How To Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (2015) - Plot & Excerpts
Orson Scott Card has written some amazing fiction in his time. Many of these have gone on to become movies, and in fact still do. Given the chance to pick this book up, I had picked it up years ago. The original review for that purchase has been lost to the sands of time, yet I was given the chance to revisit this short piece of writing advice thanks to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction: How to Create Out-Of-This-World Novels and Short Stories. Thus, I decided to review this book again.Much to be said, when I first read this book, I didn't like a lot of it. Rereading the most important chapters again didn't help this feeling. Card is a good writer, but the way he goes about presenting that information to the reader felt a little off and egotistical for my tastes. Now, there are other reviews that express how I feel about this book really well, so please check out the other reviews here on Goodreads after you are done reading this one.Some of the advice in this book has stuck with me over the years. Card's talk about sacrifice and magic has been one of them, and anytime I write a fantasy story it comes up in my mind. It's good advice, and one I have repeated to others when I talk to them about writing fantasy. Other advice in this book has also been helpful, such as cause-effect between the actions of two people, and how if you dig deeper, there are some good stories there. These parts of the book are extremely helpful and the main reason I would recommend this book to aspiring writers.But I do have some issues with this book. Beyond the two that I will mention in a moment, I will state that if you are a fantasy writer, picking up this book will only help you a small amount. Card is primarily a science fiction writer, and it shows. A lot. He spends pages talking about faster than light travel. Sure, it's interesting, but it also does horror or fantasy writers any good. He also talks about time travel, again, not that helpful. So be warned, if you pick this up to learn how to write fantasy, there are some parts you will have to slog through.Now, my two main issues with this book:Card states: "You'll probably have to wait months or years before writing good versions of story ideas you come up with now." He goes on to talk about how you shouldn't worry because you probably have story ideas that have been brewing for years in your head from before you decided to become a writer. Now, while this is true of some people, it is not the rule, something Card seems very keen on making it appear to be. There are a lot of writers who write fiction on the fly. (NaNoWriMo has made a worldwide event of it. Sure, not all the stories are golden, and in fact most of them aren't, but there are some really good stories that come out of it and see publication.) Card's statement is also poor form for a book on writing I feel.The second is his stance on Star Trek.I'm not a Trekkie by any stretch of the word. Sure, I enjoy the odd story or aspect of the world, but that's as far as it goes. And in some cases, Card's points are valid. (such as the one about how Captain Kirk would never do what he does with away teams if he was true to explorer ship fashion) However, it is also the only science fiction genre that Card seems to carry any poison for, and that bitterness comes out anytime the subject comes out. Possibly the worst moment of it is when Card discusses Warp Speed, talking about how this is the most unrealistic treatment of faster than light travel. He says it is unrealistic because in the stories, crossing the light barrier is treated with the same ease as crossing the light barrier. Well, it wasn't that long ago that scientists believed it was impossible to cross the sound barrier. In the end, I found this anti-Trek sentiment to be annoying since it's the only time Card bashes another genre rather than singing praises as he does for the rest of the book.All that said, Card does put together a fairly solid book on writing speculative fiction, with a few real good nuggets of information. His comparison of British vs American treatment of speculative writers opened my eyes so that I became aware of the fact that yes, there is a difference. His pointers on characters is also full of points that are worth paying attention to, more so in his points about what makes certain characters more enjoyable than others.Card has put together an alright book on writing. I wouldn't recommend purchasing this on its own, but rather, get it as part of a collection like the one mentioned above. Not only does it maximize your dollar value, but it also gives you other writers to offset Card's unique viewpoints and unbalanced treatment of science fiction vs fantasy.
Orson Scott Card's How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (HTWSF&F) is published by Writer's Digest Books, which means it's sparse, focused purely on the topic and has an average price tag. These are not necessarily good things.The book is about a 138 pages minus the index, implying that in 138 pages the beginning writer is expected to walk away with enough information on how to write speculative fiction. Hogwash. In addition to this, of the 5 chapters, only 3 are HTWSF&F, and of these 3, only 2 are specifically ideas and tips about SF&F. So in reality, we're talking of 52 pages only.Chapter 1 'The Infinite Boundary' is basically about what constitutes speculative fiction and, in speculative fiction, what's what - horror, fantasy, SF etcChapter 2 'World Creation' is the beginning of HTWSF&F and the most extensive chapter in the book, yet it is in no way comprehensive since any single topic briefly discussed here could, in principle, be written about as a whole chapter in its own right. It's basically about world building, mentioning lot's of things like time travel, rules for magic, inventing the history etc but it never really goes into depth on how to do these... wait a minute, what was the title of the book again?Chapter 3 'Story Construction' is an all-too-short chapter, which frankly speaking, could be dropped into any writing book. The only thing different that Card does here, is to use examples from speculative fiction. The most relevant piece of information is what Card introduces as the MICE quotient, which all stories have a bit of - milieu, idea, character, event - but one will be prominent and the writer should know which one it is.Chapter 4 'Writing Well' only talks about 'Exposition' for 12 pages and 'Language' for 4 pages. There is little here that is new and the material on exposition is broad based.Chapter 5 'The Life and Business of Writing' has nothing to do with HWTSF&F with the exception of naming markets where speculative fiction is sold, and this material is completely outdated! In an age where the publishing market changes on a month by month basis, and the internet has brought about a revolution in self-publishing, one can skip this chapter entirely and just Google or reference a market guide to know where to send in stories.So there you have it - a book titled HTWSF&F justified mainly by using examples from speculative fiction, because in reality only about 10% of the information here is really on SF&F when you exclude references to these genres. The book should have been more aptly titled The Do's and Don't's of Speculative Fiction. The only reason this received 2 stars rather than 1 is because what Card expresses in writing, he does so clearly. Then again, this book could have been summed up in one large A5 mind-map and that would have probably been more effective.
What do You think about How To Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (2015)?
So sparse I didn't buy it, though it was the only book at the store on the subject. I checked it out from the library and thought it was ho-hum. No Beef with Card, in fact I recommend, "Characters and Viewpoint": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...Sometimes I wonder if I should read it again and see if I missed something, but how would having more experience make a "How To" book more appreciable?Seems like he didn't have enough pages available, or had to meet a deadline or some unknowable factor. Not enough meat on the bone, especially now that the internet is bursting with information. For the money I did better with fantasy gaming books and non-genre writing books, in the same (Writer's Digest) Series. Read my review on this book to learn more. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
—Jay
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). 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.
—Neil Hepworth
This short book is essential for every writer of speculative fiction. Written by a very successful author, it starts with a nice essay on what is speculative fiction, where knowledge of the heritage of the genre is stressed out as a tool for the new writer. Then the book tackles story telling, specifically addressing challenges unique to the field, like world building, exposition, and language. As the author states himself, parts of it may be outdated. For example, today fantasy, not science fiction, dominates the market. But I truly feel that I learned stuff that would have taken me years to learn on my own. More than that, the book gave me strong guidance on what to focus next. I am very satisfied with this book, and recommend it to writers everywhere.
—Henry
