The experience of writing a sci-fi novel shared by S. Sorrel.

1. How to create a sci-fi
novel
- tips from the Outer
Space.By S. Sorrel

2. Hello, world creators!
My name is S. Sorrel and I have recently
published a Young Adult sci-fi book called
Incomplete. Since then, I’ve been
receiving lots of questions related to my
creative process, book publishing and time
management. So, I’ve decided to share
some of my experiences with fellow world
creators in this presentation. I hope it
helps!!!
Peace, force and joy!

3. Foreword
I’m not really into classifications... Therefore,
they will not be the focus of this presentation.
However, when it comes to publishing, it is
important to know how your masterpiece will
be seen by the market and the writing
community. Some will say, for example, that
my book is Fantasy, but not Sci-Fi. Others
might say it is sci-fi, but not “hard” sci-fi
(stories based on scientific research). I’ve
classified it as Young Adult (aka YA) because
my main character is in her teens and her
story appeals to this age group. You may

4. Introducing the topic with
Thomas A. Edison
"Genius: 1
%
inspiratio
n and

5. I’m not saying that I’m a genius,
but...
• You should know that writing is not a linear
process and it may take you a long time to
finish your book.
• It took me 6 years to write Incomplete: from
decoding the original inspiration to publishing
the reviewed book, which leads us to a very
important question:
Why is it that you
want to write Sci-Fi

6. A question all writers need to
answer, really, because...
• Maybe, you just like the genre and wants
to interact with the books you’ve read
somehow. In this case, you may want to
check what fan-fics are all about.
• Or, maybe, you’re dreaming about fortune,
fame and a Hollywood contract... Fair
enough, since it has happened to others
and it may happen to you... =)
• But you should really check the
experience of well-known authors: they
only got where they are after a long-term

7. Since writing is such a lonely
enterprise...
Read about the experiences of other world
makers. It will help you improve your
writing, redifine your expectations and
(what has really made a difference to me):
• Feel that you’re not alone when facing
a challenge.
• Understand if this is the kind of life
you’d like to have.
My favorite book for that purpose is
Stephen King’s “On Writing”.

8. “Ok, I get it, I’m still a writer, let’s
move on...”
If you still feel that you’re meant to write,
then you’re probably reading everything
that comes to your hand... Maybe more in
the sci-fi or fantasy areas, but you enjoy
reading so much that you end up
devouring pages and pages of novels,
short stories and even newspaper articles
in all areas...
WAIT A MINUTE! YOU’RE NOT? THEN,
CHECK THE OPTION THAT BEST

9. I’m not reading a lot
because...
( ) I watch lots of movies and movies are
the new books!
( ) I want to make a new contribution to the
genre. I’m trying to avoid being
contamined by what’s “already out there”.
( ) I do not have the time – I’ll either write
or read.
( ) I do not have the money to spend
buying so many books.

10. I’m not reading a lot because... (check my
comments)
( ) I watch lots of movies and movies are the
new books!
Watching movies and series IS NOT the
same as reading. How can you think
about writing when you do not have the
experience of enjoying a book yourself?
And, about that, why would you even want
to write a book if you consider them to be
old-fashioned?
( ) I want to make a new contribution to the
genre. I’m trying to avoid being contamined
by what’s “already done”.

11. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
If you have answered that you do not have
the time or the money, you might as well
figure it out! The money issue is easier to
solve, since we have libraries (virtual too!)
and cheaper e-book versions that you’ll
help you stay tuned to the area. Consider
reading as part of your training process –
it’s cheaper than taking courses (even if it
doesn’t substitute them). Teachers need to
review their methodologies and do
research, engineers have to keep up with
new technologies and manuals and YOU

12. One final word on your
homework...
I am a Cinema graduate and used to think
that watching lots of movies was the path
to success, since I wanted to be a
screenwriter... Of course, I really had to do
that! But one of my professors once told
me something really interesting: while
watching movies, you may get to know
about editing, special effects and camera
moves, but, while reading, YOU HAVE TO
IMAGINE EVERYTHING BY YOURSELF

13. Filmm
akers
have to
read
and

14. “Ok, ok, I read a lot, Mum...”
• Good! Let’s talk about the writing process,
then... Writing, for me, is as much about self-
discipline and permanence as it is about
inspiration (check Uncle Thomas in slide 4).
• Sometimes, knowing how to deal with the
inspiration you have is more important than
having the best ideas.
Shocked? I know: we tend to have this
concept about artists as people who do
not work (at least not in the common
sense appreciation of a 8-hour-a-day-

15. How did I write Incomplete?
Remember how
I told you that
the whole
process took
me 6 years?
Well, then, let’s
break it down in
a realistic way...
And try to see
what we can

16. The first year: identity problems and a
child in an alley
The process: I was thinking about people who
change their personality completely only to please
others and, sometimes, even forget who they
really: people who are being held hostage of
external expectations. I saw it as a worldwide
social crisis...
The inspiration: An image came to my mind – a
5-year-old girl in an alley changing shapes in order
to please an unknown man, until he tells her that
she could keep her original body and they leave
holding hands.
Reality: I worked a lot (teaching at courses and
high school from 7 or 8 am to 10 pm most days)
and had a child. I also wrote a lot (normally, late at
night), but not only sci-fi, since I was taking a

17. (1st year) Lesson One: Sci-fi is all about
metaphors!!!
• Ok, this may be a polemic concept, I know,
but…
• For me, sci-fi is not about escaping reality
or living in a parallel universe... IT IS
PRECISELY THE OPPOSITE.
• Sci-fi needs an attachment to the “real
world” (whatever that is) in order to mean
something to its readers. Most of the really
good sci-fi and fantasy books are about
everyday reality (or its possible outcomes),
but contextualized differently. The

18. (1st year) Lesson One: Sci-fi is all about
metaphors!!!
• Therefore, my very first step is always
considering: what could be a good metaphor for
the concept I’m trying to understand if it were
contextualized differently (a different planet, a
different time, a different social configuration?)
• We write because we feel we have something to
say. We write fiction because we feel we have
something to say through the voice of our
characters. I write sci-fi because I feel I have
something to say about our world through the
creation of a different world (even if it is a
different Earth), a different society with its own
rules.

19. (1st year) Lesson Two: Take your time, but
keep writing!!!
• You never know what the original inspiration will turn into: a short
story, a novel, a screenplay... You may even want it to become a
series (downsize the part your ego plays on it all, please!), but, at
this first moment, you are a detective.
• You are investigating your inspiration, trying to listen to it
and understand its Destiny. It sounds silly, I know, but, for me,
when the original idea arises, it already has a purpose and a
huge part of your work is discovering what that purpose is.
• About investigation tools: authors have different techniques to get
to know their material - research, imaginary interviews with
possible characters, and so on. For me, the only technique that
actually works is writing. That’s why I’ve written the short story
down.
• Remember the Hollywood contract? Well, we need to keep our
day jobs while waiting for it. So, there are only three rules for
your investigation to keep running smoothly: keep writing,
respect your material and respect yourself. Yes, you need to

20. The second and third year: I see sci-
fi characters
The process: After writing the short story – in
Portuguese, my native language – I kept having new
visions of scenes related to the main character’s life, her
teen years and felt that there was a lot more to say about
my original metaphor.
The inspiration: I started imagining myself in this girl’s
shoes and gave her a name: Mariah. It came to my mind
that mutants are normally discriminated and, one day,
after a class, I thought: “what if she lost a memory each
time she changed shapes? And what if she could only
change into another person’s memory?” The metaphor
was complete and I almost had a plot.
Reality: I had changed jobs twice and my responsibilities
kept growing (as well as my daughter). I started teaching
at the university and had to read so many academic
texts (something that I also like very much) that my time
for writing and reading sci-fi was almost inexistent.
The result: the first version of the book. I couldn’t stop

21. (2nd and 3rd years) Lesson Three: Marry
your characters
• I have to be honest: I’m talking about one
specific idea for educational purposes only. If
you’re still reading, you probably know that
ideas keep coming and they have their own
time to blossom...
• Sometimes, you’re investigating two or three
ideas at the same time (always writing,
because that’s what you do, right?) One of
the other ideas I had at the time also became
a book in Portuguese about my experiences
as an EFL teacher (By the Way). Another one
is still under development (a future sci-fi
novel called Blueprints).
• But, whenever an idea keeps coming back

22. (2nd and 3rd years) Lesson Three: Marry
your characters
• My ideas always blossom when I start to get
interested in the characters who live in them
(that’s when we start dating).
• Dating a character is starting to write
about their lives: What do they do? When?
Why? With whom? Some authors record their
impressions on their characters, imagine their
past or even draw them... As for me, well,
you know, I write...
• But dating also means caring: so, I start
trying to put myself in my characters’ shoes

23. (2nd and 3rd years) Lesson Three: Marry
your characters
• When do you know it’s time for an
engagement? When all of the writing
you’ve been doing starts to look like a
plot...
• And what is a plot anyway? It is the beginning
of a story: when you feel that you can answer
the questions about your character
objectively and tell people what the story
you’re writing is all about.
• That is exactly the same thing we do when
we are thinking about commiting to someone:
we start telling about our prospect partners to

24. (2nd and 3rd years) Lesson Three: Marry
your characters
• Engaged, then! It doesn’t really matter if
people’s opinion about the story is good or
not... You defend your story, you want to
develop it further, you’re in love!
• When you marry your characters, it works
just like any real-life marriage:
1. The ceremony: you realize that you need
more time with your characters and
schedule writing periods;
2. Routine: if you arrive late at home (or at
your office table), they’ll call (haunt) and
you’ll have to hurry up. Otherwise, they’ll

25. (2nd and 3rd years) Lesson Three: Marry
your characters
3. Crisis: by now, you know your characters well and the
honeymoon phase is over. You’d like to write one scene a
certain way, but you know that your characters would
never do that. You’ll need to compromise from time to time
and, if you vouch for the “my way or the highway” strategy,
your pages will rotten (they’ll feel dull and you may even
end up forgetting all about why you wanted to get married
– tell the story – in the first place).
4. Counselling: in order to deal with your partners (oops,
characters) you may need to look for professional advice.
As time goes by, you may find that you’re speaking
different languages (lack of vocabulary: read more in
the sci-fi area and take courses, if possible, some of
them are free-of-charge) or that you need to know more
about the reality of your mates (do research on book-

26. The fourth year: it needs to end
somehow...
The process: I had almost all of my chapters
written down and felt the book needed an
ending. Not because the story had ended, but
because I had just realized that one book
would not cover all I had to say.
The inspiration: I started daydreaming with
scenes from a future that was really distant
from what I was writing at that moment.
Reality: I had more and more responsilities
at my job (it never ends, really) and worked
everyday (including Saturdays).
The result: And ending to the book, but not

27. (4th year) Lesson Four: Know how to
recognize the end
• In the case of Incomplete, after writing six more or
less long chapters, I realized that the story was still
very distant from its ending, but felt that the book
needed to be wrapped up. It is not always the case:
“Blueprints”, for example, will not be a series – I’m
positive about that – and it is still sitting on my virtual
drawers, waiting for closure.
• The ending is always a delicate moment (almost
as delicate as the beginning). You may ask me: how
do you know that Incomplete is a series and
“Blueprints” will not become one? The only thing I
can say is that, while you’re writing, just like in any
long-term relationship, sometimes you start imagining
you and your partner as a couple of old loving fellows

28. (4th year) Lesson Four: Know how to
recognize the end
• It doesn’t matter anyway: writing the final chapter
of any book is difficult.
• You’ll probably write more than one version until you
feel you’ve reached the right tone.
• For me, it happens when I finally feel that I have
said what I wanted to say in the first place.
• It may be a good idea to work on some of your
parallel projects (ideas, metaphors...) for some time,
while you try to understand your ending.
• You’re also mourning the relationship you’re about to
leave, so, be kind to yourself and keep writing (even
if you have to write short stories, cooking recipes,
poems, in order to get some perspective on the work

29. The fifth year: reviewing and trying
to publish
The process: The book was finally finished,
but work had just begun. I reviewed it and
started thinking about how to publish it.
The inspiration: I finally knew the story from
beginning to end, understood its metaphor
better than anyone else on Earth and wanted
to prepare it for the world – just like you’d
prepare your son.
Reality: I had started working on my PhD
project and, well, you know, responsibilities...

30. (5th year) Lesson Five: Mother your book
• Now, the metaphor is parenting. You’ll get sick of
reviewing and reviewing, but worry about how other
people will see your son. Each time you read your
masterpiece, you’ll find problems (coherence,
grammar, conceptual problems...) and may feel
embarassed about showing them to the world.
• Depending on the kind of problem you find, you’ll
perform a literary review – related to character
building, coherence, pace and so on – or a textual
review – related to grammar, vocabulary and so on.
• Most authors will say that they should be done in this
order (dramatical and, only after that, textual), but it
has never worked like that for me. The most
important thing you need to do while reviewing is:
start sharing your text.

31. (5th year) Lesson Five: Mother your book
• I personally like reading out loud to close friends
(who suffer a lot when giving this final touches),
because I feel that this is the most effective process
for finding inconsistencies.
• I do not have any particularly good experience with
sending my text to trustworthy colleagues for them to
read – people are busy, you know... But it is our
responsibility to put the text out there somehow:
you may start a blog and publish part of what you’ve
done or send it in the body of e-mail messages
(people hate opening attachments). Reading out loud
works best for me...
• You’ll probably pick up some fights as people start
questioning things that your consider fundamental to
your story: listen to your beta-readers, that’s

32. (5th year) Lesson Five: Mother your book
• If you have access to experts – Literature and
Language teachers, agents, editors, reviewers – take
advantage of that. If you’re insecure about your
grammar, hire a professional reviewer (almost any
book has a couple of mistakes, but you know you’ll
be judged by that, so, do not get lazy!)
• After that, you’ll need to start sharing your book with
the professionals who can help publishing it and, in
order to do that, you need to create some specific
required documents: the query letter and the
synopsis.
• By now, if you’re like me at all, you’re thinking: hey,
I’ve done my job... I’ve written the book, which is the
most difficult part. Ok, writing is tough, but it’s also
fun most of the times... The next step may not be as

33. (5th year) Lesson Five: Mother your book
• That’s the time when bullying starts: your
son may be rejected. Don’t worry! You’ll
find a lot of evidence on how many good
books and even classic works of art have
been rejected multiple times.
• If you’re based in the US or in Europe, you’ll
need to look for an agent, but if you’re based
in Latin America, like I am, agents may not
be very common.
• The publishing market is changing a lot and
self-publishing has become a valid career-
building option, so you may want to consider

34. (5th year) Lesson Five: Mother your book
• Thinking about Marketing, may not be your
cup of tea, but you need to do it, even if
you mean to follow the traditional publishing
paths – from the moment you write a query
letter on.
• In my case, I decided the best strategy was
working on an English version of Incomplete
in order to access the international market,
since sci-fi is not a strong trend for Brazilian
writers.
• Frustration means receving 42 rejection
letters from both agents and small publishing
houses, when your book has been read by

35. The sixth year: GOLD!
In 2014, I finally published the
Smashwords and the Amazon edition
of my book. Lauching it as an e-book
has proven to be the right thing to do:
I’m being read, discussed and feel as
a part of the sci-fi community. The
most important lesson I have learnt
from the feedback I have received so
far is: sci-fi authors need to engage in

36. I hope you have enjoyed the trip...
Luckily, this presentation will help you
somehow!!!
And, if you want to know more about me,
check this out.
You can also visit my site, stay in touch on
Facebook or send me an e-mail
(scifi.sorrel@gmail.com)
Peace, force and joy!!!