10 Writing "Rules" We Wish More Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Would Break

[Brayon]

I read this article last night, and I'm planning on doing a commentary blog post on it. Thought I'd share it now, so you all can read it.

https://io9.gizmodo.com/5879434/10-writing-rules-we-wish-more-science-fiction-and-fantasy-authors-would-break

[Brayon]

My Blog post:

 

[Myr]

The 10 Rules they list are: (copied from @BHopper2's blog)

1. No third-person omniscient.
2. No prologues
3. Avoid InfoDumps
4. Fantasy novels have to be series instead of standalones
5. No portal fantasy
6. No FTL
7. Women can’t write “hard” science fiction.
8.  Magic has to be just a minor part of a fantasy world
9. No present tense
10.  No “unsympathetic” characters

Hmm.  That was an interesting blog.  Some thoughts from me...

1. I like what works.  I think I mostly prefer 3rd limited and I mostly dislike first person.
2. Prologues have their place.  Game of Thrones example seems to do well explaining that.
3. When you are creating your own world, be it Sci-Fi or Fantasy, you have to have some way to explain the world to the reader.  infodumps can work if don't right or explode in your face.  I guess you can say you should treat it like a live grenade?
4. The problem with world development is that if you take that long to develop a world, you want to do more things in it. lol.  To create a whole world and not tell stories in it feels like you've been cheated.  That said, you can create a world where you do stories for different characters.  This is something I've been doing with my Sci-Fi, Psionic Corp Universe of stories as well as my King's Rangers stuff.  (Most of which hasn't been seen yet).  My plan is to create a world that I can write in, one for sci-fi and one for fantasy and have short stories and other stories stand alone but work as part of the whole as well.  Mercedes Lackey is a great example here with Valdemar stuff.  She's got stand alone stories, trilogies and bigger for different characters.  (Brighty Burning is a great example of a stand-alone novel in an existing fantasy world)
5. Isn't Harry Potter a sort of Portal Fantasy?  Sure the different world exists in ours... but it's still a different world you jump off into...
6. On the range of Sci-Fi styles... FTL becomes the sticking point.  I'm sure they'll figure out how to travel faster than light at some point.  After all, they also said we could never break the sound barrier... that the world was flat...  Science wins out in the end.  I love Star Trek as much as I love the hard science fiction stuff.  so, as long as it makes sense, who cares?
7. Pfft!
8. Pfft!  Depends on your world.  Magic just needs a cost of some sort.
9. Tense issues is something I'm working on so the editor will stop beating me.
10. Pfft!  They are harder to write... but the challenge makes it worth it, no?

 

[Brayon]

18 hours ago, Myr said:

The problem with world development is that if you take that long to develop a world, you want to do more things in it. lol.  To create a whole world and not tell stories in it feels like you've been cheated.  That said, you can create a world where you do stories for different characters.  This is something I've been doing with my Sci-Fi, Psionic Corp Universe of stories as well as my King's Rangers stuff.  (Most of which hasn't been seen yet).  My plan is to create a world that I can write in, one for sci-fi and one for fantasy and have short stories and other stories stand alone but work as part of the whole as well.  Mercedes Lackey is a great example here with Valdemar stuff.  She's got stand alone stories, trilogies and bigger for different characters.  (Brighty Burning is a great example of a stand-alone novel in an existing fantasy world)

This is why I like Role-Playing games so much. From D&D to Pathfinder to RIFTS, its a common world where anyone of us can take the setting, and each have our own story in that world.

 

You can say, that I'm one of your FanBoys, Myr, when it comes to both of your worlds. Just from the brief glances you've given us, I've been wanting to know more about each. I feel that is a sign of a successful Writer.

[Myr]

Thanks!

I'm hoping in a few months to have the major site stuff behind us, the craziness in my personal life settled, finally, finally, be able to devote specific time to writing.  I have hundreds of bits and pieces of stories all over the place that I need to be able to tie together.  I'm working towards that goal and I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I've spent years world building in bits and starts.

 

I also have a long history of D&D interest.  I haven't actively played in 20 years, but I have a LOT of material including lots of stuff I made for campaigns.  (I did a lot of DM'ing for friends back in the AD&D 2nd ed days)  I've kept enough of an interest to keep picking up stuff.  I have the 5e rules.  A Dungeon Master's Guide for D&D is one hell of a resource for writing in Fantasy.  It is, after all, supposed to be used to create stories that others can play. lol.

 

[mogwhy]

3 minutes ago, Myr said:

Thanks!

I'm hoping in a few months to have the major site stuff behind us, the craziness in my personal life settled, finally, finally, be able to devote specific time to writing.  I have hundreds of bits and pieces of stories all over the place that I need to be able to tie together.  I'm working towards that goal and I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I've spent years world building in bits and starts.

 

I also have a long history of D&D interest.  I haven't actively played in 20 years, but I have a LOT of material including lots of stuff I made for campaigns.  (I did a lot of DM'ing for friends back in the AD&D 2nd ed days)  I've kept enough of an interest to keep picking up stuff.  I have the 5e rules.  A Dungeon Master's Guide for D&D is one hell of a resource for writing in Fantasy.  It is, after all, supposed to be used to create stories that others can play. lol.

 

your right about D&D being a good reference for stories. the 1st time i played was 1979 and been playing since. actually played one character for 6 years and the DM kept playing her for another 4. 

[Myr]

Would it surprise you to learn that my oldest character is named... Myr?   As handwritten from when I was 12.

 

[Brayon]

23 minutes ago, Myr said:

I also have a long history of D&D interest.  I haven't actively played in 20 years, but I have a LOT of material including lots of stuff I made for campaigns.  (I did a lot of DM'ing for friends back in the AD&D 2nd ed days)  I've kept enough of an interest to keep picking up stuff.  I have the 5e rules.  A Dungeon Master's Guide for D&D is one hell of a resource for writing in Fantasy.  It is, after all, supposed to be used to create stories that others can play. lol.

 

15 minutes ago, mogwhy said:

your right about D&D being a good reference for stories. the 1st time i played was 1979 and been playing since. actually played one character for 6 years and the DM kept playing her for another 4. 

 

11 minutes ago, Myr said:

Would it surprise you to learn that my oldest character is named... Myr?   As handwritten from when I was 12.

 

 

My first RPG character was a Human Veritech Fighter Pilot from Palladium Book's Robotech saga based on the American adaptation of Macross. His name was, Marcus. My second character, and first Dungeons and Dragons PC was a Halfling from the D&D "Blue Box!" Since then, I've played D&D from the Blue Box, through 3.5, then Pathfinder. Then I moved, and when I did most of my gaming stuff was "lost." I had a full set of AD&D 2nd Ed products. Every single book, most bought second hand, and gifts. All stolen, err... "lost." (Still bitter.)

 

Now, I keep it all on Digital, with PDFs.

[mogwhy]

31 minutes ago, Myr said:

Would it surprise you to learn that my oldest character is named... Myr?   As handwritten from when I was 12.

 

nope. my 1st charcter was a halfing theif from the "white box"  but my best,  and longest (a legend in the campaigning world) )was my 2nd was a Druid. man, she had quite the adventure!  i was 16, now i feel old

[Myr]

I think I might have derailed this. lol.

Back on the original post, that's definitely an interesting point of view.  At the end of the day though, it's about what works and if you're talented enough as a writer to pull something off that the audience enjoys.

 

[Palantir]

Oh My!

I read those ten rules and wonder whether they are designed especially to provoke commentary rather than as serious guidelines.

 

When I look through, the only rule that makes any sense to me is the one about infodumps. My understanding of an infodump is a great amount of explanatory information being thrown at the reader in one big lump. As Myr says, the information has to be imparted somehow, and there are techniques for doing that without overloading the reader.

 

I also agree - it's the author's skill in presentation that's important, not the rules.