Welcome

Welcome to SciFi: Write or Wrong, a blog about reading or watching Science Fiction and analyzing what elements make one story better than another for the express purpose of increasing our knowledge of the genre and/or improving our own writing techniques. As SciFi fans, we want to explore the possibilities, expand our imaginations, and understand the messages which Science Fiction illustrates. As SciFi writers, we must be aware of a variety of techniques to see what works and what doesn’t. What stories become popular today, yet also stand the test of time, which is the earmark of good literature? Or are these mutually exclusive ideals? It’s an ambitious undertaking, but whether you’re an avid SciFi fan or a writer trying to break into the science fiction market, this blog can be informative, entertaining, and occasionally, amusing.

We will explore current science fiction, as well as past, in order to discover what threads tie the good science fiction together and what attributes link the bad SciFi together. We’ll investigate the themes for common approaches or innovative thinking. We’ll look at the opening lines or scenes to see what pulls us into the story, and the plot and characters to see what keeps us reading till the end. The scenes and the special effects are the props which can enhance the storyline or distract the audience from the theme, or lack thereof.

Science Fiction: A Narrower Definition

Science Fiction and Fantasy are frequently grouped together as a category in libraries, video stores, and even writer's groups. However, for our purpose we will narrow the focus to science fiction alone; at least as far as that's possible. By our definition, SciFi is a genre whose theme centers on science or technology of some sort. That theme can be how the hubris of mankind misuses scientific knowledge and creates problems for humanity. An example of this theme is seen in Mary Shelby's Frankenstein, where a scientist enamored with his own knowledge creates a "monster" of some type which reeks havoc on the world. Or it can be how science and rational thinking save mankind. A good example of this approach is seen in The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, in which an alien strain of a deadly virus becomes attached to a returning satellite. The scientists work diligently and methodically testing methods to destroy the virus and save humanity from disaster. Science Fiction may also be a vision of the future in the quintessential "what if", as in Orwell George's 1984. Of course no discussion about Science Fiction would be complete without the themes concerning contact with alien species which results in turmoil, either for humanity or the aliens.

In other words, scientific knowledge and exploration either create the problems which protagonist must overcome, or they are the solution the protagonist use to find answers for  humanity. If it is good literature within the science fiction genre, it will be plausible and make us question where our current choices might lead.