One of the most pleasant side-effects of writing short stories for prompts is the potential to force ourselves out of our comfort zones. I've written romance, paranormal, urban fantasy, and most other areas of fiction, but I don't recall ever trying sci-fi. Now, I can say I have.
The prompt was to write about a piece of everyday tech turning on its owner. I thought, "What if people are wired into some manifestation of a cellphone? Future voluntary enslavement due to already present addictions...illusion of progress...someone's personal robot malfunctions...and—AND!"
And thus, I plummeted into the realm of robots and dystopia.
This experimental tale stretched my creative juices. I made the protagonist male when most of my stories have female leads. I made him sexually frustrated, hating his life, the butt of a technological joke. Why not? If the end result was horrendous, I could blame the fact that I'm not used to the sci-fi genre.
The outcome shocked me: I became fascinated with the world I imagined.
Themes of loneliness, sedentary life, and fear of a higher power even more invasive than Big Brother surfaced. The world went from fanciful to real in my head. I could imagine the horrors of living in that sort of society and how believable I could make the decline.
I have since revised the story now known as Tech Dump multiple times. It was put through a round of critiques and gained mostly positive feedback as well as helpful criticism from hardcore sci-fi fans on worldbuilding. Now, I am much more prepared to take this concept to the next level if I choose.
What will I do with this new knowledge? I never imagined I would enjoy writing sci-fi. Most books I've read in the genre bore me once they get too technical. But when I focused on the characters and situation, the "tech" took more of a backseat. I may be able to at least write that part better than other sci-fi-focused authors. My main weakness would be keeping the tech believable—and now I have more of a map to do that thanks to all the Critique Circle "critters."
Don't be afraid to experiment and flex that creative muscle.
Take yourself out of your creative comfort zone. Do it intentionally, and do it often. In the writing and drawing realm, this is one of the most important methods of exploration and growth. I never would have known I could enjoy writing sci-fi if I didn't try it. Back in college, I never knew I would enjoy drawing people until I took life drawing class.
For fellow authors out there, try writing in a genre you don't enjoy reading. If you don't usually write from a child's perspective, try it. How about from an animal's? One of the many joys of creation is free reign. Imagination, particularly mine, is limited most by perfectionism in the form of "I don't want to mess 'it' up."
Whatever "it" is should go elsewhere. Not so easily put into practice but well worth the effort. For my next venture, perhaps I'll try young adult.
Keep on smilin'!
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