3 Tips for Writing a Sci-fi Short Story

ESFoster

1 year ago

Welcome back to another post I created for Sci-fi Month! I can’t believe the month is already almost over. For this week, I thought I would get back into writing about writing sci-fi. I’ve been working on writing more short stories lately, so I thought I would share some tips with you for writing a science fiction short story.

A few announcements before we begin:

In the spirit of writing science fiction short stories, I just had a story published at Sci-fi Shorts! You can find the story through the fanlink here.

You can find Sci-fi Shorts and their submission page here.

Also, because next Thursday is Thanksgiving and I’ll be out of town, there won’t be any posts next week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Artwork Copyright: Sxwx on 123RF.com

Remember Your Worldbuilding

Worldbuilding is just as important for a short story as it is for a novel, even if it’s shorter. This is especially true for speculative fiction since the world included in the story is one that you created. If you’re including alien races and impossible technology, you need to build your world so that everything makes sense and readers engage with what’s happening.

So here are a few worldbuilding tips for science fiction:

1. Start with the basics of your world. Decide what it is you want to write about, then start outlining what you’ll need to make that concept convincing. For example, say you want to include teleportation in your science fiction short story. What details can you include that make the tech believable to readers? How does teleportation work in your world, or what is it used for?

2. Create interesting characters with motivation. Additionally, you need characters who aren’t one-note and who readers will want to see more of. Write down your character and make notes about what their personality is like. Then crack down on their motivation? What do they want and what are their goals? How do they change as they strive to reach that goal?

3. Add details about the world. After creating a rough draft, go back in and see what little details about the world you could fit in. This might be additional info about your technology, strong imagery about the alien race you introduced, or something else. When you write, make sure the details work toward giving the reader a clear picture in their mind. Also, don’t weigh the reader down with unnecessary details.

Start as Quickly as Possible

Kurt Vonnegut once said, “Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible.” This holds true no matter the genre you write in. But this is science fiction we’re talking about. You need lots of details about the world. However, this doesn’t mean tossing a bunch of exposition at your readers and expecting them to still be interested. You want your story and your world to have some mystery, something that will make readers question what’s going to happen next. Also, you want readers to be immersed in the world, so explaining everything and then moving on doesn’t show them that world.

To start as quickly as possible, do the following:

1. Create a hook. Make the first sentence interesting enough that readers get sucked in without realizing it. A hook can tell something about the world, drop the reader into the action, or show a character’s personality through what they’re experiencing. No matter which option you choose, make it exciting.

2. Cut out anything unnecessary. Believe it or not, you do quite a bit of editing with short stories too. Make sentences as concise as possible and don’t overexplain, especially in the beginning. You might even cut out entire characters. If the story works without someone, then feel free to write them out.

Avoid Too Much Technobabble

Lastly, my final tip for writing a science fiction short story is to avoid too much “technobabble.” By that, I mean don’t make the science in your sci-fi story so over-the-top that readers get lost. Check out this technobabble generator I found and read the following sentence.

The generator

An example: “The zirconium delta-wave is offline. You should de-scramble the tantulum power landing thrusters.”

Yes, that sounds like sci-fi, but it includes a lot of unfamiliar words that bog the reader down. It also doesn’t push the action forward or reveal what a character is like when they say it out loud. Keep the tech terms to a minimum, only including it where it is needed. Also, use words that allow the reader to visualize how something might work. For example, you could have “gamma thrusters” on your rocket in your story. Most readers will know that gammas are a type of light and thrusters will shove your rocket forward. They can then visualize beams of light hurling your rocket deep into space.

These three things are vital for taking your science fiction short story to the next level. By worldbuilding and keeping what’s necessary, you’ll create a short story that readers will love. Happy writing!

I have a freelance editing service now! Contact me about book editing, beta reading, and brainstorming book titles. Use the contact form below to ask for a free 15-minute consultation.