Sci-fi is one of the fastest-growing genres in publishing today. That’s because readers love it! Based on statistics from Google and other reputable sources, sci-fi books are becoming more and more popular.
While there are numerous sci-fi authors out there, you can still stand out in the crowd; set your work apart from the rest. How? It’s simple! By making sure that your book is top-notch.
In this article, I give tips on writing the best sci-fi book possible so that you’ll stand out among other authors, and drive sales.
And now, let’s dive right in:
Know your Target Audience
This goes without saying but you need to know your target audience. What are their reading preferences? What genres do they like to read? Do they like sci-fi?
Knowing your target audience will help you target your book to the right people. For example, suppose you’re writing a sci-fi novel, and you know most of your audience comprises middle-aged women who like reading romance novels.
In that case, you should probably have a romance subplot in your sci-fi novel that appeals to middle-aged women.
Now that you know your target audience, what next?
Conduct In-depth Research
This might sound like common sense but you must ensure that your research is up to par. No one likes an author who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. If you’re writing sci-fi, then you need to make sure you understand the genre. You’ll also want to research the type of sci-fi you want to write.
For example, when you want to write hard sci-fi, that means you want to write sci-fi that is very accurate in science. If you want to write soft sci-fi, then you want to make sure that your book has sci-fi elements in it but is mostly fiction.
To ensure you conduct in-depth research for sci-fi;
- Look at the objective and focus of your story. What kind of research and how much information is relevant to your story?
- Don’t assume you know anything.
- And, don’t question everything when doing research for your sci-fi novel.
Then, what follows?
Establish Credibility and Authenticity
This depends on the research you did. Once again, this is where you’ll want to make sure you nail the details. For instance, when writing a book set in the future, you need to ensure that your technology is as accurate as possible.
You also need to make sure that your book is authentic. That means your book needs to be realistic. For example, if you’re writing a book set in the future, and you have characters traveling to different planets, you need to make sure reaching those planets are actually possible.
Hook your Reader Right Away
One of the best ways to hook your reader is to start your story off with a bang. You want to ensure you engage your reader from the first page. If you’re writing sci-fi, you have many different options for how to do this. For example, you can open with a scene of action, introduce an intriguing concept, or establish an intriguing character.
Dialogue, Action, and Description – In That Order!
You always want to make sure that you’re balancing your dialogue, action, and description. However, there’s a particular order in which you should be doing these things. First, you want to have your characters talking. This is the core of your story so you want to ensure that your characters have meaningful conversations.
In addition, you’ll want to add in some action. This can be anything from a chase to a fight. Then, you want to include some description. It doesn’t have to be long paragraphs. It can be short, simple sentences that add to the scene.
Don’t Break the Rules of the Genre You’re Writing In
This is very important. If you want to write sci-fi, then you need to make sure that your book follows the rules of sci-fi.
For instance, if you’re writing a dystopian novel, you need to ensure that it fits the genre. If it doesn’t, then it won’t be considered sci-fi. Why? Because every genre has specific rules you need to follow for your book to be considered part of that genre.
Breaking the genre rules puts your book at risk of not being considered part of that genre anymore. This is because sci-fi has a very specific set of rules.
William Opar is an expert Content Writer and Blogger who helps brands to grow their businesses and earn real money. He’s a freelance contributor to The Penny Voice, WritersWeekly, FreelancerKenya, Medium.com, and a savvy writer on Upwork. Feel free to contact him for high-quality freelance writing services. Get in touch via LinkedIn.
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