Writing Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Horror For Dummies

Rick Dakan and Ryan G. Van Cleave, PhD are professors at the prestigious Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, where they teach such courses as Writing Science Fiction, Writing for Video Games, and Writing for Shared Worlds. Both of them have ended a D&D campaign with a single well-placed fireball.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 4Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Getting Started: The Basics of Story 5Chapter 1: Taking Journeys into the Imagination 7Looking Closer at the Big Three Genres 8Imagining possible worlds — Sci-fi 8Imagining wondrous worlds — Fantasy 9Imagining fearful worlds — Horror 10Creating Characters 11Pursuing Writerly Success 12Revising your words 12Turning to pros for help 12Focusing on the three Ps 13Setting the right goals for you 14Making the Most of This Book 15Chapter 2: Creating Characters 19Focusing on Your Characters’ Wants 20Looking outside — External goals 21Reflecting inward — Internal needs 21Looking a bit deeper — Hidden desires 22Introducing the Cast of Characters 22Leading the way — Protagonists 23Standing in the way — Antagonists 25Introducing supporting characters 26Managing your supporting cast — Tips and tricks 29From Whose Eyes? Choosing Point of View 29First person 30Third-person limited 31Third-person omniscient 31Third-person objective 32Telling “Telling Details” 33Zeroing in on appearance 34Digging into a character’s psychology 34Trusting an inner circle 35You Don’t Say? Using Dialogue 36Recognizing the types of dialogue 36Keeping track of dialogue tags 38Writing script dialogue 39Chapter 3: Laying the Foundation — The Power of Plot 41Engineering Great Drama 42Examining values 44Creating compelling conflict 44Starting with Freytag 46Finding the tension 48Considering character arcs 51Keeping up the pace 52Building Story Structure 54Understanding scenes 54Using scene sequels — Action/reaction 56Adding variety to your scenes 57Thinking bigger — Sequences 59Examining Key Elements of Plot 60Beginning with a bang 60Maintaining audience interest — Magical middles 62Fulfilling story promises — Knockout climaxes 63Finishing strong — Satisfying endings 64Chapter 4: Crafting Many Worlds, Many Media 65Writing Prose — An Oldie But a Goodie 65Novels 66Novellas 67Short stories 68Writing for Screens Both Big and Small — Scripts 69Film 69TV 71Podcasts 72Plays 73Comics 74Inviting Audiences to Co-create — Interactive Stories 74Video games 75Tabletop games 75Immersive experiences 76Part 2: Worldbuilding: Journeys to Other Worlds 79Chapter 5: Building a World Like No Other 81Creating Worlds Worth Exploring 82Making your place interesting 82Knowing how your world works 83This place is awesome! — Your pitch 84Building Worlds for Conflict 87Finding a problem around every corner 87Creating characters from conflict 89Focusing on What’s Important — The Iceberg Rule 89Show the characters and conflicts 89Don’t show everything 90Chapter 6: Letting Your Research and Imagination Run Wild 93Start with Earth: Inspiration and Adaptation 94Tapping into the power of piggybacking 94Controlling cognitive dissonance 97Using Research to Balance Science and Fiction 98Striving for accuracy 99Casting a wide net when researching 100Heading straight to the sources 102Chapter 7: Showing the Explosion: Exposition That Thrills! 105Showing Your World at Work 106Making memorable first impressions 106Letting actions bring the world to life 107Relying on Narrative Exposition: Stories That Explain and Entrance 108Telling a tale within a tale 108Writing exposition that causes conflict 109Getting to the point with point of view 110Trusting and Provoking Your Reader 112Solving a puzzle: 1+1 112Giving characters revelatory actions 112Sending systemic signals 113Storytelling at Every Level of Engagement 113Level 1: Bold strokes 114Level 2: Fine nuances 114Level 3: Hidden depths 114Level 4: Beyond the text 115Putting the levels all together 115Chapter 8: This Planet Will Eat You: Worlds Are Characters, Too 117Recognizing That Worlds Want Something 118Reacting to your characters 118Maintaining ecosystems and equilibrium 118Upholding the societal status quo 119Wanting equilibrium 121Building Spaces and Places for Drama 122Making maps memorable 122Navigating story spaces 123Part 3: Science Fiction: Journeys into the Future 129Chapter 9: Answering “What If?” 131Asking Big Questions 131Looking closer at your questions 132Provoking curiosity and imagination 133Answering questions with characters 134Inventing the Big New Thing 135Understanding what the Big New Thing is 135Distinguishing between hard and soft sci-fi 137Asking Key Questions about Your Sci-Fi Story 138Chapter 10: A Spaceship for Every Occasion, an Occasion for Every Spaceship 139Voyaging Far from Home: Vessels for Isolation and Adventure 140Launching the ship 140Meeting the crew 142Completing the mission 143The Physics and Drama of Space Travel 144Obeying the speed of light 144Traveling through space faster than light 147Considering other speculative technologies 1481, 2, 3, 4 — I Declare a Space War! 151War as storytelling by other means 151Activating weapons of war 152Deploying systems of defense 154Chapter 11: Encountering Aliens That Audiences Want to Know, Love, and Fear 157Making Sense of Alien Metaphors 158Discovering differences 158Alienating audiences 160Relating aliens to your audience 161Playing Their Part: Alien Dramatics 162Alien enemies 163Alien protagonists 163Alien allies and rivals 164Alien mysteries 164Alien obstacles 165Creating Alien Emotions 166Rousing wonder — Sublime aliens 166Provoking revulsion — Grotesque aliens 166Creating unease — Uncanny aliens 167Inspiring hope — Power fantasy aliens 167Producing smiles — Adorable aliens 167Introducing audiences to your aliens 168Chapter 12: It’s Alive! Or Is It? — Imagining Robots and Artificial Intelligence 171Creating Artificial Life 172Asking questions of meaning 172Contemplating questions of responsibility 176Treating Artificial Life as Characters 178Automated roles 178Computers are (sometimes) people too 181Building Your Own Beings 182Determining its purpose 182Figuring out what it thinks about that purpose 182Finding similarities and differences between creators and their creations 183Establishing its range of emotion 183Identifying the limits it operates under 184Recognizing society’s strong feelings about it 184Chapter 13: Constructing Planetary Plots and Earth-Changing Stories 185Exploring Other Earths 185Remembering a different past 186Thinking about the near now 187Worrying about the looming future 188Voyaging to a whole new world 189Imagining a different future 190Traveling through time 191Making Everything Worse (or Better) 192Envisioning your story — Dystopian fears and utopian hopes 192Punks, punks, punks! Writing sci-fi with attitude 194Using steam, sun, and cells 196Part 4: Fantasy: Journeys into the Imagination 197Chapter 14: Bringing Wonder to Your Story 199Creating Wonder 200Understanding the meaning of wonder 200Most wonderful yet believable 201Matching magic to the mundane 203Using the MMMaM Index of Wonder 203Going High to Low with Fantasy 205Distinguishing between high and low 205Employing fantastic elements 206Choosing a Fantastical Point of View 208Portal — Moving from the real world to a magical world 208Immersive — Inhabiting the magical world 209Intrusive — Moving the magical world into the real world 211Chapter 15: Worldbuilding on the Shoulders of Giants, Faeries, Dragons, and Hobbits 213Adapting Myth and Legend 214Making myths and faerie tales your own 214Start with Middle Earth? Not Exactly 218Genre-defining characters and creatures — Wizards, hobbits, and elves, oh my! 219Getting indulgent with worldbuilding 221Generating deep history and wondrous geography 221The now-classic quest narrative 222Understanding Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons 224Losing hit points and gaining character levels in games 224Starting with the Forgotten Realms 225Making Deep History in Record Time 226Basing your story in reality 226Making your own myths 227Identifying different people and places 227Enhancing conflict 228Chapter 16: Conjuring Story Magic 229Grasping the Role of Magic in Storytelling 229Taking the Reader on a Magical Journey 230Making Magic Dramatic (in Every Sense of the Word!) 231Heightening dramatic stakes with magic 232Being aware of magic’s dramatic limitations 232Setting the Rules and Costs of Magic 233Playing by the rules 234Sticking to the rules of magic in video and role-playing games 234Assigning costs to your story’s magic — Precious Things 235Forging Enchanting Artifacts and Objects — ItemsDesigned for Magic 236Magic items as objects of desire 237Magic items as character traits 238Magic items as obstacles 238Magic items as characters 239Magic items as worldbuilding elements 240Chapter 17: Forming Really Fantastic (and Fantastically Real) Monsters 241Understanding What Monsters Are 241What makes a monster a monster 242Monsters serve the story 242Making Monsters 244Making your monster realistic or fantastic 246Defining your monster’s characteristics 246Part 5: Horror: Journeys into Fear 253Chapter 18: Creating Dread, Fear, and Terror 255Imagining the Worst about Everything 256Equipping your toolchest — The horror writer’s tools 256A formula for fear 258Providing climax and catharsis 260Feeling Fearful Feels 261Fear and worry 261Pity and sorrow 262Disgust and revulsion 262Disoriented and discombobulated 263Fascination and wonder 263Triumph and relief 264Schadenfreude 265Identifying Sources of Horror 266Gothic 266Spiritual 266Monstrous 267Cosmic 267Homicidal 267Societal 268Environmental 268The unexplained 268Chapter 19: Fashioning Fearful Plots and Sinister Scenes 271Who Goes There? Characters Who Journey into Darkness 271Controlling knowledge through point of view 272Creating creepy and creeped-out characters 273Plotting Your Host of Horrors 276The discovery plot — Unearthing dread secrets 277The overreach plot — One step too far 277The trespass plot — You shouldn’t be here 278The pursuit plot — The hunt is on 278The contest plot — Facing your fears 279The breakdown plot — It’s all gone to hell 279The weird plot — What the heck is that? 280Creating Fear with Narrative Flow 280Mixing and matching flows 281Shifting the narrative — Thrilling and chilling revelations 283Chapter 20: Shaping Your Scares — Menacing Monsters and Human Horrors 287Mixing Up Your Monsters 288Threatening 288Disgusting 289Humanish 289Animalistic 290Heightened 291Unnatural 291Corrupting 291Captivating 292Making Metaphors Monstrous 292Societal flaws personified 293Voice for the voiceless 293Personal flaws made manifest 294Deep difficulties turned terrifying 294Universal experiences mutated 294Positive characteristics taken too far 295Interpreting the Classics 295Aliens and cosmic entities 295Cryptids and creatures 296Demonic and supernatural threats 296Experiments and evil scientists 297Ghosts and evil spirits 297Golems and constructs 298Lycanthropes and shapeshifters 298Vampires and the undead 299Hunting Down Homicidal Humans 299Confronting all too natural-born killers 300Solving dramatic and mysterious murders 300Exposing deadly cults 301Winning the duel of wits 302Chapter 21: Lurking in Every Shadow: Where Horror Resides 305Constructing Environments That Raise Dread 306Isolated or inaccessible 306Intimidating and foreboding 307Uncanny and unsettling 308Assembling Haunted Houses and Other Lairs of Fear 309Recognizing the types of haunted houses — What lies within 309Welcome, foolish mortal 311Tapping into what came before 311Sizing up the scene 312A ghost will follow you home 313Part 6: The Journey from Writing to Publication 315Chapter 22: Revising and Editing Like a Pro 317Creating a Revision Plan 318Putting on your reader’s cap 318Remaking the outline 319Going high tech 320Going low tech 320Answering first-draft questions 321Using second opinions 322Revising First, Editing Later 322Figuring out who this story really is about 322Discovering what this story really is about 323Focusing on Theme — It Isn’t Just for Eighth-Grade Book Reports 324Understanding what theme is 324Finding an elusive theme 325Revising for theme 326Buffing, Polishing, and Shining — The Final Edit 328Trusting your ears 328Editing your way to a better story 328Chapter 23: Getting Second Opinions: Editors, Experts, and Sensitivity Readers 331Receiving Good Story Feedback 332Making the most of a critique group 332Cultivate a golden reader 335Hiring freelance editors 335Supporting Your Story with Expert Help 337Talking to subject matter experts 338Tapping into the universe of universities 339Using sensitivity readers 339Using cultural consultants 341Looking beyond your own experiences 341Chapter 24: The Three Ps: Publication, Pitching, and Promotion 343Teaming Up: Agents, Editors, and Producers 343Recognizing what an agent does 344Figuring out whether you need an agent 344Landing an agent: The how and where 345Pitching Like a Pro 347Crafting the query 347Breaking down the three-floor elevator pitch 348Identifying the challenge before you 349Going It Alone: A Self-Publishing Success Plan 350Answering whether you can really do it all 351Succeeding in self-publishing 351Putting the crowd to work for you 352Promoting You and Your Work — Making the Most of Marketing 353Standing high on a platform 354Making the most of conferences 356Part 7: The Part of Tens 357Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Jump-Start a Stalled Story 359Extra, Extra — Reading Story Headlines 360Taking a Ride on the PPE Story Machine 360Writing to Free Up Your Blocks 361Noodling in Notebooks 361Taking a Field Trip 362Figuring Out What the Story Is 363Answering the Great “What If?” 363Blending, Stirring, and Mixing 364Beginning with an Idea 364Using Someone Else’s Words 365Chapter 26: Ten Common Pitfalls in Writing Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror 367Putting Surface before Substance 368Overrelying on Coincidence 368Worldbuilding with Endless Details 368Not Reading Enough 369Reusing Aliens/Werewolves/Elves 370Embracing a Richer Worldview 370Following Trends Too Closely 371Overusing Fantastic Language 371Forgetting the Promise of the Genre 372Utilizing Clichés 372Chapter 27: Ten Popular Story Modes 375Danger at Every Step — The Adventure Story 376“It’s the End!” — The Apocalyptic Story 376Gags, Sketches, and Snark — The Comedy Story 377Capers, Cons, and Heists — The Crime Story 378Doom and Gloom — The Dark Story 379The Grandest of Scales — The Epic Story 380The Power of the Past — The Historical Story 381Fighting on the Frontlines — The Military Story 382Sleuthing Out the Truth — The Mystery Story 383The Heart of the Matter — The Romance Story 384Index 385