Sci-Fi writer mistakes, and 4 ways you could avoid them.
Sci-Fi writer mistakes, and 4 ways you could avoid them.
Recently I read a Sci-Fi book that furiated me at every page.
The book shall not be named, but it was about space travel.
What got me so flustered was the fact that in this book, there was seemingly no research performed at all. In one of the scenes one astronaut is astounded that they can’t see stars in space, and the other astronaut explains why that is.
In what world would a full grown astronaut, who is sent to SPACE, 1) not know this already and 2) ask such an inane question to a colleague on a space-walk where they already have millions of things to focus on!
Recently I was asked to read through a manuscript of a Sci-Fi book in my genre and it made me super happy that the author knew a lot about neuroscience, but was respectful enough to check the nuances of things that only working in the field gets you. The boring details that make it all the more credible.
And it got me thinking about all the other books I’ve read throughout my life that make these common mistakes that take you out of the story, and annoy you to the brink of insanity.
1. Getting basic terminology wrong
Be it space, viruses or neuroscience, getting even the most basic terminology mixed up is definitely a sure way for a character to loose all credibility. Sometimes it could be something as silly and simple as the character saying pathogen when meaning antigen, detox instead of antioxidant or saying that a virus died (instead of being deactivated since it’s not a living thing). Small but important things that give a character its credibility.
This meme is a great example of that. This is a hydrothermal worm under a microscope but it keeps being referred to as a bacteria or virus in memes.
2. Being impressed by things they meet in everyday life
You might be impressed and describe the Hadron collider in depth, or an MRI machine, or a space vehicle. But a person working in the field you’re doing sci-fi about wouldn’t. They’re numb to the very things that made you fascinated enough to write about their job. Keep them neutral to things that awe you, that is much closer to reality.
3. It’s in the boring details
I can’t even count how many sci-fi books bring up experiments and “the making of” an experiment but don’t mention university affiliation, labs, ethical approval processes.
Now I know what you what you’re thinking, the FI is FICTION Augmentedrobot, but if you’re willing to spend a chapter on a study design and it’s not some mad scientist doing it in an unethical manner, you should say a word or two about the world the scientist is in.
Mention a real world conference, talk about their frustration of being rejected from a grant. The world you build gives the character well, a character!
4. Just because you read it, doesn’t mean it’s true
I often find outdated and inaccurate information in many books and I know why. If you’re writing a book and are doing research as an outsider, the articles and the data you have at your hand is probably going to be outdated.
It takes an average of 3 years for a publication to be cited enough to gain Klout (of course some go viral right away). And many publications are STILL locked up behind expensive paywalls. Your knowledge library is thus based on paradigms that might already be disproven.
A good tip is to get an account on researchgate and browse posters there or just THINK a step ahead. What would YOU want to do in this field and explore its limitations. Be the scientist you’re writing about.
Those are some of the tips. Hope they help you along.
