Brandon Cornett's Blog, page 3

How to Create a Realistic, Immersive World in Zombie Fiction

This article is part of a series that focuses on the process of writing zombie stories, novels, and fiction in general. Today, we’ll focus on the importance of realism and believability in fiction, by answering a common question among beginning writers:

How can I create a more realistic zombie story?

Writing Realistic Zombie Fiction

Readers of zombie fiction have a dizzying array of novels and story collections to choose from. It’s a crowded genre, to say the least.

So, if you wa...

55 Young Adult (YA) Urban Fantasy Story Ideas

Are machines any good at generating story ideas? That’s the question that led me to this little experiment.

I asked the AI-powered ChatGPT to create a list of YA story ideas within the urban fantasy sub-genre, giving it scant information to go on. It churned out 55 urban fantasy YA story ideas in less than a minute, and probably could’ve continued all day if I’d instructed it to.

But is the AI putting quantity over quality? You be the judge.

Here’s the prompt I provided to ChatGPT:

...

Science Fiction World-Building Guide for Writers

Science fiction and world-building go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other.

When you write a sci-story or novel, you’re creating a time and place that doesn’t currently exist. And that time and place should have its own unique set of rules, cultures and norms. That’s world-building!

But how do you achieve these things when writing a science fiction story or novel? How do you build a unique and interesting world for your characters? How do you bring it to life?

Most importa...

What Is Science Fiction? A Genre Definition for Readers and Writers

What is science fiction, exactly?

It’s a simple question on the surface. But if you were to ask a dozen different publishers or writers this question, you’d probably get as many different answers.

Most people agree on the basic definition of science fiction, which you’ll find below. But they don’t always agree on where the “boundaries” lie, or how to distinguish sci-fi from related genres like fantasy, alternate history and post-apocalyptic.

This article explains (1) what science fictio...

What Is Science Fiction, as a Genre?

What is science fiction, exactly?

It’s a simple question on the surface. But if you were to ask a dozen different publishers or writers this question, you’d probably get as many different answers.

Most people agree on the basic definition of science fiction, which you’ll find below. But they don’t always agree on where the “boundaries” lie, or how to distinguish sci-fi from related genres like fantasy, alternate history and post-apocalyptic.

This article explains (1) what science fictio...

How to Come Up With Original Ideas for a Science Fiction Story

Science fiction explores big ideas in a though-provoking manner, more so than any other genre.

What if advanced AI became self-aware and demanded equal rights?What if we harnessed the power of black holes for interstellar travel?What if an alien species made first contact with Earth?

But how do science fiction writers come up with their ideas? And how can you, as an up-and-coming writer, generate ideas for an original science fiction short story or novel?

5 Ways to Generate Sc...

The Three Most Important Characteristics of Science Fiction

I’m writing a book on writing science fiction and it starts here. Each week, you’ll get a new “chapter” on a different aspect of sci-fi storytelling. A table of contents is forthcoming.

Today’s topic: the three most important characteristics of science fiction.

The ‘Big 3’ Characteristics of Science Fiction

Science fiction speculates. It asks what-if questions and invites readers to contemplate future or faraway places. It defies our attempts to confine it.

Even so, it does possess c...

How Long Should a Science Fiction Novel Be, on Average?

How long should my science fiction novel be? What’s the shortest it can be—and the longest? What’s the average length for this genre? How long is too long for a sci-fi novel? And should I be counting by pages or by words?

These are common questions among first-time novel writers, and for obvious reasons. As a new writer, you want to do everything you can to increase the chance of getting your novel published someday. That includes following the norms and conventions regarding length.

So, h...

AI Could Dominate the Science Fiction Genre for Decades

Artificial intelligence has influenced many books and films over the years, ranging from the Wintermute AI in William Gibson’s Neuromancer to the Skynet defense network in the Terminator movies.

And who can forget HAL 9000, the calculating AI that controlled the spaceship in 2001: A Space Odyssey, with its glowing red “eye” and monotone voice?

Now, as we enter a new era of AI capabilities, advancements and concerns, it’s a safe bet that artificial intelligence will dominate the science fic...

How to Write a Science Fiction Short Story: 8 Steps to Success

You read science fiction. You love science fiction. And now you want to try your hand at creating a sci-fi story of your own. Maybe you even have some story ideas marinating right now, but you need help getting them out of your head and onto the page.

In short, you want to know how to write a science fiction short story.

Welcome, friend. You and I have something in common. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most important concepts, strategies and techniques to keep in mind when wri...