Why I Love Reading and Writing Science Fiction
Karen
A. Wyle
I'll start with a caveat. I do not always
write science fiction. For many otherwise fallow years, I wrote picture book
manuscripts. More recently, between my current release and the sequel (still in
rough draft), I wrote what I suppose is general fiction, if a novel in that
category can take place in my fanciful notion of an afterlife.
That said, I am proud to write science
fiction.
I don't remember when I started reading
science fiction, but I'd guess I was around ten or eleven. I have been reading
it ever since. The day I met my husband, twenty-five years ago, we talked for
two hours about Robert A. Heinlein and assorted other SF authors. As you might
suppose, our marriage exposed me to even more of the genre.
How do I love science fiction? Let me count
the ways. . . .
Science fiction explores how human beings –
whether acknowledged as such, or in any of innumerable disguises – react to the
unexpected. How do they – how would we – cope with the fulfillment of anything
from dream to nightmare? How will the future we anticipate surprise us? How
will we surprise ourselves when we confront it?
Science fiction's imaginative settings
allow us to examine familiar themes and problems with a fresh eye. (Star Trek,
despite its flaws, was often excellent at using the trappings of science
fiction to explore issues like racism, war and peace, patriotism, gender
identity, ambition, love versus career, et cetera.) I am a lawyer; I am writing
a series of short stories which will eventually include legal issues raised by
certain future technologies. I have long been fascinated by twins: my novel Twin-Bred features fraternal twins
(carried by host mothers) belonging to different species. I have been deeply
interested in parenthood since becoming a mother: I can create aliens for whom
parenthood is in many ways different, and in some fundamental ways the same.
Science fiction paves the way. Its authors,
often scientists themselves, extrapolate from current technology and knowledge,
and make educated guesses about what we will be able to invent. Often they
guess correctly. It might be easier to identify the scientific advances of the
last sixty years that were not predicted in science fiction than to list those
that were. By working within the constraints of scientific theory, science
fiction honors those who have spent their lives helping us understand our
universe (and any meta-universe which may include it).
Finally, science fiction gives the would-be
builder of worlds a place to play. While fantasy does the same, science fiction
imposes certain constraints – and as many a poet would testify, some
constraints can actually spur creativity. At any rate, I find satisfaction in
knowing that what I have imagined, or what another author lays before me, could
possibly exist. Science fiction authors differ in how hard they strive to
ensure that the physical features of their planets, aliens, and technologies
fit within our current scientific theories (or at least, scientific hypotheses
held by at least one adventurous scientist out there). No scientist myself, I
still try fairly hard. I use my husband, whose scientific knowledge runs broad
and deep, as my technical adviser – but if I really want to make the sky green,
or put multiple sails on the sailboat, or whatever, and he is skeptical, I just
keep researching until (with luck) I find some more or less plausible basis to
do so. On the other hand, unlike historical fiction, where the possibility of
error lurks behind every detail, the amount of research need not be too
intimidating.
I'd love to see comments about what
visitors to this blog like most about science fiction -- or about any problems
they have with the genre.
Twin-Bred Playlist Promotion
I'm running a special promotion for Twin-Bred: be
the first reader to suggest a song for a Twin-Bred playlist,
and if I agree with your selection, your name and song choice will be included
in an appendix to a future edition of the book!
Please send an mp3 file, or a link to a YouTube video where I can
hear the song, to Karen A. Wyle at kawyle@kiva.net. (At the same time,
please let me know if you'd like to be on my email alert list, so you can hear
about upcoming releases and events.)
I'll post occasional updates about the playlist on Twin-Bred's
Facebook page.
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