Writing Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: How to Create Successful Work for Publication (Successful Writing)

114 Pages·1997·0.65 MB·English

by  Christopher Kenworthy

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WritingScienceFiction,Fantasy&Horror
HowToBooksonSuccessfulWriting
Copyright&LawforWriters
CreatingaTwistintheTale
CreativeWriting
HowtoBeaFreelanceJournalist
HowtoPublishaBook
HowtoPublishaNewsletter
HowtoStartWordProcessing
HowtoWriteaPressRelease
HowtoWriteaReport
HowtoWriteanAssignment
HowtoWriteanEssay
HowtoWrite&SellComputerSoftware
HowtoWriteBusinessLetters
HowtoWriteforPublication
HowtoWriteforTelevision
HowtoWriteYourDissertation
MasteringBusinessEnglish
StartingtoWrite
WritingaNonfictionBook
Writing&SellingaNovel
WritingReviews
WritingRomanticFiction
WritingScienceFiction,Fantasy&Horror
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Pleasesendforafreecopyofthelatestcatalogueforfulldetails(seeback
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WritingScienceFictionFantasy&Horror
HowtoCreateSuccessfulWorkforPublication
ChristopherKenworthy
HowToBooks
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©Copyright1997byChristopherKenworthy.
Firstpublishedin1997byHowToBooksLtd,3NewtecPlace,
MagdalenRoad,OxfordOX41RE,UnitedKingdom.
Tel:[phone].Fax:[phone].
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproduced,orstoredinan
informationretrievalsystem(otherthanforpurposesofreview),withoutthe
expresspermissionofthePublisherinwriting.
Note: Thematerialcontainedinthisbookissetoutingoodfaithforgeneral
guidanceandnoliabilitycanbeacceptedforlossorexpenseincurredas a
resultofrelyinginparticularcircumstancesonstatementsmadeinthebook.
Thelawsandregulationsarecomplexandliabletochange,andreaders
shouldcheckthecurrentpositionwiththerelevantauthoritiesbeforemaking
personalarrangements.
ProducedforHowToBooksbyDeerParkProductions.
TypesetbyKestrelData,Exeter.
PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby
CromwellPress,BroughtonGifford,Melksham,Wiltshire.
Contents
ListofIllustrations 8
Preface 9
1 11
GettingStarted
WorkingatBeingaWriter 11
WritingScienceFiction 12
ExploringFantasy 15
UsingHorror 16
ChoosingaGenre 18
Checklist 20
CaseStudies 20
DiscussionPoints 21
2 22
FindingIdeas
GettingtoGripswithIdeas 22
Asking'WhatIf?' 24
CombiningConcepts 26
TestingYourIdeas 27
Checklist 28
CaseStudies 28
DiscussionPoints 29
3 31
PuttingYourIdeasonPaper
FindingaTheme 31
WritingYourFirstPage 33
ShowingtheStory 36
Checklist 37
CaseStudies 38
DiscussionPoints 39
4 40
CreatingPeople
DiscoveringCharacters 40
NamingCharacters 43
StrengtheningCharacters 44
PuttingCharactersintoAction 45
DealingwithAlienCharacters 47
Checklist 49
CaseStudies 50
DiscussionPoints 51
5 52
EvolvingYourPlot
LettingCharactersCreateYourStory 52
StrengtheningthePlot 54
FormingaSubplot 56
ClosingaPlot 56
Checklist 57
CaseStudies 57
DiscussionPoints 58
6 59
MakingYourStoryBelievable
CreatingRealism 59
WritingRealistically 59
EncounteringAliens 63
HandlingTime 64
UsingMistakesasInspiration 66
Checklist 67
CaseStudies 67
DiscussionPoints 68
7 69
BringingScienceFictiontoLife
CreatingImagery 69
ShowingEmotionThroughImagery 71
UsingtheSensestoRevealMood 73
Checklist 74
CaseStudies 75
DiscussionPoints 76
8 77
DevelopingYourStyle
SettingtheTone 78
BeingSpecific 80
Checklist 81
CaseStudies 82
DiscussionPoints 82
9 83
DealingwithDialogue
ChoosingaStyleofSpeech 83
MakingDialogueRealistic 85
HandlingtheLanguageofScienceFiction 86
Checklist 87
CaseStudies 88
DiscussionPoints 89
10 90
RoundingOffYourWork
ChoosingHowtoEnd 90
RewritingCreatively 92
FindingaTitle 93
Checklist 95
CaseStudies 95
DiscussionPoints 96
11 98
SellingScienceFiction
IdentifyingYourMarket 98
PresentingWork 100
ApproachingEditors 103
PromotingYourself 106
WritingSomethingNew 107
Checklist 107
CaseStudies 108
DiscussionPoints 108
Glossary 110
UsefulAddresses 115
FurtherReading 117
Index 121
ListofIllustrations
1.TheProcessofStoryCreation 34
2.TheElementsofWorldBuilding 49
3.HowtoFineTuneYourStory 94
4.SampleCoverSheet 102
5.SampleCoveringLettertoAnEditor 104
Preface
Whatwouldhappenifthegovernmentwasworkinginsecretwithanalien
race?Howwouldwecopewithinterstellartravel?Whatwillhappenwhen
wecoloniseMars?Whatwillwedoifmachinesbecomeconscious?
Theanswersarefoundinsciencefiction.Thesequestionshavebeen
answeredmanytimes,indifferentways,bythousandsofwriters.Ifyouwant
tobeasciencefictionwriteryouwillfindnewquestions,andyouwill
answertheminanoriginalway.
Asasciencefictionwriteryouwillmovereaderswithanastoundingsenseof
wonder,whilerevealingtheprecisedetailofhumanexistence.Sciencefiction
isauniqueformofliterature,becauseyouarefreetoexploreanypossible
futurethat comesto mind. Whateverwondersyouimagine, whateverfears
darkenyourthoughts,youarefreetoexpressthemthroughsciencefiction.
Sciencefiction,fantasyandhorroraretheonlyformsofwritingwhereyou
createwholeworlds.Whileinventingcharactersandlocationstotellyour
story,youwillalsocreatenewcivilisations,planetsandtechnologies.Thisis
whysciencefictionisdemandingofcreativity,butalsowhyitisso
rewarding.
Nobookcanturnyouintoawriter,butitcanguideyourworkifyouare
preparedtoputintheeffort.Thisbooksuggestsmethodsofworkingthatwill
helpyoutofindideas,charactersandthemes,sothatyoucancreate
believablestories.Youwillavoidthebasicpitfallsthatplaguemostwriters,
whiledevelopinganapproachtowritingthatsuitsyoubest.Withcreative
effort,andpersistence, youcanlearntowritesciencefiction,fantasyand
horrorstories.
CHRISTOPHERKENWORTHY
IsThisYou?
Librarian
Firsttimewriter Part-timewriter
Freelancewriter
Shortstorywriter Novelist
Creativethinker
Sciencefictionreader Horrorreader
Fantasyreader
Generalreader Sciencefictioncinemafan
StarTrekfan
X-Filesfan 'CultTV'fan
Creativewritingstudent
Englishstudent Englishteacher
Academic
Publisher Editor