Sci fi cliches

[Clyselia]

Hello - Just came across a cool site listing cliches to avoid in writing sci fi. Some are pretty funny - check it out:
enphilistor.users4.50megs.com/cliche.htm (http://enphilistor.users4.50megs.com/cliche.htm)

[arrowqueen]

Great fun Clyselia. Cheers!

[Andrew Spriggs]

Heh heh... Guilty as charged on a major one.:grin

[maestrowork]

This is just silly. The list is so exhaustive that it seems like if you write sci-fi at all, you're going to use at least one or a few of these "cliches."

[Andrew Spriggs]

Well, actually, that's one of the problems. No one wants to 'think outside of the box', so we have SOOOOOO many cliches. However, the thing is, if you have a new intriguing spin on the plot idea, then you win!:b

[annied]

Hee, hee...

Used some of them (okay, a good number of them) in my own sci-fi stories. Although it is true...it's hard NOT to use any of them in a typical "sci-fi story".

Loved the list.:grin

Annie

[Sunny7l]

I got the impression this guy just doesn't like sci-fi. :)

I understand most of it applies to movies and television but, in general, it's kind of hard to broach the sci-fi subject without violating at least one of these rules.

Anyways, these aren't really clichés, IMO, more a listing of things several dozen folks have noticed in sci-fi media, at least once. I can recognize most of the movies/shows that they are referring to.

[NickolausPacione]

Sci-fi is a tough genre to write -- either the tech @#%$ or the life science version of it. After writing my first Sci-Fi story -- I have a new respect for writers who write Science Fiction. I was influenced by Sci-Fi writers but I thought horror was easier to write; but when I wrote the Sci-Fi story I penned -- it came really quick. But I haven't looked into this website yet but I have a feeling I will because I'm going to tell him to give the Sci-Fi writers more credit. I have seen more fanfiction stories written in Science Fiction than in any other genre for some reason and I think I understand why. To each of you who pen science fiction, I want to know how you are able to pull it off?

[HollyB]

I vote, for this topic to get full consideration, that this thread be moved to the SF/F board. Second the motion?

[DeborahLC]

Wow. That is an exhaustive list. Interesting though. I write SF. Well sort of SF. Stories that have a SF spin. Maybe that's why I've had so much trouble getting into print, though I have managed to sell two stories to Farsector SFFH, an internet magazine. I don't think I use any cliches and that may be the problem.

If anyone's interested, have a look:

www.fictionwise.com/ebook...k23369.htm (http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook23369.htm)
www.fictionwise.com/eBook...k17332.htm (http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook17332.htm)

The excerpts will give you an idea of what the stories are about. I'd be interested in some feedback. I've sent out another short story to a print magazine call "On Spec." It'll be interesting to see if this one is rejected as well.