Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.
I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.
I wrote in detail about how to study history and culture to write historical fiction. That moved to how to write about culture in science fiction, and now, I am exploring how to study to write science fiction.
When we write general fiction, the point is to have a theme and characters developed within the framework of a plot. For historical or cultural fiction, we add historical truth and cultural awareness to the basic theme, characters, and plot. In writing science fiction, we add the basis of science to the previously mentioned requirements. Therefore, a science fiction work must have a theme and characters developed within the framework of a plot where scientific truth and cultural awareness prevail. I've written before about the development of a culture within a science fiction novel, but I haven't written about scientific truth.
Scientific truth is like historical truth--it is the reflection of what can be proven through science. Within all "real" science fiction, the author begins with the basis of scientific truth and extrapolates future science from there. This is where we begin to break science fiction into the "soft" and "hard" varieties. The soft variety does not break the known rules of science truth (fact), but it doesn't usually attempt to explain or detail the extrapolated future science. Hard science fiction, on the other hand, dives into the details of the extrapolated future science and provides some degree of explanation.
Soft science fiction, never means the writer or writing ignores scientific truth.
I'll write more about science in science fiction tomorrow.
I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.
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