting a wall as you try to come up with sci-fi story ideas, you’ve come to the right place. Together, we’ll explore the value of using writing exercises to kick-start a new story. 

You’ll walk away with a whole big pile of prompts you can use to find your next story and even get a few sci-fi writing tips.

So let’s get to it… not that you need any prompting from me.

How Prompts Can Help You Write a Great Science Fiction Story

People get it backwards all the time, and that includes writers like us who should know better.

See, we all get it in our heads that you must have the idea before you can write the story. Not true. Not always.

Sometimes you can’t find the idea until you start writing. Grab a pen or open your laptop and let the words flow. Follow a train of thought, expanding on it without overthinking it. See what arises—what sparks your curiosity or gives you a thrill.

See, the more you demand brilliance from your imagination, the more freaked out it gets until it has no choice but to hide itself inside a box under a rock in some remote area of your brain. That’s just science.

Begin scribbling without a plan, however, and your imagination will feel safe to creep back out again. You’re only playing , after all. Experimenting. There’s no blueprint, no goal , no need to fear bad ideas .

Writing prompts help you in this process by giving you something to start with—no thinking necessary. The basic idea has been handed to you. All you have to do is run with it.

And if you really let go and allow your imagination to venture into new frontiers, you’ll likely find your way to a story idea that doesn’t even resemble the prompt you started with. It’ll be something uniquely your own and thrillingly brilliant.

Sound good? Good. Because this grand scribble adventure is starting right now.

40 Sci-Fi Writing Prompts

What follows are a whole bunch of prompts to inspire your process. As you’ll see, they’re arranged into different categories, each one offering a different route for discovering a new story.

Start by riffing on a philosophy or examining a big question. Set foot into a new world and dream up the conflicts that arise within it. Or take the more straightforward path and expand on a clear-cut story idea.

In other words, you’ve got options and this is your party. Run it however you want.

Most sci-fi stories center on a bold “what if” question.

What if humans were no longer the most intelligent species on Earth? What if cloning oneself became a common upper-class luxury? What if succulents were self-aware?

The prompts in this section pose “what if” questions. They’re short, sweet, and offer plenty of room for your imagination to run wild. 

If you’re looking for something that’ll get your wheels turning while leaving plenty of room to dream up your own protagonist and conflict , this might be the ticket.

Writing Prompts

• What if a scientist accidentally released Martian microorganisms on Earth?
• What if you could test the outcomes of different decisions in virtual reality with 100% accuracy?
• What if you found out the human race was actually an alien race that colonized Earth 3,000 years ago?
• What if body swapping was a real thing and you suddenly woke up in a stranger’s body?
• What if you found out your marriage was someone else’s experiment? 
• What if virtual reality became indistinguishable from real life?
• What if we could all share our thoughts and experiences through a vast neural network?
• What if we could restore the diminishing populations of endangered species by cloning them?
• What if our memories could be stolen and sold on the black market?
• What if no one ever had to work again because robots took care of literally everything?

Argue the Theme

Just as science fiction asks big questions, it also explores huge themes . Doesn’t matter if it’s a 300-page novel or a short story; if it’s sci-fi, it’s probably encouraging you to reflect on identity or the ethics of technology or our place in the universe or some other expansive topic.

If you’re the type who likes to nail down your story’s underlying message first, the prompts that follow are for you. Pick a thematic statement and then come up with a story that proves the statement to be true.

• Every innovation, however well-intended, will inevitably be weaponized by those in power.
• Artificial intelligence is a threat because it is a reflection of humanity.
• Artificial intelligence will ultimately work for the good of the world because it is a reflection of humanity.
• We can only survive in a community.
• Our mortal limitations are what make life so precious.
• We control our destiny.
• Humanity will be destroyed by its own arrogance.
• Context determines morality.
• Truth is relative.
• It’s possible to learn how to be human.

Settings and Circumstances

I probably don’t have to tell you that worldbuilding is everything in science fiction. The physical setting , technologies , culture, political and societal structures, even the balance of science and magic in some cases… all these elements help define your characters, conflicts, and themes. 

The prompts below invite you to start with a setting or situation and build your sci-fi story from there. Consider what conflicts might arise within this world. Who would thrive here? Who would escape? Who would rebel? What themes could you explore in a setting like this?

Start writing about any of these things and see what happens.

• A society where people make clones of their loved ones before they die, ensuring no one has to experience permanent loss.
• A vast forest of sentient trees on an alien planet.
• A major tournament with competitors from across the multiverse.
• A world where parallel universes have exchange programs, allowing beings to test out alternative lives.
• A massive interstellar ark housing the descendants of refugees who fled a dying Earth generations before.
• A zoo on a distant planet, populated with genetically engineered creatures from across the galaxy.
• A society that lives in constant fear of an assassin who has the ability to manipulate probability and stalks their targets across multiple dimensions, leaving a trail of chaos and destruction in their wake.
• A world where people spend all their personal time escaping to idyllic VR settings instead of confronting the challenges of real life.
• A vast garden spaceship that serves as a sanctuary for flora and fauna from several different planets. 
• A network of interconnected space stations and habitats forming an archipelago, each station a microcosm of culture and technology with its own laws and customs.

Sci-Fi Story Ideas

Now we get really direct. The prompts that follow are just good ol’ fashioned sci-fi story ideas. You get a protagonist(s), conflict, and setting. That gives you plenty of room to start playing with an outline, scribbling a scene that pops into your head, or writing your story from page one.

• A search and rescue worker’s quest to find a missing backpacker leads them to discover an alien colony hidden in the Alaskan wilderness.
• A lost space explorer ends up stranded on a distant planet that closely resembles Earth, right down to the creatures that inhabit it—including an alien race that seems indistinguishable from humans. But with each passing day, unsettling differences between this planet and Earth begin to emerge.
• Natural resources are depleted, so scientists create artificial ecosystems to sustain life on Earth. But when these ecosystems evolve beyond their control, they must confront the consequences of playing god.
• Time travel tourism is a booming industry, giving customers the opportunity to witness historical events firsthand. But when a time travel tour guide’s toddler accidentally transports themselves to the Mezosoic Era, the present begins to morph into something unrecognizable. The tour guide must rescue their child from the past without further destroying the life they know.
• A group of scientists discovers a way to accelerate evolution, allowing them to create new species with advanced capabilities. But as they experiment with their newfound power, they unwittingly unleash a chain reaction of mutations that threaten to destabilize the entire ecosystem.
• After a devastating war, a lone human survivor wanders a desolate landscape inhabited only by robots. As they search for other survivors, they must confront what it means to be human and what their purpose is on a planet where they no longer seem necessary.
• A scientist discovers an alien artifact buried deep beneath the ocean. As they study it, they uncover its true purpose and the existential threat it poses to humanity.
• In a future where humanity has transcended its biological limitations through cybernetic augmentation, a group of rebels resists assimilation in an attempt to preserve their humanity.
• A clone created as a replacement for a wealthy heiress discovers the truth about their origins and escapes to the outside world. In a society that views them as property, they must evade capture and find a place where they can exist as their own person.
• A parasitic organism infects the minds of its hosts, creating a hive-mind collective that spreads like a virus throughout the human population. A group of survivors must find a way to break free from the hive mind's control before it's too late.

How to Use These Prompts

Anytime you use writing prompts, it helps to remember that you’re on an exploratory quest, not a life-and-death, Earth-saving mission. 

In other words, these aren’t assignments. You’re not suddenly responsible for writing a 75,000-word novel about a teenager who stumbles upon a lost city in Michigan that was built by an alien race 2,330 years ago.

Your only job is to see what your imagination does with the very limited information it’s just been given. 

You might choose to treat a prompt like a freewriting exercise . Set a timer and let your stream of consciousness flow onto the page. Write everything that comes to mind, including “What can I do with this theme?” and “Oh crap, am I just ripping off The Matrix ?” 

(Pro tip: Dabble has a built-in word sprint timer that’s perfect for an exercise like this.)

Another option is to write a scene inspired by the prompt. Maybe it’s the scene where the teenager first stumbles upon the lost city. Or a flashback to when aliens discovered the land where they wanted to build their settlement. Or an opening scene where the teen is hanging out with friends under the bleachers, still oblivious to the presence of alien technology in their zip code.

You could turn the prompt into a short story even if the ultimate goal is to write a novel. This allows you to explore an idea in greater depth without spending months developing the idea. It also helps you clarify the main conflict, core theme, and major plot points before complicating things with subplots.

However you choose to tackle these prompts, remember that the goal is to find your way to your own science fiction story ideas. If you stumble upon a great idea that has nothing to do with the prompt, abandon the prompt. You owe it nothing. Chase what thrills you.  

Bonus Tips for Sci-Fi Writers

Once you find a sci-fi story idea that delights you, the next step—as you know—is to actually write the thing. It’s a big job, which is why we’ve written an entire guide to writing science fiction. You can find it here . 

In the meantime, I’d like to share a few quick tips for making the most of your cutting-edge sci-fi ideas.

Seek Inspiration Everywhere

Even if you have a general idea of what you want your novel or short story to be about, you’ll still have a lot of details to dream up. That includes things like futuristic technology, awe-inspiring settings, unique characters, new societies, and possibly even other dimensions, planets, and alien races. 

As you plan and write your story, seek inspiration everywhere. Visit science and natural history museums. Wander a botanical garden. Search for weird animals online. Research their daily habits. Find pictures of abandoned places or eerie landscapes. Learn about unexplained phenomena. Listen to Ologies . 

The world we know is full of bizarre and fascinating things to inspire your own made-up universe. 

Tell a Human Story

Because worldbuilding is such an essential element of science fiction writing, it can be very easy to forget the human element. Don’t make that mistake.

Even if your characters aren’t actually members of the human race, you still want to tell a compelling story that resonates with your readers. So find that deeply human connection.

Give your characters desires, weaknesses , and fears . Have them face challenges that force them to make difficult decisions and either overcome or submit to the worst within themselves.

If your protagonist has a special ability, balance their inherent power with clear vulnerabilities.

In short, don’t neglect character development . No amount of mind-blowing technology or jaw-dropping landscapes will make up for characters your readers don’t care about.  

Find Your Science-to-Fiction Ratio

If you read a wide variety of science fiction, you know that there’s no rule about how exact and detailed you need to be with your science or how fantastical you’re allowed to be in your storytelling.

Some sci-fi novels go deep into explaining technology and creating fictional innovations that are clearly the great-great-grandchildren of tech we have today. Others use a lighter touch, explaining the science just enough for the reader to follow the story.

Then others go the full-on sci-fi/fantasy route, fussing very little over technological details and bringing in imagined alien species and magic systems . Star Wars is a very famous example of this.

It doesn’t matter which route you choose. What matters is that you choose one and keep it consistent.

Defy Reality, Not Logic

No matter how much or how little you explain the technology of your sci-fi world, one thing is certain:

It has to make sense.

It’s fine if your reader doesn’t understand how teleportation works. But if, for example, one of your characters teleports using a teleportation device in a spaceship and another one uses a kitchen pantry, you owe your audience an explanation.

Just like when you’re building a magic system, your science fiction technology should come with rules your reader can follow. 

Don’t Infodump

Having said all that, you should also be careful about dumping too much information on your audience at once. Only share the worldbuilding details that are essential for them to imagine your setting and follow the story.

Even then, sprinkle necessary information into the narrative rather than opening the story with twenty pages of exposition about how bed bugs colonized space. (Please don’t write that. I don’t want to live in a world where that story exists.)

Bottom line: your first and most important job is to tell a story, not write a pretend textbook.

Your Literary Future Awaits

At this point, there’s nothing else to do but get started . Grab a notebook or open your Dabble Story Notes and see what kind of magic you can make with these prompts.

Writing science fiction is a bold undertaking. Between extensive worldbuilding, developing complex characters, and helping readers imagine a world they’ve never seen before, you’ve got a big job ahead of you. 

But is there anything cooler than crafting a story that leaves total strangers in absolute awe?

If you could use a little support on this journey, I highly recommend writing your sci-fi novel with Dabble . This all-in-one writing tool has a ton of great features to keep you organized and on track throughout the entire process, from brainstorming to revising.

There’s even a sci-fi template to guide you through story planning. You can access the template here .

If you’re not already a Dabbler, no problem. Click this link to start a free 14-day trial. That gives you full access to all Dabble’s features and plenty of time to decide if it’s the right tool for your writing process. You don’t even have to enter a credit card to get started.

Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. When she’s not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that.

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More From Forbes

A writing room: the new marketplace of writer classes, retreats, and collectives.

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A Writing Room is one of the fast-growing writer collectives. The four co-founders (left to right): ... [+] Reese Zecchin, Director of Production; Jacob Nordby, Director of Writer Development; A. Ashe, Creative Director; Claire Giovino, Community Director.

The past decade has brought an explosion in the number of books published each year in the United States (an estimated three to four million annually). In turn, this explosion is bringing a growing and evolving marketplace of writer classes, retreats and collectives. It is a marketplace creating new jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities—both for mainstream tech, marketing and managerial workers, as well as for writer/artist denizens of America’s bohemia.

The Drivers of Growth in Book Publishing

The number of book sales in the United States remains healthy, though it has leveled off in the past four years. In 2020, 756.82 million book unit sales were made in the US alone. This number climbed to 837.66 million in 2021, before falling slightly to 787.65 million units in 2022 and 767.36 million units in 2023.

What has changed dramatically has been the number of books published. Steve Piersanti of Berrett-Koehler Publishers estimates that three million books were published in the US, up 10 times from the number only 16 years ago . Other estimates put the number of published books annually at closer to four million .

The main driver of this growth in books published has been self-publishing. According to Bowker , which provides tools for self-publishing, an estimated 2.3 million books were self-published in 2021. Up through the 1990s (now the distant past in publishing), writers of all types of books, fiction and nonfiction, were dependent on convincing publishing houses to publish their work. As the technology for self-publishing and print on demand grew in the early 2000s, writers could publish on their own, and a very large number of Americans began to do so.

Fueling growth also is the level of affluence and discretionary income that an increasing segment of American society is reaching. For centuries, theorists across the political spectrum have envisioned a society, freed from basic economic needs, pursuing creative activities, with writing as a primary activity. In The German Ideology , Karl Marx could write about the economy of abundance in which individuals pursue writing as one of a series of daily activities—hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, write criticism in the evening. John Maynard Keynes in a 1930 essay, “ Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren” , envisions a time a hundred years forward (2030) in which writing is no longer the province of the upper classes. Contemporary theorists on the future of work, such as John Tamny, similarly see a blooming of creative and artistic activities by the average citizen.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, a writing room, and the emerging marketplace of writer training.

A marketplace of writing coaches, classes and retreats expanded throughout the late twentieth century and first years of the twentieth century. Published authors and even recently-minted graduates of MFA programs hung out shingles for individual coaching and small classes. Colleges expanded their writing programs and certifications, and writer retreats multiplied. Co-working and literary event spaces were established in major cities ( The Writers Room in New York, The Writers Grotto in San Francisco). But the marketplace continued to bump up against geographic and logistical limitations.

Then, along the came the internet, and its evolution.

Today, hundreds of businesses throughout the country offer assistance to aspiring writers. Many continue to offer some in-person assistance through coaching, classes or retreats. But as in other fields, the internet has allowed for a nationwide (worldwide) reach that these businesses are taking advantage of to scale. The major pre-internet writer assistance companies, such as The Writers Studio , added online courses and instruction, and the early internet-based companies from the 1990s, such as Writers.com (a pioneer in the internet field), steadily expanded their offerings. New enterprises are springing up on a regular basis, including the writer collectives.

A Writing Room is one of the fastest growing of the writer collectives, and its suite of services illustrate the how the field is evolving.

A Writing Room has its roots in the writing classes that novelist Anne Lamott had been teaching for some years, and her interest by the early 2020s in creating a larger on-going community of writers. Lamott connected with a team of four entrepreneurs who had experience with previous start-ups and expertise in online tools. In early 2023 they set out to develop A Writing Room.

Novelist Anne Lamott, one of the partners in A Writing Room.

A Writing Room launched in June 2023, and followed a few months later with an inaugural writers retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Though hastily arranged, the retreat attracted more than 400 in person attendees and over 1600 attendees online. In the first half of 2024, the company set up a membership structure of monthly and annual memberships. Within months, over 550 writers had joined.

The products that members can access are aimed in part at teaching the craft of writing. In a recent author discussion (with close to 400 participants joining online) Lamott discussed the craft of writing with novelist Donna Levin . Both started publishing in the 1980s. They noted how much publishing and the role of the writer have changed, but emphasized the fundamentals that have remained over their forty years, related to craft and the responsibility of the writer: the daily commitment, the careful development of plot and characters, the numerous rewrites (as many as you think you need, and one more).

A Writing Room offers a series of on-demand courses, online discussions with authors and publishing professionals, and daily writing prompts, built around writing as craft. It further offers instruction on the paths to and options for publication, building a following of readers.

At its center, A Writing Room is about being part of a community of writers, giving and receiving regular feedback from other members, as well as feedback from writing mentors and coaches. In an interview earlier this year, Lamott explained:

The great myth about writing is that it's an entirely solitary activity. This really isn't true. Every book I've ever written has been with a lot of help from my community. I wouldn't be the writer I am today — and wouldn't even want to write — without people to share the process and finished work. Writing is a process, but it doesn't have to (and really shouldn't be) done in total isolation.

The writing process can feel overwhelming. It often does for me. Believe me, a trusted writing friend is a secret to life.

Other emerging writing collectives also emphasize community and cooperation. Levin underscored this point in the recent online discussion: “Writing can be such an isolated activity, and to some extent needs to be. You want to seek out a community that can give you the support you need and also the honest feedback.”

How the New Marketplace Is Evolving And Jobs Created

The founders of A Writing Room know that the marketplace for writer assistance is fast changing, and they need to be quick to adapt to increased competition. Already, several developments are driving change in the field:

· The entrance of major online education companies (i.e. Masters Class , Coursera, Udemy ).

· Faculty recruitment of writers with built-in audiences of sizable twitter and other social media followings.

· Partnerships with the major publishers and agencies, who hold out the promise of publication to participants of the classes, retreats and collectives.

· Specializations by race and ethnicity, gender, geography and genre.

· Market segmentation, and attention to higher income consumers.

A number of these developments reflect the changes in the broader publishing world and are likely to continue. Overall, the marketplace itself will be expanding, as publishing technology advances, along with discretionary income.

The jobs being generated by this new marketplace are a mix of tech, administrative, and writing coach positions. At A Writing Room, recent hires include a community liaison, video editor, customer support, and a “beta reader” providing feedback to writers on their drafts. The hiring process is sweeping up into jobs not only workers who have been in the regular economy, but also residents of America’s bohemia: writers and artists who previously were outside of (and often scornful of) the market system. What can be better than that.

In his 2023 book, The Novel, Who Needs It , Joseph Epstein, former editor of American Scholar , offers a paean to fiction as above all other intellectual endeavors that seek to understand human behavior. But what he says of fiction is true of other writing (memoir, history, even forms of self-help) that arouses the mind.

Yes, there are way too many books published each year, and yes only a very small percentage of writers will earn any significant income from their writing. But who knows what individual book will succeed commercially or critically, or add to our shared knowledge or wisdom. And really, why not encourage the craft of writing. How much does America benefit from most of the paper-pushing, meetings and e-mails that now pass for work in our economy of affluence.

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