How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy

Orson Scott Card (well known to sf circles as the author of Ender's Game) presents his advice on writing science fiction and fantasy. The book has a specific and limited scope: rather than trying to teach everything one needs to know to write fiction, Card addresses only those areas where speculative fiction differs from other types. Consequently, this is not a stand-alone writing book. If you are unacquainted with the craft of plotting, character development, dialog, etc., you will need to fill those gaps in some other way. Within the scope the book sets for itself, however, it is top notch. Card really knows his stuff, and has a knack for articulating what he knows in a helpful and memorable way. Particularly valuable is the section on exposition. While most books on fiction writing preach minimizing exposition, Card understands that speculative fiction requires it. The imaginative worlds of speculative fiction are not familiar to readers; they need explaining, and readers expect satisfying explanations. Card explains the conventions of the genre that are used to present exposition without stalling the story. He uses Wild Seed by Octavia Butler to illustrate the ideas, so the reader can see tangible examples of the principles he describes. I also enjoyed his breakdown of stories into four categories (MICE, for milieu, idea, character, and event). He deftly summarizes how each type of story needs to work, and the problems that can result if you don't know what type of story you are writing. This was illuminating and refreshing, since most books on writing do not even acknowledge that fiction can be driven by anything other than character development. In speculative fiction, however, milieu and idea driven stories are part of the landscape, and the aspiring writer needs to understand how they work. Card also offers excellent advice about the business of writing, covering subjects beyond manuscript preparation and agents, such as writer's workshops and classes, sf conventions, and so on. Once again, his familiarity with the world of sf writing comes through strong and clear; he's not merely repeating standard bits of advice, but is writing from experience. A few words of caution: The book was published in 1990, and so is a bit dated in places (there is a bigger market for fantasy short stories than when Card was writing, for example), and the book emphasizes sf more than fantasy. (One notable disappointment in this regard: In one section, there is a discussion of the mechanics of interstellar travel, time travel, and magic. The first two topics receive well-thought-out lists of the different approaches used in sf, and their story implications. Magic, instead of receiving a similar treatment, gets a digression riffing off the idea that magicians sacrifice body parts to cast spells. It's an interesting train of thought, but something less narrow and idiosyncratic would have been appreciated.) On balance, this is the very best book I have found on the special issues that arise when writing science fiction and fantasy. Paired with something like The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, it will answer most questions an aspiring writer in these genres is likely to face.

This is an awesome little book that delves into the basics of writing speculative fiction from world building to publishing to dealing with family members who don't understand your need to write. I read one Amazon reviewer who didn't care for this book because everything in it is intuitive. Yes, most of what's in here makes perfect sense in a "Well, duh!" kind of way, but sometimes intuitive things need to be spelled out clearly. You may kind of know something at the back of your brain, but unless you can bring it to the front of your mind, it's not going to work for you. This book brings these things to the front of your mind, simply, clearly, and effectively. For example, Mr. Card writes that you should know why things are the way they are in your world. (Well duh, right?) Of course you should know why things work the way they do in your world, whether it's how spaceships manage to travel faster than light, or what the price of magic is. But the important thing is to know how all this stuff works before you really start, as opposed to making it up as you go. If you know what the rules are, then you can make your world believable. (Also, you don't have to keep going back and forth trying to find what you wrote before so that you don't contradict yourself.) What your characters do within those rules can happen spur of the moment, but the world they live in must be pretty well defined in your own mind before they start living there. The last section (The Life and Business of Writing) was the least intuitive of all, but so necessary. Getting published doens't mean quitting your day job (OK, that part was intuitive). Some of what he says is almost disheartening, but my feeling is, being prepared is better than being surprised. Knowing about the pitfalls can help you avoid them. I could go on and on about how helpful this book is, but I have a future bestseller calling to me, demanding that I plug a few holes and flesh out some of those pesky middle parts. So get this book if you like to write sci-fi or fantasy and your intuition is being a bit non-specific. It's good, plain and simple.

Well written, with lots of great insights and real confidence builder. Card also give a lot of resources for further study. At one point (from memory) he says that you must simultaneously believe that the story you are working on today is the greatest story ever written ... so that you have the confidence to move forward. And that the current story you are working on is drivel (my word), so you can take the criticisms and rejection and move on. The advice he gives on how to query magazines and publishers is worth it's weight in gold, and the section on being careful not to get "pegged" in a specific genre is pretty good too. The only reason this book doesn't currently rate 5 stars is because some of the information is outdated. I simply have to wonder if, other than certain magazines being out of print, if anything else in the Sci Fi & Fantasy realms have changed since the book was written? Maybe it's time to spend a day or two updating the content, and releasing a new edition.

This book is a great complement to Stephen King's On Writing book for any aspiring writer, especially sci fi and fantasy writers. Both books are upbeat, useful, and entertaining reads with lots of gems from two great writers. Card's book is more straightforward about the steps to take when writing any book and covers more ground on the topic of how to write, whereas King's book is half autobiography (about becoming a writer, himself), funnier, and more specific to King's personal experience (Card, probably because he teaches, does a better job of synthesizing and drawing upon many references to other authors/books). Both authors agree that it is important to let ideas evolve, let the story tell itself through the characters, be as honest as possible, and to not hold on too tight to the original idea at the expense of ignoring a more interesting story that reveals itself as you follow the characters around in the world you created. There's not much overlap between the two books (making their common themes all the more powerful), so I think together they are a great package for the aspiring writer. I also do not see much reason to spend time reading more than a couple "how to write" books when every successful author says the two most important things are 1) Write a lot and 2) Read a lot (not "how to" books, but in your genre of interest, the Classics, and whatever lights your fire beyond that). Read these two books, be highly entertained and motivated, and get out there and make the magic happen!

I liked this book as much as On Writing by Stephen King, which is another great read. I spend most of my time reading and watching fantasy and science fiction. If you like reading try some of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi authors: Richard Adams, Palo Bacigulupi, Suzanne Collins, Abe Evergreen, Diana Gabaldon, Hugh Howey, George Martin, Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi, and Andy Weir. If you’re looking for good shows to watch consider miniseries like The Astronauts Wives Club (2015), Band of Brothers (2001), Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000), Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune (2003), Into the West (2005), Lonesome Dove (1989), Manhattan (2014-2015), Return to Lonesome Dove (1993), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Taken (2002) and The 10th Kingdom (2000), which are all terrific because they have clear beginnings that establish an objective, then strong middles and conclusive endings where the goal is achieved, like a good novel. Other shows I’ve really enjoyed include Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009), Breaking Bad (2008-2013), Cowboy Bebop (1998), Downton Abbey (2010-2015), Firefly (2002), Game of Thrones (2011-2019), Granite Flats (2013-2015), The IT Crowd (2006-2013), Jericho (2006-2008), Merlin (2008-2012), The Prisoner (1967-1968), Rome (2005-2007), Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011), Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010), Stargate: SG-1 (1997-2007), Stargate: Atlantis (2004-2009), Star Trek (1966-1969), Star Trek Voyager (1995-2001), and The Tudors (2007-2010). I didn’t list any contemporary series I’m following that don’t have an end date yet, not conducive to binge watching from beginning to finish.

A good book, but not a great book. Mostly filled with okay advice, some good stories, some very outdated chapters, and a few golden nuggets (MICE in particular is excellent, as is most of Chapter 3: Story Construction). Not as much how-to write actual science fiction or fantasy as I was expecting. It’s a little clunky to read sometimes, especially when compared to the ultra-silky non-fiction of Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, but never impossible to read. I would think this book would best be used a reference book on the occasion that you find yourself in a science fiction/fantasy writing conundrum. Most likely will be most useful to writers who have already spent some time hacking away at a novel. But if you’re a brand new writer, then hold off on this one, and go find a different how-to book to get you started and pumped up. My favorite how-to write book is still, by far, On Writing.

Orson Scott Card is one of the most admired men in modern Science Fiction, and for good reason. He started from scratch, wrote about the thing that he loved, never compromised his principles, and made himself a great success. This is the man who created Ender's Game talking--anybody who ever wants to succeed in Science Fiction would do well to listen. Card loves to see how things work. He doddles working towns and worlds as a way to pass time. These town may never see the light of day, or he may find them be fleshed out and built into literary worlds. "How to Write Science Fiction" differs from books such as Doctrow and Schroeder's "Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction" in that Card spends more time on impractical matters--the matters of writing. Card leaves himself wide open to the reader, exposing how he things and proceeds. He exposes pitfalls and discusses many of the accepted mechanics of writing Science Fiction. If you are serious about writing Science Fiction, GET THIS BOOK! It is a shortcut to experience. Reading this book will not guarantee your publication, but it will help you avoid many of the unneccessary pitfalls to trap so many new writers.

The author is engaging, funny, and thoughtful. I get the impression that he truly wants you to write well and gives us a good foothold to get there in the crazy world(s) of science fiction. His humor is spread out over the book and keeps the text lively. I didn't think I was going to read the end of the book on the nuts and bolts of publishing but he had me in his grips and I read on. It was good information or so I hope and at least it gives me some idea of what is ahead. I recommend this book to you. It was published in 1990, but it is still wonderfully relevant and I hope you find it so too.

bien planteado y sencillo de seguir. algunos comentarios realmente muy útiles. gracias

How publishing of Science Fiction and Fantasy developed is very interesting to read. Besides it tells how to write in these genres and how to decide what type of story you wrote.

『エンダーのゲーム』で有名なオースン・スコット・カードが書いた所謂“SFの書き方”です。内容は、SFとファンタジー特有のジャンルの境界,世界設定の作り方,物語の構成方法,SFならではの書き方,作家になる方法についてです。それぞれについて具体的な例を挙げて分かりやすく書かれていて、特に『エンダーのゲーム』が出来上がるまでのエピソードはファンならずとも興味深い話です。和書でSFの書き方についての本はほとんどないので、英語能力が心もとないにもかかわらず、この本を購入してみましたが、英語も分かりやすく、内容も面白く、なんとか無事読み終えました。作者のファンは勿論のこと、SFについて詳しく知りたい人、SFを書いてみたい人には、この本は必読だと思います。

At last I found something useful in this 'helping yourself to write' category, after several ununseful books that promise one thing and deliver 'copy & paste' wikipedia material. Anyway, Orson Scott Card is quite an opinionated guy, and therefore you will find some useful things here, different from other 'how-to' books.

Really, very, very informative. A few mentions of his own works that might be accused of product placement, but levelled out by mentions of other books by other authors, to make examples of points. Really, Really advise that if your unsure what to do or what your doing, buy this.