Write What You Know

[Admin]

This topic actually comes from reading science-fiction, but it applies to fantasy as well. With fantasy, a writer has the ability to create a personal set of rules. That is a liberty, but then there is the requirement to follow the rules. With science-fiction there are a multitude of rules already in place that must be followed.

I cannot mention any specific faults (part of the job), but I have recently read manuscripts that blatantly showed the author of having no understanding of outer space. Usually the writer is attempting to present what is a common scene on Earth, completely forgetting that his scene is not Earth. At other times the scene is a duplication of what has appeared in a movie, but the setting is different making what worked in the movie not work in the story. Time-travel presents other glaring faults in that technology will suddenly not work (the technology works, although might not have the network to make it useful). Those that write science-fiction need to understand place and time to write about such. There are a many ways to learn, so not knowing is a critical fault that makes a manuscript not worthy of being published.