by Ellen Buikema

(Part 1 of this series can be found here.)

Begin in the Past

When building the world for your science fiction story, consider creating the backstory, or history.

Whether your world is an advanced space-faring civilization, about to encounter aliens, or if a virus wiped out most of the planet’s peopled population, you need to begin in the past.… Read the post

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.… Read the post

by Fae Rowen

When Laura Drake originally suggested this topic months ago  I knew I would be on the "don't know" end of the throwdown.  Everyone else at Writers in the Storm writes about what they know.  With Sharla Rae's historicals, she researches and researches until she has notebooks filled with information. … Read the post