Do you write scifi or fantasy and why?

[Meatball]

Just thought I'd throw this topic out there and see what people's preferences are. Do you generally write sci-fi based or fantasy based material? What makes you choose that?

For me, I started mostly writing fantasy. My original writings were based around actual in game experiences I had in Fantasy RPG's and that gave me good background material to work off of.

But I'm finding lately that writing sci-fi is easier for me. I think people are so used to technology taking leaps and bounds nowadays, that you can easily create advanced technology using a bit of current technology and some extrapolation of where it could end up.

Fantasy on the other hand, you either need to just force the reader to accept the fact that magic or monsters are just the way it is in your world or you need to go into great detail explaining the mechanics of why things are the way they are.

[Treslo Kresha]

I personally enjoy writing sci-fi more than fantasy. Yet each one has its place in my love of writing.
As you say in Sci-fi you are able to draw off of the current state of things and look ahead. Although you also have the ability to work an entirely new world and make people accept your explanations as their own, just as with any fantasy work. Sci-fi is easily identified with depending on what you want it to be, or it can be the most complex and confusing thing imaginable as some of the singularity books are.

Fantasy I think is very very saturated right now, and sadly I am finding less and less fantasy that I can call truly novel or inspiring. Yet - there is a whole lot of talent pouring into it daily and I see many things that I like. I think that fantasy and all its tie-ins are experiencing some growing pains, as people see the possibility for a lot of benefit after Potter, Eragon, and LoTR have gotten so big with movies recently. Many people just rework what has already been there - but I think it is going to give rise to a whole new wave of fantasy that will show us whole new ways of thinking about the style.

I think the biggest thing with either is that you have to be willing to push yourself and push what is 'safe' sometimes the most extreme ideas are the more interesting ones to read - sometimes not. Its a balancing act, always.

[Medesha]

I love reading sci-fi but I've never been very good at writing it. Probably because I'm not very "scientific." I tried to write a story once where I did the writing and my husband supplied the science; it was fun but I haven't finished it. I started it three years ago. :blush:

[orcbane]

I write Fantasy and Horror (stylized after Poe and Lovecraft. I'm not a fan of modern horror). I've dabbled in Sci-fi, but anytime I try to write anything besides Star Wars Fanfic, it comes out as Space Fantasy.

I usually go for an unrefined style. My fantasy tends to be reminiscent of fairy tales with a focus of mysterious, unexplained phenomina. I'm not a big fan of everything being explainable. In my stories, the world doesn't have to adhere to any rules. My theory is that if my story can be converted to D20, I've made it too mainstream.

[Esratihs]

I tend to go more fantasy/horror or modern/horror (or comedic). Whenever I write sci-fi it tends to end up as a Red Dwarf or Paranoia style setting, then again I was writing it in Freefall writing. You gotta love freefall.

[SlurpeeMoney]

I don't write either. At least, not yet.

Looking at this from a career standpoint, I don't want to be pigeonholed as a genre writer from the beginning. It's a strange misconception in the industry that genre fiction is automatically bad. While I'll always write the story I want to write, most of the time I'll try and frame it in a contemporary box. If and when I gain any sort of reputation as a contemporary author, I'll see about a forray or two into genre, particularly fantasy. I want to write a sprawling fantasy epic in one book, no sequels. ^_^

[Treslo Kresha]

Speaking of Sci-Fi / Fantasy I am having a problem: For some reason when I am writing recently I cannot get out of the 'story' method, I am telling a tale. Yet for the things I am writing I would prefer the 'article' style as I am trying to detail specifics and simply get the point across.

Any suggestions other than simply dealing with the garble that comes out through the odd mix and then going back later to trim it down to a relevant article style?

[Meatball]

Hmm, maybe instead of sitting down and trying to write a "story" straight from the beginning, start off with just putting together an outline of the points/topics you want to hit. Then flesh that out a bit.

Maybe you can then build off of that, which I would think would come off less like a story and more like an article.