Over the last decade there have been a lot of changes to the publishing world. Traditionally, anyone dreaming of becoming an author often had a long and tedious journey ahead of them. Just like today, there were no guarantees that the work of the author would be well received. The difference from previous years was the screening process an author was required to go through. During that time, there were few authors that wrote Science Fiction Romance, or SFR.
Science Fiction stories were different. The genre was, and still is in a large part, dominated by male authors who focus on the science aspect of the story. SFR is different. Here, the readers are given both science and romance. The stories contain aspects of science, alien worlds, different modes of transportation, and such, but also contain a romantic element to them. Wow! For those of us that enjoy that combination of action, adventure, fantasy, and romance this is out of this world reading, no pun intended.
Wait a minute! Action… Adventure… Fantasy… and Romance? Isn’t that what Star Trek, Star Wars, and a dozen other successful television and movies have in them? I grew up loving anything to do with SFR, even before it was called that. The million dollar question was how does a writer write a successful Science Fiction Action Romance. Well, I don’t know about the million dollars, but I’ll give you my two cents on it… with passion!
Step one: World Building
To write a successful science fiction action romance you have to have a world and characters that seem real. If you are having the romance, the characters have to be compatible with each other. Yes, you can have shifters, but when the characters come together they need to be in a form that is believable. Wait a moment… Shifters! Isn’t that paranormal? Yes, it is, but the beautiful thing about science fiction is that you can make your species anything you want as long as the rules you build in work. So, build worlds and characters that work together.
Step two: Character development
Your characters and their interaction with each other is important. I believe every character throughout the story is important. The smallest one can make the difference from an okay story to a fabulous one. It is also important to balance your dialogue with your description. Let the readers build the world in their minds by giving them just enough information without breaking into a college lecture on the dynamics of the atmospheric molecular structures and astrophysics.
Your characters also have to be able to communicate with each other. How they do that is up to you. Just make sure that whatever method you come up with makes sense. In Outlander (the scifi movie), the aliens had a machine that poured the information into their brains. I’ve had everything from the human heroine learning the language to magical spells to implanted translators.
Step three: Action!
I love action and adventure. When developing a story, remember that not all plots have to be from an internal conflict. Science Fiction Action Romance is the perfect setting for outside conflict to pull the readers in. When you think of it, just the thought of space travel has enough hazards involved. Whatever happens in space, you either fix it or die. The same concept applies if you are on an alien planet. Now, throw in all the other things like cultural differences, tribal mentality, differences in technology, greed, power, corruption and love. It is the perfect mix for an action-filled story.
Step four: Bringing it all together
You have your world, you have your characters, you have your action – now what? You listen to the characters as they share their amazing journey through the stars. Remember, you don’t have to have all the rules for the universe you’ve built in book one. Let it grow throughout the series, because if you write a fascinating world, your readers will want another book in that world based on one of the characters you have introduced (this is why ALL characters are super important for the story; they carry on in that world).
There is a reason shows and movies like Star Trek and Star Wars are so popular. Readers, whether male or female, crave the unknown action, adventure, suspense, and romance of far away worlds. They want to know what it would be like to journey to another world and live the life of a space pirate or be a member of the Alliance.
So, the next time you step outside on a clear night and look up at the stars ask yourself “What if…?” and let the characters take you to another world you’ll never forget.
