Welcome to the Science Fiction Writers' Week Hub

Ian Douglas is best known for the award-winning Zeke Hailey science fiction novels. He also writes short stories, and won the Gravity Award 2021. Other credits include a radio play, apps, reviews, and graphic fiction. Ian is a literacy ambassador and was guest of honour at the 2019 Malta Literary All Stars Festival.

This Q+A could involve a discussion on the differing demands of children’s and adult fiction, and writing within different literary forms. It could also lead to a consideration of how to write a science fiction series, and how to tackle real world issues of family and coming of age in fantastical settings.

Joss Lake is a novelist and educator. His first book, Future Feeling, was long-listed for the PEN/Hemingway award for debut novel. He was named one of the Strand’s “30 Writers to Watch.” He teaches at Columbia University, the School of Visual Arts, and The School of the New York Times.

This Q+A could involve the challenges and rewards of using science fiction to explore complicated issues of gender, trans identity and alternative families. This could lead to a consideration of how future technology could aid community building, and the importance of more diverse voices in science fiction.

Andy Weir built a two-decade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full-time. This was adapted into an award winning film in 2015. His latest novel Project Hail Mary is a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

This Q+A could involve a discussion on the lure of space, as well as the challenges of self-publishing, balancing technical detail with story-telling, and imaginings of the end of the world.

World Building Sci-Fi 101: What should you be focussing on in a Scifi world? How much detail should you build your planets or technologies in? And how can you come up with a setting that makes sense, even when aliens and space travel get involved?! Janet Forbes and Dimitris Havlidis (https://www.worldanvil.com), published authors and worldbuilding experts, take you through the hows and wherefores of Scifi worldbuilding, helping you put together an original and exciting setting for whatever you're creating!

During this networking session, you will have the opportunity to work in groups to create an engaging science fiction world.

Nghi Vo is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain and The Empress of Salt and Fortune, a Locus and Ignyte Award finalist and the winner of the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award.

This Q+A could involve a discussion of the power of intertwining the real and the fantastical to address issues of gender, race and sexuality. It could also lead to a consideration of the simultaneous elusiveness and discrimination of Hollywood and the American dream.

The Narrative LensWriters don’t simply describe—they render experiences by filtering details through a narrative lens. The narrative lens comprises all the structural considerations that can be brought to bear on word choice when writing a scene. We will look at how the narrative lens is used in prose fiction, with special attention to its application in science fiction.

Rachelle Atalla is a Scottish-Egyptian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter, who previously worked as a community pharmacist for a decade. Her short stories have been published widely in literary anthologies; she is the recipient of a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award and co-edits New Writing Scotland.

This Q+A could involve a discussion of the shifts in the genre of dystopian fiction, and its increasing importance as a reflection of modern society. This could lead to a conversation about the danger of surveillance and abuse of power.

If you've ever tried to build a science fiction world, you know how much there is to keep track of: from technologies, to planets and astral phenomena, to aliens and more! In this software walkthrough, professional worldbuilders and published authors Janet Forbes and Dimitris Chavlidis take you through World Anvil, an award winning worldbuilding software that will help you build a science fiction world of your electric-sheep dreams, and then write novels and run games among the stars! 

Samit Basu is the author of several novels, most recently of The City Inside. He’s been publishing fantasy and science fiction novels in India since 2003. Samit has also co-written/directed a film for Netflix, written comics, children’s books and short stories in various genres, and non-fiction as a journalist and columnist.

This Q+A could involve a discussion of using science fiction and imagined futures to process history and the present. It could also address the influence of cyberpunk, writing from life and the challenges of representing the complications of Indian history.

During this networking session, you will have the opportunity to work in groups to tell a story based on a prompt.

Is there a secret storytelling code hidden behind all well-plotted science fiction novels?

In Save the Cat! writes a science fiction novel, bestselling author and story coach Jessica Brody (author of the number one bestselling plotting guide, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel) introduces you to the 15 beats of the famous Save the Cat! method, which writers around the world are using to craft engaging stories, compelling character arc, and unputdownable novels. Using examples from popular science fiction novels, Jessica demonstrates how the Save the Cat! structure blueprint can be used to plot, write, outline or revise your science fiction novel, or simply jumpstart you out of writing slumps. This fun and engaging presentation is sure to inspire you and leave you itching to start writing!

Want to learn how to craft the perfect dynamic between your protagonist and antagonist? Join Savannah for an in-depth discussion about how to create three-dimensional compelling characters for your story.

T. R. Napper is a multi-award-winning science fiction author. His short stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Interzone, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and numerous others, and been translated into Hebrew, German, French, and Vietnamese. He received a creative writing doctorate for his thesis: Noir, Cyberpunk, and Asian Modernity.

This Q+A could involve a discussion on the influence of cyber punk on Napper’s writing, as well as the use of science fiction to explore identity, history and technology in new ways. It could also consider the influence of urban settings and outsider figures in Napper’s work.

Emmi Itäranta is a Finnish author who writes in Finnish and English. Her award-winning debut novel  Memory of Water has been translated into more than 20 languages and a film adaptation, The Guardian of Water, is in production.

This Q+A could lead to a discussion of the influence of climate change on Emmi's writing, as well as the numerous genres her work could be categorised under, including eco-fiction, science fiction, mystery and romance. It could also address the use of epistolary form, and how writing in both English and Finnish affects her work.

Bethany Clift is the Director of her own production company, Saber Productions. Her debut novel, Last One at the Party, was published in 2021 and the television rights have been optioned by Scott Free Films. Bethany’s second novel, Love and Other Human Errors, will be published in August, and she is currently working on her third novel as well as two television series.

This Q+A could involve a discussion of the differing demands of film and books, the growing urgency of dystopian novels, and the use of humour to explore what it means to be human.

During this networking session, you will have the opportunity to work in groups to write the story of a first encounter between two groups. 

How to tell a clear science fiction story presented by Hayley Milliman from ProWritingAid.

Sue has helped hundreds of writers, from newbies to bestsellers, transform their inhibitive mindset around marketing and realize their full potential as authors. Her clients have exponentially increased their email lists and book sales, landed articles in prestigious publications such as The New York Times, done guest spots on popular podcasts and more.

One of the toughest, but most necessary, parts of being an author is tackling your own marketing. Too often, writers rely on tactics without having an underlying strategy and flail around like they've just landed in another realm.

You'll learn why marketing your book using a slapdash playbook of tactics from the internet is likely to fail, your number one book marketing goal, and the foundational 4-part book marketing strategy that will actually grow your audience of science fiction readers.

Kahina Necaise is the executive editor of Fabled Planet, which provides editing and guidance tailored to writers of fantasy and science fiction. When not editing, she can usually be found writing her own fantasy stories, reading about ancient civilizations of our world or others, gathering sources for her someday dissertation on The Chronicles of Narnia, or going on walks while daydreaming about one of these things.

No one knows more about revision than developmental editors, who spend their days whipping early drafts into publication-ready shape. This session will take you through the top self-editing tips - covering all aspects from plot to character to worldbuilding - from a developmental editor and blogger specialising in fantasy and science fiction. It will also look at pointers on whether working with a professional developmental editor is for you, how to find the right editor, and ways to get the most out of an editor's suggestions.

Presented by Kevin McLaughlin

Gareth Powell has won and been shortlisted for several major awards for his science fiction including the BSFA, Locus, British Fantasy, and Seiun. His Embers of War novels are currently being adapted for TV.

This Q+A could lead to a discussion of the use of science fiction to explore what it means to be human, as well as the challenges of writing epic space operas, while developing unique characters and relationships.

Learn about ProWritingAid's software as well as ask questions about the Science Fiction Writers' Week special offer for ProWriting Academy.

During this networking session, you will have the opportunity to work in groups to come up with the perfect science fiction hero. 

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and self-proclaimed word nerd who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. She is the founder of DIYMFA.com, podcast host for DIY MFA Radio, and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community.

When we think of world building, we often imagine broad, sweeping  kingdoms with mystical creatures and all manner of magic. Or perhaps we think of a dark, dystopian world with intricate caste systems and authoritarian politics. Some of us might even spend so much time mapping out those worlds that we never get around to writing the story in the first place. The solution to this problem is writing scenes, because when you focus on crafting individual scenes, you put your story’s world into context.

In this fast-paced session, Gabriela will teach her Scene Craft model and demonstrate how individual scenes contribute to your story’s overall world. She will also introduce you to the Ecological Systems model for world building (based on the psychological model by the same name) and she will show you how the different layers of your story’s come to life via different scene components. You’ll leave this session charged up, inspired, and ready to apply the concepts to your own work-in-progress.