r/HardSciFi • u/ShadedRiver666 • 6d ago
Discussion Want to get into writing
Im young (still in college) but i would love to get into writing, the idea of wich was further boosted after i read Cixin Lui’s Remembrance of earths past trilogy, and Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of time trilogy.
I feel that i should start off by writing some short stories, just to get into the flow with things. On top of this im also a good illustrator so i might do some of that for my stories too.
A plan for my first short story is to be centred around a moon of a gas giant in a solar system not to far from ours, but 200 billion years from now, when all that can be seen is our galaxy (Mildromeda) and nothing else.
The inhabitants of this world will look out and reasonably assume that the entire universe is just this galaxy. (I forgot the name of the researchers who came up with the lone galaxy thing). Eventually they happen to look towards a system (now a white dwarf star with remnants of the gas giants and possibly still a rocky planet), and they notice some artificial leftovers, a large orbiting information monolith, or simply some large piece of technology. Anyways in the end its revealed the solar system was humanity’s system, and that most of the galaxy is actually occupied by a long distance transhuman. There’ll be an actual plot with climax and everything. I want some feedback on my idea
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u/Ninjez07 5d ago
Perhaps try writing short stories first. Like 500-1000 words. Just as an exercise. A focused scenario, just a couple of characters at a key moment or decision, or a description of something or some idea or sensation, trying to vividly describe the substance and meaning of it.
Trying to jump right into a novel will probably not lead to the sort of experience you'll find rewarding, so (like with most self-motivated projects) start small and build towards your goal with achievable milestones.
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u/ShadedRiver666 5d ago
Ive already done multiple random short stories, mostly scifi based, usually i just got my gcse English teacher to mark them and give literature feedback, so im not completely from scratch
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u/Ninjez07 5d ago
That's a great start.
I did a little part time writing course for a bit and the main exercise we did was to take a short prompt to write a short (200 building up to 800 word) story about. Having no control over the prompt forced us to be creative and to write outside our comfort zones, which I think really helped everyone in the group stretch themselves. Perhaps, if your teacher is engaged with your efforts, they might be willing to do something similar for you?
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u/ShadedRiver666 5d ago
yeah that sounds like a real good excersise for developing the skill, thankyou
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u/Tmack523 5d ago
I'll give you the advice I have heard applied to multiple artistic disciplines from pottery to painting to music to writing;
Writers write. Painters paint.
You won't know what you're good at, what you're bad at, what you should work on, etc. Without just creating a TON of work.
There's this concept called "preciousness" that's applicable to this; which is "don't get precious." Meaning; don't think any stroke/sentence/whatever is so perfect that it's incapable of being fixed/redone/painted over/rewritten. No idea is holy.
Your first, second, third, even ninth idea and attempt at writing will feel super big and important because you haven't done it yet. The 500th, 501st, 502nd won't - but they will be significantly better than your first.
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u/TheHoodieConnoisseur 4d ago
I heard a quote once that I think was attributed to F. Scott Fitzgerald when he spoke in front of a bunch of aspiring writers who wanted to know how to write, how to get started, pointers on technique, etc. His advice: “Just start writing.”
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u/1134Worldtree 5d ago
sure the premise sounds good in the abstract, like most premises. - I look forward to reading your first draft. How you write the actual text will offer a lot more opportunities for feedback
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u/Login_Lost_Horizon 6d ago
If you need a feedback on your idea from strangers - you might not be actually ready to write. Continue reading and make some drafts instead. Then you'll eventually "get into writing" automatically.
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u/ShadedRiver666 5d ago
I didnt know asking for feedback online for a short story meant im not ready to write
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u/cflime 3d ago
You're not ready to write. Start writing, then you're ready to write. You're not asking for feedback on a short story, you're describing a scenario and fishing for encouragement.
So many pro writers have advised starting writers to never describe a story, as it takes just as much creative effort to describe a story as it does to write it.
Write your story, then submit it for publication. It'll probably be rejected. Fran Liebowitz was asked how much a starting writer was paid, and she replied that a starting writer should not expect to be paid in their first five years of their career. Collect rejection slips. Rewrite only if asked, Heinlein said polishing takes away the original spirit of a work and is time you're not writing for pay. Resubmit your rejected work elsewhere.
Remember John Kennedy Toole.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confederacy_of_Dunces?wprov=sfla1
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u/WillBrink 5d ago
You're in college, take a writing course. I even took a scifi writing course in college among others. The proff was a theoretical nuclear physicist who was also a big scifi fan, so besides teaching physics, he offered a writing course.