ASMSG Scifi Fantasy Paranormal Emagazine March 2014 | Page 13

5 Big Problems Facing Science Fiction
Writers and How to Solve Them
M Joseph Murphy

Recently I read an article from last year in which J. Michael Straczysnki spoke about the biggest problems facing science fiction. Here are
five common problems facing science fiction writers and how to solve them.
1. “NETWORKS STILL DON’T
TAKE SF SERIOUSLY.”
It’s not just the networks.Many people
roll their eyes at all types of “genre”
fiction. This is kind of ridiculous
because the best science fiction is
written to be extremely serious. At its
core, science fiction is a social
commentary that shine a light on the
human condition. It asks the hard
questions and offers solutions.

Solution: Give your story depth and

Sneer all you want at L. Ron Hubbard. I
fell in love with his writing before I
heard anything about Scientology. He
wrote a wonderful article on science
fiction and the role it plays in society.
He stated that science fiction, much like
morality plays in times before, allowed
us to sneak a message past the reader.
Rather than hammer home a message

2. “A SPACE-SH