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Q: SD, What makes for a good Sci-Fi Book?
A: I just love these “What Makes for a Good”
questions. No one truly knows, and if I did I would be “Top of the World, Ma”
and world renown blown up popular. But, all I can give you is my opinion, and like
sphincters, everyone has their own. For me, what makes for a good Sci-Fi story
is a mixture of reality, impossibility, and the goal, quest, or a dire need.
Throw in a few side missions, some relationship trouble (not withstanding
species type), and a few bad guys, and there you have the perfect Sci-Fi Book.
Oh, and before you ask, spaceships are not a given, but they don’t hurt if you
want to use them. It’s just more for the serious Sci-Fi aficionado to contest
because your story doesn’t conform to one or more previously adopted unproven
scientific theory or another author’s interpretation. Just don’t tell them that
their favorite started out as a Japanese black and white film about a samurai,
a thief , and a princess who escapes from her castle that was destroyed and go
on a journey to be reunited with her people, or (ha ha) some old western. They
are kind of sensitive. SD
Q: SD, What do you think about flashbacks in stories?
A: I use
them from time to time when I need to have a bit of additional character
development or to help with the direction or narration of a story. Take for
instance. You have a guy who is a muscular and handsome man who is angry all
the time. However, his personality changes into a very gentle and protective
person around his less than a good looking girlfriend and always loses his cool
to stop guys from bulling nerds. Simple background story on this one.
Girlfriend knew him when he was at 95 lbs. and a Boney Wimp and always had his
back and comforted him when beaten up by bullies. As for saving nerds, payback
is a bitch. As long as the flashback is necessary to give insight for coming
events and add deeper understanding of different aspects of a story, I like
them and all for them. SD
Q: SD, why are some characters with smaller
parts in a book more memorable than the main characters?
A: The
answer to that is I DON’T KNOW! However, I can say that in some cases timing plays
an important role in memorable characters. Another understandable reason is to be caught
off guard by our own preconceived notion of who the character is and what part
they play in the overall storyline. And, the last memorable character I have experienced
is the character who is removed without rhyme or reason or suddenly reappear
when you least expect it and at the last possible moment to throw you for a
loop. Most people call it being blindsided. I have asked a few friends of mine
what makes for a memorable character and the answers I received were very
interesting. The two most agreed upon characters are ones we can relate to and the
other is the characters we would most like to be. SD
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