Writers in the Storm

by Ellen Buikema

To get your science fiction story started, ponder the should, might, and heaven forbid, but what if it happened anyway.

Start by asking, “What if?”

The “What if” question drives the Sci-Fi genre.

Science fiction stories have an element of newness, the new thing that is grounded in reality. It’s the difference between sci-fi and fantasy.

Consider monsters. Vampires as mythological creatures are fantasy. But what if a virus makes people need to consume blood to survive? Viruses are real science, so they’re grounded in reality. The viral vamps would be dangerous, real-world creatures.

Asking a “what if” question and answering it with something new will give you a solid foundation for your plot.

Decide upon The Type of Science Fiction

Hard science fiction

• Hard SF is grounded in scientific laws and understanding. Elements of natural science form a critical part of the plot.
• Examples: Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, Nancy Kress’s Beggars in Spain, and Andy Weir's The Martian.

Soft science fiction

• Soft SF is more concerned with social aspects. The technical details of the fictional universe aren’t essential.
• Examples: Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, Frank Herbert’s Dune series, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

A good sci-fi story must feature science in a way that’s essential to the story.

Once you have a big question and your science-fiction type, think about themes that make sense to explore.

10 Possible Themes

Aliens

• The big question. Are we alone in the universe? Science fiction takes advantage of this by introducing people to a plethora of ETs.
• Examples: Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End,  G.L. Carriger’s The 5th Gender: A Tinkered Stars Mystery

Alternate reality

• Explore multiple sides to a story to answer the question. Do different choices lead to better outcomes? Alternate reality offers sci-fi fans play in worlds that exist parallel to ours.
• Examples:  Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84, David Levithan’s Every Day

Artificial intelligence

• In fictional stories, A.I., a self-aware computer system capable of thinking on its own, often escapes from the control of its programmers and turns on humanity. Sometimes, while trying to help the lesser beings—us—their efforts do more harm than good.
• Examples: J. Michael Straczynski and Pete Woods' Terminator Salvation,  (The original author may be Sophia Stewart, who wrote Third Eye, the basics of Terminator as well as The Matrix. Court case is ongoing.), Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity is Near

Bodily modifications

• Body modifications in sci-fi vary from superficial to superhuman. They can be mechanical, organic, or both. The modifications might improve the character’s life but sometimes leaves them ruined or dependent upon their mechanical “upgrades.”
• Examples: acflory’s Miira , Frank Miller’s RoboCop (Steven Grant adapted Frank Miller’s screenplay.)

Brain uploads

• If your mind is scanned, mapped, and copied into another entity, will it still be you? One possible way to achieve immortality is by uploading a person’s brain into a machine. Science fiction theorizes that enough scientific advancement may lead to immortality.
• Examples: Dennis E. Taylor’s We Are Legion (We Are Bob) , John C. Wright’s The Golden Age

Psychics

• Science fiction delves into human evolution and the inner workings as well as limitations of the human brain. Have we unlocked our full potential? If pushed, will people develop abilities that cannot be explained?
• Examples: Tricia O’Malley’s One Tequila , Jody Houser’s Stranger Things

Robots

• Robots come in various shapes and sizes; their function is to enhance people’s lives. They sometimes go above and beyond what was originally required. Sci-fi stories also portray self-aware robots, leading to a revolution where people play the weaker beings.
• Examples:  Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, Meredith Katz’s, The Cybernetic Tea Shop

Space

• Space—the final frontier. These words immediately cause me to hear the theme track to the Star Trek TV series. As science fiction often uses technology that doesn’t exist in the story’s timeframe, space is a great setting for new tech.
• Examples: Andy Weir’s The Martian , James S.A. Corey’s Cibola Burn

Technospeak

• Technospeak (or technobabble) is any mix of words that sounds like a blending of buzzwords and real science to fit the genre.
• Examples: Instead of a specific book, I thought it’d be fun to have a technospeak/technobabble generator and found this cool link: https://www.scifiideas.com/technobabble-generator/. Scroll to the bottom for lots of interesting sci-fi random generator ideas like future food names, planet names, alien species …

Time

• A popular time-related idea is time travel. Could we undo a past mistake or learn what our future self does? An interesting time-related theme is the time loop, where a character must repeat the day over and over until they figure out how to break the cycle.
• Examples: Adrian Cousins’ The Jason Apsley Series, Shawn Inmon’s Middle Falls Time Travel

A gripping sci-fi story might include a few major themes. Find themes that play well together.

The themes of us vs. them plus exploration can make a fantastic space odyssey book with lots of aliens. Androids and robots can tie together what it means to be human with the risks inherent in technology.

To be continued.

Do you prefer hard science fiction or soft sci-fi? If you decide to write a science fiction novel or graphic novel, what would your “What if” question be? What is your favorite science fiction book?

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About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents and a series of chapter books for children with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works In Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and Crystal Memories, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi.

Find her at https://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon.

Image by 0fjd125gk87 from Pixabay

by Maria Connor of My Author Concierge

Over the past three years, I’ve observed more and more people — friends, family, clients, and industry peers — experience significant changes in their personal and professional lives. Since much of my job as an author assistant and project manager is organizing and handling “operations” for my authors, I’ve been in the trenches dealing with logistics.

We’ve had to pivot, adapt, innovate, re-prioritize, and shift focus. We’ve had to restructure workflow and revise procedures. We’ve brought on new team members, adjusted duties, and in some cases, downsized in order to keep their businesses manageable.

As a small business owner, you need to be aware of how crisis and upheaval can impact operations—what does it mean for you, your readers, your business partners, your suppliers? How will it impact sales, production, distribution, and promotion?

I’d like to offer five strategies for managing your author business during times of disruption and uncertainty.

1. Put your oxygen mask on first.

You hear this advice from flight attendants before every flight, and with good reason. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of others. When confronted with any crisis (big or small, global or personal), take time to assess what you need—practical, emotional, and physical. Activate your support system or deal with preparations, and then get back to business. Keep in mind this isn’t necessarily a linear process. As the situation changes, you may need to step away from work from time to time.

This strategy includes ongoing self-care. Manage stress through meditation, exercise, getting enough sleep, confiding in trusted friends, stepping away from the news and media, eating nutritious food, listening to music. It’s easy to wallow in panic and fear—taking control where you can is empowering and eases that sense of overwhelm.

2. Know your priorities.

When confronting a crisis, you may find your resources (physical, mental, time, money, energy, attention, creativity) are limited. Are you now taking care of children because schools are closed? Are you too distracted by worries and concerns to focus on writing? Have travel restrictions stranded you in a foreign country? Take time out to prioritize work tasks. What is most important and cannot be deferred? What is next is terms of value vs. effort? Can you save something for later? Knowing what needs to be done and when is helpful in managing stress and sharpening focus.

3. Adjust expectations.

When faced with a multitude of distractions, productivity is the first casualty. Your word count may be down, or you may have to step back from commitments. Engagement with readers may decrease or take on a different tone. Service providers may require an extension or more flexibility than usual. Sales might drop. A disruption in service/operations may cause problems. Most importantly, maintain your professionalism. Poor attitudes do little to improve any situation. Look for creative solutions to problems and be flexible.

4. Look for opportunities.

Crises and times of uncertainty bring both risk and opportunity. Share resources, acknowledge the struggle, lend a sympathetic ear. All of this can lead to a stronger, more authentic connection with people. Can’t focus on your current WIP? Try writing something else and sharing it with readers as a free read in your newsletter or on your blog. Temporarily discount your books so people can escape from reality without worrying about the cost. Cross-promote to share the work and the benefit.

5. Be honest and transparent.

These are challenging times for all of us, and that includes small business owners. Continue to communicate with your customers (readers, author peers, editor, agent, cover designer, publicist, etc.) and be upfront if the crisis interferes in operations. Let your readers know if a release date needs to be pushed back. If you won’t be able to meet a deadline, work with your editor to reschedule. Let service providers know as soon as possible if you need to downsize operations.

There is no playbook on how to handle our publishing business during a pandemic, war, health emergency, or other crisis, but the best time to think about these things is when we’re NOT in crisis because in order to—

• safeguard our author business
• avoid losing readers and income
• better manage stress in a chaotic situation
• preserve our credibility and maintain partnerships
• and avoid having to rebuild our platform

—identifying potential liabilities and planning ahead is the key to continue writing and publishing in times of crisis and uncertainty.

What would you add to the list? Have any of these steps been challenging for you these last several years? Are there any that particularly resonated with you?

About Maria

Maria Connor is the founder and owner of My Author Concierge, which provides high-level project management support services to self-published authors. She is the author of The Self-Publishing Checklist Series, a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author, and an international speaker on writing, editing, marketing, and publishing topics. For more than a decade, she has worked with hundreds of authors across all genres, published more than 35 titles herself, and presented more than 30 workshops regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Top image purchased from Depositphotos.

by Kris Maze

January is a time to reset the clock and to check in with our fountains of creativity. To use the cliché of pumping our thoughts out like water, we have a limited resource of creativity and, when neglected, it can also run dry. But if you are a regular reader of this blog, you are probably inspiring your muse and keep a healthy creative balance.

In this post, I will write about 8 hidden benefits of joining a writing contest. Whatever your experience level with writing competitions, you may find new motivation to try one.

Want to follow up these reasons and try a competition? Browse lists of competitions at the end of this post. Familiar with writing contests? Do you know of ones that I’ve missed? Tell us in the comments and share with our readers.

7 Reasons to Join a Writing Contest in 2023

#1 - Don’t Let the Creative Pump Run Dry

If you have been grinding away on a project, switch up your focus and write a short story for a contest.

#2 - Join a Contest With Friends

I was introduced to NYC Midnight by other writers here at WITS. We have competed side by side a few times. It’s great to have a person to commiserate with. It is good to utilize our collective knowledge of various genres.  

According to their competition descriptions, each contest holds a writer to very specific constraints. Writers get three prompts, depending on which challenge they join, like genre, action, character, setting, object, subject, or a word. They have a time frame ranging from 8 days to 24 hours to submit their work. They also have a tight page or word count. This challenge both freaks out the writer when they get an unexpected element and/or pushes them to expand their writing skills.

#3 - Challenge your Chops

Again, NYC Midnight challenged and encouraged me as a writer. Reasons I found this valuable include the following:

• It made me find the edges in my ability and to push them further. 
• I tried new things and found that I was better at some types of writing and good at some I didn’t expect.
• I wrote alongside other WITS writers, and we commiserated during the process. It was fun to help one another write under a tight deadline, especially since we were asked to write outside our comfort zones.

#4 - Connect with Genre

Many contests are genre specific. A quick internet search of “writing contests” and “mystery” brought up several articles showing 55 contests and more for 2023. Search for your specific needs. There may be a contest directly related to the work you are looking to showcase.

#5 - Show Off Your Latest Work

If you have a short story, entering it into contests is one way to shop it around. Winning entries are often published in contests, giving your story—and your list of publications—a boost.

#6 - Get Excited with Some Friendly Competition

Get ready to rumble and put your finest work out there. Writers tend to submit their best work, so competition can be tough, but motivating as you polish up your own story. Let the competition energize you and have fun with it.

#7 - Feedback from Experts

Most contests have experienced judges that will read through and select the winning entries. Many of these contests offer a feedback option regardless of who wins the prizes. Search for the ones that do if that appeals to you. Getting commentary on what worked in your story can be a valuable part of the contest process.

Tips for Finding the Right Writing Contest for You

A little research can help you get the most from your writing contest experience. Think over these considerations before submitting your work.

Is a contest free or paid?

There is a trend in writing contests to only join free contests. The idea that there are many more entries than prizes can raise some eyebrows, but holding a contest has costs writers should pay attention to as well.

Things to ask and research may include:

• Do they pay their judges for their time?
  • How many entries are there typically in the contest and the odds of winning?
  • How many past winners are there, and can you see their work in publication?
  • How many prizes are awarded?
  • What other benefits does the writer entering the contest get for contests charging a fee?
  • Does the organizer of the contest support writers in other ways?
  • Does the writer get detailed feedback on their work after submitting it?
  • Are there other free contests that are worth more of your effort?

Writers may live the creative life without always receiving pay for their work, but it doesn’t mean they should. If a contest is held by what you deem a reputable organization, it may be worth supporting them. 

Entry Fees?

Many online services charge the organizers fees for submitting entries. There are also many costs associated with hosting a contest and keeping the information readily available online, on a website, and throughout social media. Think of ways to your entry fee can inspire other writers by keeping contests open and available.

What Benefits Do You Get from This Contest?

Writing contests vary. And so do the needs of each writer. These aspects may help a writer decide on which contest they want to join.

Is there a cash prize?

The bigger the potential prize, typically the more entries and higher level of competition

Is the competition local? 

Smaller contests are great chances to get noticed. Local contests can connect writers to other writers and editors in your community. This could lead to more writing resources and friends nearby. 

Is the judge someone known in your genre of writing?

Putting your work into a contest can get exposure of your work to others in your area of interest. This is especially nice if the judge will also provide feedback. 

Is it an option to get published?

You may not be able to enter your work into another contest or publish it if you have put it into certain contests. Always check the entry rules carefully.

Is your work right for the contest?

Check the entry rules carefully again. It wastes the time of judges (and potentially your money) if you haven’t matched your work with what the judges are looking for. You may have a suspense spy story, for example, but the contest is looking for stories that depict the noir and crime elements of that genre. Save yourself and the contest judges' energy by only entering contests that match your story well.

Blog Posts Listing Contests in 2023

Writers UnBoxed has many great resources for writers. This post gives detailed reasons to join and lists prizes and benefits of each contest. Here is a list they recently posted: Fiction Writing Contests Worth Your Time in Winter 2022-2023 .

Reedsy has articles written by editors and has many insights into the publishing industry. They also host a weekly contest with a prize of $250 and a chance to be on their blog. Here is their list of writing competitions curated by Reedsy: The Best Writing Contests of 2023 .

Poets & Writers is a nonprofit magazine that offers a list of writing competitions here. This post allows the writer to filter the contests by fee, genre, and deadlines.

Writer’s Digest offers several contests and requests that writers enter through their Submittable Portal. According to their description, this long-standing staple of writer knowledge has been offering contests for over 90 years.

“Honoring writers across a variety of genres and formats, including short pieces (fiction and non-fiction), poetry, performance scripts, articles (print or online) and self-published books, Writer’s Digest has a competition to highlight your work.

Winners are eligible for cash prizes, free trips to our ever-popular Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Conference, promotion in our print magazine and website, and more. “

Writers Digest Online Magazine

Final Thoughts on Writing Competitions

This is just a starting point for finding writing contests. Look online for your genre with a simple search. Check the websites and publications of your favorite writing organizations (local, regional, national) for chances to submit your work. Look to your library and community colleges for other opportunities. 

Writing competitions can bring new energy to your writing process. Try a contest and maybe it can bring positive changes to your writing career.

Please brag about your successes below in the comments and share the benefits writing contests have provided you. New to contests? Let us know if you are planning to try one and we can cheer you on.

About Kris

Kris Maze is an author, writing coach, and teacher. She has worked in education for many years and writes for various publications, including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and the award-winning blog Writers in the Storm where she is also a host. You can find her horror stories and young adult writing on her website. Keep up with future projects and events by subscribing to her newsletter.

A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, playing violin and piano, and spending time outdoors.

And occasionally, she befriends trees.