I often get asked the question, “Why do you write science fiction? Why not thrillers, or mysteries? Or any other genre?”

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That’s actually a really good question. The short answer is, I do write other genres. Like most writers, my goal first and foremost is to entertain, and whether that entertainment comes out as a suspenseful thriller or a romantic romp doesn’t make all that much difference to me, just as long as I’m having fun writing it and readers are having fun reading it.

That said, science fiction has become one of my favorite genres if only because it’s not limited by the conventions of other genres. There are certain themes and philosophical ideas that only science fiction can tackle.

Take my novel, The Forever Gate. It was inspired by a comic book series from the early eighties that I read while growing up, called Machine Man. In the comic, there’s a whole generation of people, called VidAddicts, who live their lives inside a simulated world or video game. I was around eight-years-old at the time I read that comic, and it was probably one of the first times I’d ever questioned reality. I was hooked on science fiction.

Science fiction offers the medium to tackle big questions that the other genres, and society as a whole, are afraid to ask. Questions such as: What is consciousness? What happens when we die? What is reality?

Science fiction allows writers, and readers, to explore the very boundaries of perception and reality, of what’s possible and what’s impossible. We can expound and dissect philosophical ideas such as existentialism, desire, identity, and social structure. Science fiction also allows us to illustrate the pros and cons of technological and scientific innovations, as well as their effects on society. As I mentioned in a review of Dune by Frank Herbert, science fiction can also influence society itself. Dune‘s popularity as a novel that depicted a planet as a living organism strongly swayed the environmental movements of the time.

I also write science fiction because it’s just plain fun. This is not to say that it’s easy. Science fiction is one of the hardest genres to write well, because it’s immensely difficult to keep everything consistent and believable in a made-up world. Things like Series Bibles help, of course. The science fiction writer also has to perform constant research on esoteric subjects running the gamut from the tensile strength of a long sword to the atmospheric contents of an alien world.

Thanks for reading. I’d love it if you chimed in with any questions or comments below. Free digital copies of Forever Gate 1,2 and 3 are up for grabs, and I will choose one lucky reader at random from the comments to win all three.

  1. Science fiction is amazing,I would like to read your novel some time. Is there any way I can obtain a copy online?

    Thanks

    Harry
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  2. Nice post and I agree! 🙂
    Nina recently posted…iBookstore best of 2012!!!My Profile

    Nina
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  3. Even though sci-fi usually takes place in a world very different and/or far away than ours, it’s nice to know it has a real impact on our real world too.
    Rosie recently posted…A New AdventureMy Profile

    Rosie
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  4. Isacc, I’ve always been more of sci-fi watcher than reader but have started to read more lately.

    Questioning the world is always a good thing.

  5. I would like to try some of your work. Please enter me for a chance to win. Thanks!

    Elizabeth
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  6. Good post. Another thing, of course, that SF and fantasy can do that other genres can’t is to explore what it means to be human, by looking at characters who aren’t quite human.

  7. Some big questions that I like reading about and writing about: What is ethical? How far will a person go to fight for what they believe in? How far will a person go to protect/fight for the ones they love?
    And I love reading about technological and scientific innovations and thinking how they might impact our current society. Great post!

  8. Love your reasons for writing sci fi. I agree completely! The big questions can be the hardest to answer, but can definitely be the most fun to tackle (and to read about)!
    Laura recently posted…A Musical Treat for Captive by the Fog FansMy Profile

  9. Sounds like you’re writing for the right reasons. Thanks for a good post.

  10. I loved the original Dune series, as well as the new ones being written now. But, I tend to watch it more than I read it. Not sure why. When I do read it, I tend to lean toward the space operas rather than the hard sci fi.
    nancy dimauro recently posted…IntegrityMy Profile

  11. I grew up watching “Star Trek” and imagining what it would be like to explore new worlds in other galaxies. I graduated to “Star Wars,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “ET.” Science fiction at its best is about the possibilities of the unknown. It’s the ultimate fantasy trip and when done well, it opens your mind in ways that earth-bound fiction can’t. Nice post, Isaac. You are on my list for Spring Break reading. I’d love to feature you on my blog, The Writing Well, at some point.
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  12. The winner of the free digital copies of The Forever Gate Parts 1,2,3 has been chosen!

    Check your inbox for a message from me 🙂

    Isaac Hooke
    Twitter:
    (Author)

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