Not only did he talk about the genre, he also talked about his viewpoint as a Literary Agents for a publisher exclusively for sci-fi and fantasy.
His frequent answer to our questions was - 'Is it a good story, written well?'
I asked him a question at the end, then paused and answered it for myself. He smiled.
Fantasy / sci-fi is a diverse genre. It includes high literary works, commercial stories and comics.
What makes a well written story?
Believable worlds, events and characters.
How can we create a well written story?
Consider the audience - it is as diverse as the stories -The reader must become immersed.
Practise.
Balance of fast paced action and quieter moment.
Show the reader, not tell.
KISS re number of protagonists- especially if it is your first story.
Clear Point Of View changes
Personal characters with flaws.
Strong opening - the first words needs to encourage the reader to read the second, the first sentence...you get the idea?
Awesome ending - with a quiet moment after.
Most of the above are needed for all genres, here are the extras -
- consider the reader, they may be heavily invested in the culture of Sci- fi / fantasy and as such have high expectations as to what the story contains or is about.
-Know the conventions to avoid the pitfalls.
-Reinvent the conventions. 'The meal will taste the same but the experience will be different.'
How?
Know the genre and reader by READING
- read the history - Bradbury, Heinlein, Arthur C Clarke, Dan Simmons etc
- read books about writing - Steven King / Dan maas / Orson Scott Card ( website -http://www.hatrack.com/)
John packed a huge amount into an hour- so much so that I believe he stretched time!
I will continue tomorrow with What to avoid and Current market trends.
Write well and Prosper.
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