Wednesday's Writing Tip - Speculative Fiction - Orson Scott Card

Since I like to see what other writers say about writing and garner tips from their articles and books on writing, I came across How To Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card, a writer I've read a number of times. I also sometimes venture into this area, though I consider most of my writing as either fantasy or speculative fiction. Mr. Card  givea a nice overview of what comprises this type of fiction. I also believe one can learn about writing and improve by reading different genres and by hearing what other writers have to say about the craft of writing.  So here goes with the parameters of this genre.

A little aside, each of the major genres have many subgenres in their ranks and I know I've learned by looking at other genres.

What compromises speculative fiction.

1. Stories set in the future. Makes sense to look at these stories as being speculative.

2. Stories set in the past that contradict what is known about history. These are alternate Earth stories.

3. Stories set on other worlds.

4. Stories set on Earth but before recorded history.

5. All stories that contradict known or supposed laws of nature.

So if you want to write in this genre, you have a lot of room to experiment. I've written in several of the areas with 2 and 5 being my favorite places to let my imagination run free. What about you? Do you think about venturing into speculative fiction? Or are you looking to learn how to hone your own writing by seeing how writers in other genres create their stories?