I used to think there was a rule. Many science fiction short stories followed the rule, any remaining suck out. The template was simple, two or three paragraphs of introduction, introducing strangeness to the reader, a new environment, an action you couldn’t do on Earth. There followed another section, filling in backstory, an alternative history…
The false conflict
Writing is a journey. My writing started with my reaction to a modern myth – the idea of natural being better than artificial. I don’t hold the opposite view, but I wanted to challenge sloppy thinking. There are natural things I don’t want near me, like scorpions, death cap mushrooms, arsenic, lead, botulism, malaria,…
Taking the reality tablets
A conventional novel can draw on real life. Inspiration on speech patterns can come from a snatch of conversation overheard at the shops. Making a house seem realistic can be helped by seeing how a real house is built. Want to describe a foreign beach? Go there on holiday.
That’s Not What Humans Are For
What’s the connection between welfare and nature?
Books aren’t the only fruit
Inspiration can come from anywhere, not just books and plays.
Why ask questions?
There’s more than one way to develop a world.