How To Create Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories

My conversation discussing speculative fiction with Authority Magazine

Originally published in Authority Magazine as an interview with Ian Blake on May 1 2022.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what first drew you to writing over other forms of storytelling?

Thanks so much for having me! As for why I write, vs another creative form, it’s honestly due to growing up without television, I think. I was only allowed to watch shows like Nature or Cosmos for much of my childhood, but both my parents were avid readers–my mother read a lot of historic non-fiction, but my dad had a deep love for science fiction and fantasy. I realized early on that a lot of the worlds I loved didn’t have people like me in them, however, so I began to create my own.

You are a successful author. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

That’s a tough one! I’m an activist, so a lot of why I create stems from wanting people like me to see themselves in fiction. I’m also insatiably curious about how the world and the people in it work. Exploring characters and world-building helps me untangle a lot of the “whys” in our universe. Thirdly, though this isn’t as positive, is my drive to be good enough, worthy enough, perhaps, of the wonderful people in my life. I want to be the best I can.

Can you tell us a bit about the interesting or exciting projects you are working on or wish to create? What are your goals for these projects?

I usually have a few irons in the fire. I like to be able to switch between projects of different flavors, so to speak, when I get frustrated with one. I’m currently hard at work finishing Fugitives, the fifth book in my queer science fiction series, the Stars Edge: Nel Bently Books. It’s a bit of a love letter to finding ourselves in the darkness and redemption (with, of couse, a few explosions and a rising body count.) Hopefully that will be released early next year! I’m also stepping a bit outside my usual subgenres and am exploring a gothic horror/romance book that feels a bit like its been ripped right out of my chest. Not sure when that will see the light of day, however!

Wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. How do you define sci-fi or fantasy? How is it different from speculative fiction?

In my mind, sci-fi and fantasy fall under the broader umbrella of speculative fiction, which can encompass paranormal, magical realism, fabulism, etc. While I subscribe–a bit flippantly–to the idea that magic is just science we don’t understand yet, I think of science fiction worlds as those who use our current understanding of science, technology, and physics as a base. Fantasy, on the other hand, tends to make up its own rules far more frequently. I’m a huge fan of authors who bend those rules, however–I love genre-breaking!

It seems that despite countless changes in media and communication technologies, novels and written fiction always survive, and as the rate of change increases with technology, written sci-fi becomes more popular. Why do you think that is?

I think any medium that conveys stories well will endure. We’ve always found new ways to share our stories and connect with our fellow humans, and I love that we’re still doing so! As for why sci-fi as a genre is having a bit of a moment, I think a lot of it is due to how dark our world is, on a global scale. Science fiction has often served as a warning for which paths we could find ourselves on as a species, but it can also serve as an aspiration for where we wish our world could go, or what it could become. We see so much pain around us these days, often right at our fingertips in a way we didn’t used to, and each one of us is in need of a road map out of that darkness. Science fiction can serve as that map.

In your opinion, what are the benefits to reading sci-fi, and how do they compare to watching sci-fi on film and television?

Despite growing up without many films or television shows, I think people should consume stories in whatever way speaks to them best, whether its through books, movies, or video games. That being said, I think books have the ability to make the reader or listener build the worlds themselves, in their minds. All consumable media relies on its audience to finish the job, so to speak, but I think books do this to a greater extent. Readers, in a lot of ways, are a book’s final author.

What authors and artists, dead or alive, inspired you to write?

I was first inspired by Tamora Pierce–her books were the first ones in which I saw someone like me as the protagonist! I also love J. A. Pitts for his wonderful ability to write found families. As for style, I’m inspired by Patrick Rothfuss’s lyricism and Gabby Squalia’s incredible world-building.

If you could ask your favourite Science Fiction and Fantasy author a question, what would it be?

Well, I was incredibly lucky to have actually interviewed J. A. Pitts shortly before his death, which was an amazing opportunity. But, as someone who is often seen as a bit extra, I would love to ask Tamsyn Muir how she gets the guts to “go there” in her world-building and characters.

We’d like to learn more about your writing. How would you describe yourself as an author? Can you please share a specific passage that you think exemplifies your style?

My work has been described as lyrical, and my writing woven with the “skills of a thurmaturge,” by The San Francisco Review of Books which is pretty incredible! I strive for a balance between gritty, honest, and poetic.

Based on your own experience and success, what are the “Five Things You Need To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.

I honestly try not to be too prescriptive in my advice, because every creative does things differently, and that’s a beautiful thing, but for me, I find the most important pieces of writing compelling work are these: real characters, remembering the small things, diversity, having fun with it, and not breaking your world’s own rules. A lot of these come from my experience as an archaeologist, and observing the nuances to how people interact with their world and one another.

Writing imperfect, complex and conflicting personalities and a diverse array of characters makes our work seem much more real, and reflects our own world’s complexities. I like to show the expansiveness of the Stars Edge universe through the broad cast of characters Nel meets as she stumbles through the story.

For world-building, I like to remember that while I might be able to make up the rules for these worlds, once I make them, I can’t break them, or my readers’ immersion, and trust in me as an author, will shatter. Along with this, I like to be specific with the little details of a world. Writing the laws and magic and beautiful halls of palaces in my fantasy series, Blood of Titans, is really fun, but what makes the worlds feel authentic is the greasy smoke from the lanterns in the slums, and the thrum of water through the aqueducts overhead. The tiny details are where we really hook our audience.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Entertainment, Business, VC funding, and Sports read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

I’ve had the privilege of taking a workshop with the incredible Ivan Coyote, but I would love to sit down to a meal or drinks with them. Their storytelling is so powerful, and their relationship with gender and sexuality really resonates with me.