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Science Fiction

Explore technology, future worlds, and "what if" scenarios.

Want to stress-test character dynamics before drafting? Plot a relationship web in ShipCraft and bring the most compelling conflicts back into this genre guide.

Essential Elements

Speculative technology or science

Exploration of "what if" scenarios

Impact of tech/science on humanity

Logical consistency (internal rules)

Social commentary or philosophy

Sense of wonder and possibility

10 Essential Tropes

First Contact

Meeting alien intelligence

Example: Communication challenges, cultural clash, peaceful or hostile

AI Awakening

Artificial intelligence gains consciousness

Example: Robot uprising, singularity, questioning humanity

Time Travel Paradox

Consequences of changing the past

Example: Bootstrap paradox, butterfly effect, timeline splits

Dystopian Society

Oppressive future government or system

Example: Surveillance state, corporate control, resource scarcity

Space Exploration

Journey to distant worlds

Example: Colony ship, deep space mission, alien planets

Uploaded Consciousness

Mind transferred to digital realm

Example: Virtual immortality, clone bodies, simulation questions

Tech Gone Wrong

Innovation with unintended consequences

Example: Experiment failure, weaponized science, cascading systems

Post-Apocalypse

Rebuilding after civilization collapse

Example: Nuclear war, plague, climate catastrophe

Cyberpunk Urban

High tech, low life future cities

Example: Corporate dominance, body modification, hacker culture

Generation Ship

Multi-generation journey through space

Example: Forgotten origin, enclosed society, arrival at destination

Famous Examples

All You Zombies by Robert A. Heinlein
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin
Understand by Ted Chiang

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

•Tech as magic without logical basis
•Science completely ignored for plot
•Dystopia that's just "current year but worse"
•No exploration of human impact

Practice with Science Fiction

Generate a 250-word story demonstrating key Science Fiction conventions and tropes.

Mix Tropes Tool

Select 2-3 tropes to generate a story that combines them. Learn how different conventions can work together.

Select Tropes (0/3)

Science Fiction Tropes

Select at least 2 tropes to generate a story

Spot the Convention Quiz

Test your knowledge of Science Fiction conventions! Read a story and identify which tropes and conventions are present.

How It Works:

1.Read the generated Science Fiction story carefully
2.Select which tropes you think are present in the story
3.Submit your answer to see how well you identified the conventions
4.Get +1 point for each correct trope, -1 for incorrect guesses