How to Write a Sci-Fi Story & Get Paid for It
Science fiction, or sci-fi, is a genre of fiction containing elements of action, adventure and sometimes horror, with science playing a central role in the story. These stories may be set in the future, in outer space or even in the past, so long as an element of science is integrated into the story. While versions of the science fiction story can be traced back centuries ago, the genre really took off in the 1950s with pulp sci-fi comics and movies, and it has remained a popular genre ever since. If you've got the imagination and a sci-fi story to tell, and the ability to write good fiction, there are print and Internet outlets willing to pay for your work.
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Instructions
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Outline your story. Then write the story according to your outline, but be open to changes that may occur as the story progresses. Research the subject that underlies your story, where it's space travel or futuristic technologies, thoroughly. Science fiction readers are a particular lot and can spot a flaw in the way you represent science in your story. Nothing kills your chances of selling a story better than presenting poor science.
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Write a story that includes the kinds of strong elements that attract readers of science fiction. Stories that involve machines becoming dominant over man are popular. Stories involving computers that learn to be independent and turn on mankind are also popular. Aliens make good story lines. A popular subgenre of the sci-fi genre is the space western, in which sci-fi story lines are combined with the Old West genre. Sci-fi is open to story lines that include elements of other fictional genres as well, so you have room to experiment. The key is keeping the science at the forefront of the story.
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Create characters worthy of your science. While science should be at the forefront of your story, your characters need to be smart enough to achieve their goals in the tale. It isn't essential for mankind to win over the aliens, but at least some of the human characters in your story involving beings from another planet should be strong enough to give the aliens a challenging fight.
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A mistake beginning sci-writers make when creating alien characters is to base them on humans. Avoid doing this. Aliens that come from another planet should have very different traits from humans. An alien from a planet that is dark, for instance, would not rely on eyesight as humans do.
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Proofread your sci-fi story very carefully before you begin marketing it. Beginning writers often get excited about finishing a project and neglect to go over the story. Read it and look not only for problems in spelling, grammar and sentence structure but also for holes in your plot, characters who don't grab the reader and the aforementioned bad (or implausible) science.
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Locate markets for your work. Purchase a copy of the Writer's Market or sign up for Writer's Market online (see Resources). You can also use Ralan's market database, which is free and lists numerous magazine and website markets that purchase sci-fi stories. To sell your work, you need to find outlets that accept the type of material you write.
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Select outlets for your work. Read the submission guidelines carefully; they'll tell you what type of sci-fi stories are acceptable, where to submit your story, how to format your submission and how much you will be paid. Submit your work to outlets that accept the type of sci-fi story you write, according to the submission guidelines.
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Be persistent. When you finish one sci-fi story, write another. Don't rely on a single story to get you a publication credit and a paycheck. Continue to submit the stories you write, and build a list of publishing credits.
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