Today I bring you the presentation of
a new series of entries for my blog. These are resources for science fiction
writers who want to write realistic science fiction in their stories. So I’ve
called it Science Fiction.
What is science fiction about?
As I am a regular Twitter user, I
have ended up finding profiles that provide very juicy information for those of
us who want to build imaginary worlds on sheets of paper (or e – books). Two of
those profiles particularly caught my attention: Alister Mairon and his blog write
with wit, who advises us on world building (the construction of worlds) in
fantasy literature; and Isla Tintero con Tintes de Ciencia, which brings us
closer to science as a tool for literary inspiration with Nexus Ghostwriting. And if you
want to write realistic science fiction it is good that you know something
about science.
Be careful, you don’t have to go to
hard science fiction. The operating space or military science fiction can also
draw on these items. It is enough that when writing you have some basic notions
about what you can say and what not.
And don’t worry about bugs, even Neal
Stephenson has them. To facilitate a thematic location, the articles will be
divided into four categories: astrophysics, infrastructure, astropolitics and
transhumanism. Are you liking this realistic science fiction thing? You will
like it more as you expand it. Oh, and I’m always open to collaborations on
this section! So if you want to write an article you can contact me.
Realistic Science Fiction: Astrophysics
First we have the natural phenomena
of the universe. Also some tips on how to handle them. A section for everything
that has to do with real astronomy. It will be explained to the best of my
ability based on what I have understood and I will accompany the information
with any suggestions on how to include it in your science fiction novel.
- Lagrange
points: how to stay “still” in space. - Artificial
and natural gravity: ways to combat free fall. - The
Great Silence: where are the aliens? - Asteroids:
mineral, habitat and weapon. - Extraterrestrial
signals: the Great Roar that clouds our sensors. - Realistic Science Fiction:
Infrastructure
As much as you want to pay attention
to other elements, it cannot be denied that infrastructure is king in any
science fiction novel. Keep in mind that it is the materialization of
technology that makes the future possible. A review of technological wonders of
the future, economic activities and interstellar ships. Engineers to power!
- Space
Mining – The Vast Resources of the Universe in Search of an Owner. - How
to build a spaceship: a practical example on the necessary components. - Space
weapons: proximity cannons, lasers, shields and torpedoes. - Space
boarding: how absurd and suicidal it is to board a military ship. - Applications
of magnetism to science fiction : magnetic boots, Gaussian cannons … - Ultralight
Engines: How to Get the Journey through Space. - The
space elevator: the alternative to shuttles. - How
to build a space colony: a guest post on Alejandro de Valentin’s blog . - Realistic Science Fiction:
Astropolitics
Systems of government, lobbyists,
society, religion and diplomacy in a science fiction future. How vast and
diverse is the Universe. And how many people have interests in it.
Science fiction corporations : economy free of government
intervention.
- The
universe of Becky Chambers: goodbye to anthropocentrism. - The
Pilgrim’s Crew: Gender and Race Diversity on Becky Chambers’ Ship. - Agrimundos:
providing food to your empire. - Hive
worlds: overcrowded industrial giants. - Alien
language: how to write it in the dialogues. - How
to create a galactic empire: a review of the very diverse forms of
political organization. - The
forbidden and the immoral: laws and taboos in the universe of Becky
Chambers. - Interplanetary
trading: unprofitable unless … - Realistic Science Fiction:
Transhumanism
We finally have an idea that many of
us want to touch on, but we have not finished specifying. Transhumanism scares
science fiction writers. It is a kind of final monster that is very difficult
to overcome. Luckily I have plucked up the courage to study it and give it an
approach I can understand. What is transhumanism? The artificial evolution of
the human being and its social, political and psychological consequences. A
list of articles on some of the most difficult concepts to understand. Plus
some suggestions for your novel. Usually for those who want to write about hard
science fiction ( hard science fiction ). How much can you change while still
being human?
- What
is transhumanism: introduction to the concept? - Genetic
engineering : morphological freedom and bio conservatives. - Job
automation: will robots take away our jobs? - The transhumanist movement : an
article by Alejandro de Valentin
I want to help you not to say nonsense, as far as possible
Science with fiction in The Lord is
my shepherd, by Carlos Pérez Casas
It is no accident that you have
learned about these topics. During the writing process of The Lord is my
Shepherd I found myself looking for information on the Internet too frequently
related to scientific knowledge (chemical combustion engines, fusion engines,
plasma weapons, atmospheric reentries, etc.). As a consequence, I have learned
something. Without even considering it a harsh science fiction novel, I have
tried to make it appear as a realistic future within the hypothetical. So I
have accumulated certain knowledge that I would now like to share with everyone
so that they can use it to their advantage: either pure curiosity or as a
literary setting.
Now I must fire a warning flare.
Although I was flirting with Physics and some metallurgy and electronics
subjects, I cannot consider myself an expert on the subject, because I ended up
studying History and then advanced towards teaching.
So I had to solve my deficiencies
with the knowledge of others: Internet, fundamentally. The amount of
information you can find on the net about real and hypothetical technologies is
a lot (overwhelming), and although much of the available data may be wrong (my
historian self makes me distrust the sources) we are in a literary /
speculative field where it could be said that anything goes if you know how to
put it into your plot. It’s a novel.
What do I mean by all this? I’m going
to be wrong. Writing realistic science fiction is a tricky business. Errors of
astronomical proportions can be found in what you write; but I’m not going to
stop for that. I’m just trying to offer some inspiration for a science fiction
writer to work with. That is what I want.
One more thing. I have the curious
habit of putting the proper names of the heavenly bodies without articles. In
other words, I call the Earth Earth; to the Moon, Moon; and to the Sun, Sun. I
notice it for those who are missing. Are you interested? If so, you can
subscribe to my list of notices to carefully follow future publications.
