Writing Science Fiction 101: Books on History, Craft, and Science

Where do you go if you want to learn how to write science fiction? (Or, write better science fiction?) What resources are out there?  Over the next few weeks , I’ll try to cover this topic–from books to MFA programs.  So, the obvious place to start–since I’ve already given it away–is the written word.  Below are just a few suggestions for building your library.

History

• Road to Science Fiction series (Volumes 1-6) edited by James Gunn.  This six-part historical anthology traces the roots of science fiction from its earliest stories to the present.  Gunn presents the history of the genre through its stories.
• Trillion Year Spree by Brian Aldis.  This is an updated and expanded version of Aldis’ original history of science fiction, Billion Year Spree, published in 1973.
• The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction by John Clute and Peter Nicholls.  In the introduction, the authors write that they saw this book as a comprehensive history and analysis of science fiction.
• Science Fiction:  the Illustrated Encyclopedia by John Clute.  This book is a visually lavish follow up to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.

Craft

• How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card.  In one of the Writer’s Digest Genre Writing Series, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author Orson Scott Card shares his expertise on world creation, story construction, and the business of writing.
• How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction edited by Jack Williamson.  Twenty-six experts offer chapters on everything from the psychology of horror to building a fantasy character to getting an agent.  This collection is a little heavier on horror authors and topics than some other introductions to genre writing.
• Twenty Master Plots (and How to Build Them) by Ronald Tobias.  Tobias explores twenty archetypal story plots—such as the Quest or Forbidden Love—and breaks down how each work.
• Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress.  The subtitle says it all: “How to get your stories off to a roaring start, keep them tight and crisp throughout, and end them with a wallop.”
• Cosmic Critiques by Martin Greenburg and Isaac Asimov.  The editors chose ten stories, each representing a subgenre of science fiction, and then analyzed them, quickly and painlessly.  Though the book is nearly twenty years old, it’s still a great study of why a science fiction story works—as seen through the eyes of one of the field’s grand masters.
• The Science of Science-Fiction Writing by James Gunn.  Don’t be fooled by the title. This book isn’t about the science—as in physics or biology—in science fiction but about the science of telling a science fiction story.  Gunn shares his 40 years of experience in the fiction writing process, including how to teach it and how to get published.

Science

• Space Travel by Ben Bova with Anthony Lewis. Part of Writers’ Digest Science Fiction Writing Series, this book is a decent reference guide to science behind space travel.
• Aliens and Alien Societies by Stanley Schmidt. Another in the Science Fiction Writing Series, this is a reference guide to the physics, biology, and psychology of creating alien life for fiction.
• World-Building by Stephen L. Gillet.  Another in the Science Fiction Writing Series, this book is a writer’s guide to constructing star systems and life-supporting planets.
• The Writer’s Guide to Creating a Science Fiction Universe by George Ochoa and Jeffery Osier.  This book is about creating the whole milieu in which a science fiction story exists. Ochoa and Osier touch not only on aliens and space travel but also future worlds, artificial intelligence, and alternate universes.
• The Cosmic Dancers: Exploring the Science in Science Fiction by Amit Goswami.  Though the book is a bit dated (1983), it’s still scientifically relevant. The author explores Newtonian physics, astronomy, cosmology, and quantum physics with a nice mix of humor and seriousness.