Writing and Publishing Science Fiction Novels in 5 Simple and Easy Steps

Step 1: First Draft and Structure

A science fiction book should be structured in three portions: the opening, the middle, and the climax. Once you establish your story plot, you need to reinforce it with any required research. Afterward, you just have to outline your ideas on paper. High doses of imagination are the chief imperative for a triumphant science fiction novel.

Try to uplift your readers from the colorless blandness of ordinary routine life with your novel. Try to conserve suspense in each segment of the novel to make the story line consuming. Let the reader indulge in speculation over imponderable gripping situations. Sketch each segment of the story markedly.

Recognize with your work that good science fiction has believable elements. Science fiction takes current technology and builds upon it. If your ideas are too implausible or past average comprehension, your novel will not strike a chord with readers.

Step 2: Evaluation by Peers

Your initial draft needs to be criticized by several of your colleagues. They will assist not just as proof readers, but will aid you in identifying partial story lines, areas that are not believable, plots that aren't believable, and characters that are too heroic. Science fiction is based on the suspension of disbelief, but disbelief can only be extended so far.

Online discussion groups like Critters.org provide helpful advice and appraisal. You can also attend your local library assessment workshop. Workshops permit you to get your book manuscript read by multiple people resulting in more extensive feedback. By permitting you the opportunity to review the stories of another, workshops aid you in honing your writing mettle.

Step 3: The Final Draft

After assessment by your peers, you need to edit your manuscript in order to tie up loose ends and remove the inconsistencies pointed out by your evaluators. Clear away the indistinct minutia and construct a final version that provides a firm narrative. If you are faced with a creativity block, it would be prudent to stash the novel on a shelf for a few days and engage yourself with something else. Once you are revitalized you can finish your novel with restored zeal. If major changes have been made to the novel, it should be reevaluated by your peers.

Step 4: Getting Published

There are a lot ways to locate a publisher for your novel. The first is to read science fiction trade publications. Publishers who openly accept submissions routinely advertise in these publications. A second possibility is to inquire with publishers directly. Look at a few of your cherished science fiction books and contact the editorial department. Request a copy of their submission guidelines and standards. It is most of the time best to do this by mail and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. In some instances, a publisher may have this information on their website.

When picking a publisher make sure they are writer friendly. They should have a track record of publicizing the writers and stories they publish.

Step 5: Critical Review

Get your novel critically reviewed before it is published. Give early review copies to authoritative critics. Then, right ahead of final publication, insert their reviews on the inside or back cover of your novel.

Giving the book to a critic who will pile profuse praise on it even if it is balderdash is not going to aid you in any way. You must have the book reviewed by an expert critic. A fair draft critique can save you from much future abasement. In addition, by getting your novel critiqued by a real critic, you'll secure some promotion from the organization the critic represents.

Conclusion

These easy but effectual guidelines will go a long way in helping you write and sell your science fiction novel. It is a long process and should not be hurried. In some cases writing, rewriting, and publishing a work can take numerous years. It depends on a good deal of persistence and determination. If you possess these qualities and a good deal of imagination you can travel a long way in the science fiction universe.