Putting the “Science” in Science Fiction: Part I

A guest blog post by Mike Hays

The science fiction genre is hard to define. With its wide variety of sub-genres, pinning down an all-encompassing descriptor for the science fiction often turns into a “we’ll know what it is when we see it” type of thing. One of the better definitions of science fiction I have come across describes science fiction as the “literature of change”. Science drives technology and technology drives change, therefore, the “literature of change” descriptor fits almost perfectly for science fiction.

No matter which sub-genre of science fiction, it is important to have a solid foundation in science. After all, it is SCIENCE fiction. This doesn’t mean the science has to be dry, concise and 100% factual, though. That’s more for hard science; the professional, peer-reviewed journal article publishing science. A scientific foundation in sci-fi simply means the science must be solid and logical. It can be based purely on fact or totally on fictionalized science, but the science must be grounded in the logic of the story and not MacGyver science.

MacGyver science? That is when the science solution appears out of thin air, like in the old television show, MacGyver. Every week, the protagonist in the show would do something like stopping the bad guy from blowing up a nuclear power plant (with 0:01 seconds left on the timer, mind you) by building an electronic manual self-destruct function override switch from a paper clip, an evergreen air freshener, duct tape, a flashlight and a bologna sandwich found in the glove box of the custodial service truck abandoned in the nuclear facility’s parking lot.

The point is, the science can be factual, it can be made up, or it can be magical. But, the science cannot be carried around in a fanny pack only to be used in times of greatest need or when no other solution is apparent. No ‘deus ex machina’ solutions, please.

Karina Fabian, author of MIND OVER MIND and the Dragon Eye, P.I. series, teaches two excellent workshops on worldbuilding, Worldbuilding 101 and Worldbuilding 201. They are good courses which help a writer plan out the fundamental workings of a story. The principles Karina presents for worldbuilding translate extremely well to the use of science in science fiction.

“Worldbuilding done right brings interest, gives context, presents an image, draws in readers, and gives your characters room to grow and limits within which to operate. Done well, you can make flight of fancy and twists in logic that people will believe and adore…Done poorly, however, it can throw your reader out of a story.”

-Karina Fabian

The golden ticket of Karina’s workshops is the list of her six rules of worldbuilding, which also adapt well to the use of science in science fiction. If we can build a successful fiction world by following these principles, we can also follow them to create a successful science-grounded fiction world.

–End of Part I–

Tune in next time for more from Mike Hays. Until then, please comment below, and share your thoughts on science fiction and its many sub-genres. Feel free to plug your favorite novels, TV shows or films. Tweet a link to this post and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Beth Revis’s ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and A MILLION SUNS. Paste a copy of your tweet below to be entered into the contest!

Thanks for reading. Part II will be posted in February. Be sure to sign up for notifications of new blog posts.

About Mike Hays

Mike Hays is a husband, a father of three, a lifelong Kansan and works as a molecular microbiologist. His debut middle grade historical fiction book, THE YOUNGER DAYS, is signed for a February 2012 release from MuseItUp Publishing. He enjoys reading in the science fiction genre and making up science fiction, mostly in short story form. Besides writing, he has been a strength and conditioning coach, a football coach, and a baseball coach. He has published three non-fiction football coaching articles, co-authored several scientific papers and is the co-inventor on two US patents. His former players hardly believe he can read anything without the aid of pictures, let alone write anything sounding halfway sensible.

Blog: www.coachhays.com
Twitter: @coachhays64
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hays/154175077989090

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