Elements of Great Sci Fi Romance
In honor of Paradise 21 going on sale for $.99 I'm talking today about the elements of great sci fi romance. (Or at least what I think they should be!)
I’ve always
loved Star Wars and Star Trek because they had it all: adventure, science
fiction, romance, action. (Although Star Trek could use a little more romance
here and there for my tastes! I loved the relationship between Jean Luc Picard
and Beverly Crusher, and who can forget Riker and Deanna Troi? Even Data had a
bit of romance here and there.)
To write a
great sci fi romance you need it all, and the blend has to be just right. I’ve
come up with a list of what I feel makes a great sci fi romance story. In the
comments section, I’d love to hear your own ideas.
1. #1. Must have romance. The romance should
drive the plot forward, but also somehow be linked to the science fiction
aspect. In Paradise 21, conditions
aboard the New Dawn dictate all romantic
encounters (The colonists are there to preserve human DNA without genetic
mutations or inbreeding), and for this reason Aries escapes. I’ve linked the
romance to the science, and made it all drive the plot forward from the very
beginning.
2. #2. Must have adventure in cool settings.
The best part about science fiction is that you can write it anywhere; aboard a
space ship, on an alien planet, or on Earth. Setting is very important, and
traveling to different backdrops increases the adventure by tenfold. In Paradise 21, I made sure to have scenes
aboard the deep space transport ship, on a desert planet, and even in an alien
ship.
3. #3. Must have action. Another awesome
part of science fiction romance is all of the various technological weapons you
can create: lasers, blasters, subsonic tranquilizer rays. In Paradise
21, I made sure to have at least a couple laser fights, some with people
and others with monsters!
4. #4. Must have science. The story must
have some basis in reality with fantastical scientific ideas linked to today’s
science. In Paradise 21, I posed
certain questions: What if people could live their entire lives on a space
ship? What would people do when the Earth becomes uninhabitable? Although these
ideas seem far-fetched today as you drive to Dunkin’ Doughnuts to order your
latte, reality is: the sun will burn out someday, and we may even pollute the
Earth before that happens. People will have to find somewhere else to live if
humanity is going to carry on. I took a scientific fact and ran with it, creating
a fantastical scientific idea.
I’d love to hear your own ideas for what makes a great sci fi romance! And if you want to see me try my hand at it, pick up your copy of Paradise 21 for only $.99!
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