Planning for the Future: Adding to Sci-Fi Oscar Bernie LDStoryMakers 2015

Disclaimer Student Promise – Give feedback – Ask questions – Don’t be afraid Instructor Promise – Keep it fun – Keep it moving – Answer all questions 2

Objectives Increase understanding of the Sci-Fi market Highlight conventions, tropes, and pitfalls Help non-scientists identify credible resources 3

Who am I? Scientist – Columbia, U of U (EE, AI / analytics, MBA) – Design / Test (drones, satellites, tactical networks) – Field engineer (nuclear, RADAR, intelligence systems) – Programming (artificial intelligence, big data) Adventurer – Anthro, philosophy, literature – Smuggler, bodyguard, nuclear defense Writer – NASA – Corporate / military – Novels 4

What is Sci-Fi? Subgenre of fantasy Origin: ~18 th century – as old as the novel itself Fiction including at least one futurist conceit – Science – Technology – Parallel universes – Extraterrestrial life Golden age: 1950s onward – Engineers writing for engineers – Is this changing? The Market The Market The GenreThe Science 5

Fantastic Elements The Market The Market The GenreThe Science 6 Scientific ExplanationSupernatural Explanationx=?

Have I read this before? Classical – Jules Verne (Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea) – H.G. Wells (War of the Worlds) – Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter) Fundamental – Isaac Asimov (Foundation Series) – Robert Heinlein (Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land) – Philip K. Dick (Bladerunner, Minority Report) – Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle) Radical – Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, Sphere) – Doctor Who (shared universe – tv, books, movies) – You? The Market The Market The GenreThe Science 7

Mapping the Market 8 Idea DrivenPlot Driven Hard Soft The Market The Market The GenreThe Science Isaac Asimov Robert Heinlein Philip K. Dick Kurt Vonnegut Arthur C. Clarke Frank Herbert Connie Willis Orson Scott Card Douglas Adams Michael Crichton Neal Stephenson Ray Bradbury

The future of science fiction The Market The Market The GenreThe Science 9 Unique Market – Early adopters – E-book distribution – File sharing Depressed Market – Traditionally strong(er than fantasy) – Still strong in other media – Not much has changed since the 70s Growth market – Needs mainstream writers – On agents’ pick list – Huge mainstream potential – Why?

The Genre: Science Fiction Fandom 10 The Genre The Market The Genre The Science Fans – Organized CONs since 1930s Encompassing other fandoms Attendance at major Cons exceeding 100k people – Nearly every weekend Twelve next weekend – including ConDuit Salt Lake City Worldcon – Hugo awards Very traditional – did Michael Crichton ever win? Is voting process changing? – 2015: Spokane, WA – 2016: Kansas City, MO – 2017: Japan or Montreal or Helsinki or Washington DC Should SF writers attend Cons?

How do I get started? Standard advice: – Write what you know How would you write a historical novel? What you know: – Relationships – Dialogue – Plot What you don’t know: – Research – Find an expert – Become an expert 11 The Genre The Market The Genre The Science

Writing Sci-Fi 12 The Genre The Market The Genre The Science Sci-Fi is: Reader-promise to follow genre tropes An agreement that story elements will be invented Setting Technology Anthropology A tool to analyze our world from different perspectives What Sci-Fi isn’t: License for Deus Ex Machina An excuse to publish your ‘technical manual’ A good story doesn’t require genre to be good.

Tropes 13 The Genre The Market The Genre The Science Cliché (or overused) storylines – Cops travel back in time to stop / kill someone – Rag-tag rebels struggle against authority – Virtual reality can’t be distinguished from real life – Forbidden love between humans and other – Android discovers emotion and loses control – Alien on a new planet learns to fit in – People become dependent on a new technology – A new technology is disruptive and bad for society – Aliens are invading for whatever reason

Tropes 14 The Genre The Market The Genre The Science Are we allowed to use tropes? – Streamline elements to jumpstart plot – Older sci-fi readers – among most trope sensitive – Subvert tropes Sometimes fake is better – Star Wars – Throwing a punch, breaking glass #1 Rule: BE AWARE OF TROPES – Biggest mistake is not being aware that you’re using them. Resource: TVTropes.org

Tropes 15 The Genre The Market The Genre The Science #1 Rule: BE AWARE OF TROPES – Biggest mistake is not being aware that you’re using them. Resource: TVTropes.org

What am I going to write? Cyberpunk Time Travel Alternate history Military SF Superhuman Apocalyptic / Post-apocalptic Space Opera Space Western Social Sci-fi 16 The Genre The Market The Genre The Science Decide your goals Decide your market Validate story elements with friends / nerds Story elements service BOTH character and plot Don’t be scared – they can’t steal YOUR story Common science fiction subgenres

The Science Requirement: one or more futurist conceits – Define – Research – Develop a hypotheses How does it change other technology? (travel, manufacturing, etc) How does it affect economics? (disruption, black market) How does it affect the top 10%? The bottom 10% Which is easier? – Writing about our world? – Inventing a new one? Story comes first The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 17

Iceberg Theory Hard sci-fi is idea-based, not detail-based Just show the tip of the iceberg – Disruptive effects to society Soft sci-fi shows less “under the hood” The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 18

Iceberg Theory You don’t have to have ALL your research done, but… – Technology builds upon itself. A fully researched world allows all elements to impact each other. – Stopping a story to do research is best avoided. The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 19

Where do I get ideas? The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 20 Take your absolute-best-I-love-it-must-do-it idea – Throw it away Start dreaming – Great idea = good idea + good idea + conceit Ask lots of ‘what ifs’ Study new technologies – Popular Science – Scientific American – Discover – New Scientist – Wikipedia – Google News Use your friends

World-building 101 The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 21 A futuristic society requires – One (or more) modes of travel – One (or more) forms of communication – The ability to create and distribute food – The ability to resolve conflict and govern – Mechanisms to sustain / increase the population – Recreation – ‘Old’ culture (outdated forms of the above) An alien society also requires – A planet to do it all on – New biology and an ecosystem

Writing the Other- Aliens The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 22 How do I write the ‘other’? Nature versus nurture – Decide cultural norms – Analyze the impact of your decision Trope alert!!!!!!! – All exhibit An interesting alien – Is an interesting person A good alien character – Will adopts some traits and rebel against others – Is most effective as a contrast against our culture

Space Travel 23 The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science

Communication The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 24

Food The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 25

Government The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 26

Industry The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 27

Recreation The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 28

Planetary Biology The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 29

Further Q&A The Science The MarketThe Genre The Science 30