Are sci-fi writers “better” than others?
By: Justarius on Feb 04 2009Category: Storytelling
Are sci-fi writers “better” than others? Isaac Asimov was once accused of making this claim, which annoyed the heck out of other writers. Given his famously large ego, this seemed like something he would say, but his actual words were more like, “all things being equal, a sci-fi writer could write passably well in other genres without additional training, but other genre writers probably could not do the same in sci-fi.”
There is a grain of truth to this argument. All technical genres require certain core competencies; in the case of sci-fi, it is science and/or sci-fi lore. Theoretically, this requirement is a one-way barrier, making it difficult for other genre writers to write sci-fi but not vice versa.
In the real world, the barrier is completely surmountable with thorough research. Just like a reasonably intelligent person can learn anything with enough motivation, a diligent writer can learn to write any genre he or she wants.
Are sci-fi writers “better” than others? As juicy as that sounds, Asimov knew better than to ask such a question; his words were twisted by those who did not like the suggestion that sci-fi was somehow different or special. Asimov didn’t argued that he could write romance better than a romance writer - only that he could write romance, whereas a romance writer probably could not write passable sci-fi without research. Sci-fi writers are not “better” for knowing science and/or lore, but it does grant them the ability to operate in the sci-fi genre.
Asimov also knew his limitation as a writer; he was not a “great writer” in a literary sense. He rarely wrote about romantic love, and many of his stories have very little action and/or character development. But Asimov was a “great sci-fi writer” because his ideas and the clarity with which he presented them were so damn good. As I have written previously, the topic determines the creative skills needed.
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4 Responses to “Are sci-fi writers “better” than others?”
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I do not concur that being a talented sci-fi writer gives you more strength when it comes to the production of other genres of writing. I will say that the advantage of a sci-fi writer has much to do with their ability to research to lend some credibility to their text. This trait is important for any writer, no matter the genre. Writers of science fiction, medical fiction, legal fiction and the like often hone their skills of research to “prove” their thesis/claims/story. Research is the cornerstone of any good work of fiction. In that respect, science fiction writers (and medical, legal, etc.) have an advantage to creating believable text.
You make some great points, Kari, and I have rewritten the article to incorporate some of them. Thanks!
One thing about sci-fi authors is that they may not have to research much to write their works. Many of them already possess the requisite knowledge because they are scientists and/or sci-fi fans themselves. They may have good research skills, but I’m not sure if that is necessarily a common trait for sci-fi writers in general.
I have to agree that it would be very hard for someone naturally suited to writing romance to decide to write a piece of science fiction. It would certainly be a stretch for me since it is not something I read on a regular basis. In that respect, be it Asimov’s words or not, he is correct in saying that he could probably do a better job of writing a romance than a romance author could at writing science fiction.
Though, I might take that on as a challenge! Might need to give the old science fiction thing a try.
I’m glad that the article can serve as a sort of writing challenge for you. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but I like that idea very much. I think everyone needs challenges of different sorts in order to grow. I know that I’m likely terrible at romance, so maybe I should try my hand at it. I’ve got nowhere to go but up!