Science fiction novels represent probably some of the most famous books ever. Why would that be? This could be because the genre of science fiction enables you to transport the reader into a bizarre and weird world with a brilliant creation of characters, the kind of which you will not read about in any other genre. Everyone has probably read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and Nineteen Eight-Four by Orson Wells to understand the joys of escapism. 

Like writing any genre of book, there are some particular steps to follow and one of them is definitely to do your research. The following tips are just a rough guide of aspects you will have to consider while the novel is in the planning stage.

Hero versus Villain

No other genre takes into account such high contrast perspectives of conflict between Hero and Villain. The core of every science fiction novel is the battle between good and evil, and how good always prevails. The hero will almost always have a group of supporters or an army that will help him conquer the enemy.

The hero must have high moral values and his driving force is always to triumph over the unjust behaviour of his enemy. This could be in the form of a tyrannical government, or army, which is led by a despicable despot, who wants to turn the world into his idea of perfection. The hero and the villain share a common goal, and that is to create their concept of an ideal society. The conflict arises because they have a completely different idea of how this will be achieved.

Another World

To create a great sci-fi novel, you also have to create a whole new world, completely different to the world in which we all live. This could be a time in the future, which involves space travel, alien beings, special human powers or the transportation of matter. Or it could be the world we know, but following a nuclear disaster where there is a mutant civilisation that struggles to survive and is being controlled by an evil, corrupt ruler. The options where you can take the story have no limits. So you will need to decide the following. What is the world like? Who runs the world? How is law and order kept? Is this taking place on Earth or another planet? What do the inhabitants look like? How do they survive?

Aliens Are People

An important point to remember is that if you are going to have different types of alien creatures within your novel, then they have to share certain characteristics inherent to their species, but they have to have unique personality traits too. You may have a race of creatures that are intrinsically evil, dishonest and corrupt, but it can give an interesting twist to the story to have one that has a kind heart and detests violence and is an intellectual creature. This creature could share an infinity with the main character. This will build great conflict, not only between the violent and cruel race of creatures and the protagonist, but also conflict between the creatures and the one who is thought of as an outsider.

Opposites Attract

One of the greatest aspects of writing science fiction is that you can team up different creatures and humans that in the real world would never be friends. They may originate from totally different worlds, but they each share a common purpose or belief.

You will still have to follow the normal structure of your storyline as you would any other genre, but you have the flexibility to create a fantastic futuristic world for the reader to escape to.