Hi all, after many years of THINKING about stories but never writing anything after the age of 10, I'm actually trying to write. Have tried to participate in nanowrimo a few times but always failed and I've realised it's probably because I was sitting down to write with a vague idea and a blank page, but what I really need to do is make a solid plan so that's what I'm doing now I'm not sure if my concept is fantasy or sci fi/speculative - it's kind of a cozy thing set in a small village in the future after people have decided to live more sustainably. I've been inspired to write it after reading Becky Chambers' new Monk and Robot book and realising that maybe there is space for cozy, character-driven sci fi that's wholesome and nice. If you know of any other books that do this please let me know as I'd love to read more of it!
Welcome to the forums. I'm sure there's an audience for that type of story. Have you worked out what your story's primary conflict will be?
Welcome! I don't know much about the novel market, but I can tell you that most of the short fiction publishers in the SF realm are clamoring for positive, upbeat stories. Everyone's had enough negativity from real life, I suppose. Eco-fiction is hot, too; I've heard it called cli-fi, among other things. You might want to check out Dreamforge magazine. They're fairly new, but exclusively focused on positive visions of the future. Good luck, and happy writing!
Thanks! Not really - I have the arcs I want each character to go through which are propelled by minor conflicts (eg. A family member becomes ill), and it builds to a climactic event of a fire which brings the arcs together and brings them to resolutions. However these build throughout the story and I don't have a larger overarching conflict I can introduce early into the story. Trying to think of a way to do this so it's more gripping from the start, as I'm worried that my rural village slice of life could easily become boring!
Salviapages, Glad you have begun to write and decided to join us here! I believe there is room in SF for a variety of character driven tales. Terry
If the characters are interesting and their dilemmas engaging, it won't be boring! What you seem to be doing is writing a 'human' story, only set in the future. Sounds great to me. Just curious. Are you a product of 'village life' yourself? Is it that sense of isolated community that attracts you? Personally, I find that a very attractive notion. Some of my favourite stories of all time center around a small community, isolated from other communities in some way. In many cases the arrival of a 'stranger' stirs things up. I don't know why, but I find this kind of scenario intriguing.
Thank you! I think you are right, it's a human story that happens to be set in the future. I'm actually from a city myself but I love the idea of a small rural community. I've tried to emulate it myself by moving out of the city and growing my own food but the setting of my story is my real life fantasy really! One of the 3 perspectives of the story is a newcomer to town
