Author Calvin Fisher On How To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories
An Interview With Ian Benke
Master your characters. No matter how engaging your world is, or how cool your tech is, people are unlikely to invest themselves in your story if there aren’t characters they find compelling. Write awesome characters, and the rest will follow.
Science Fiction and Fantasy are hugely popular genres. What does it take for a writer today, to write compelling and successful Science Fiction and Fantasy stories? Authority Magazine started a new series called “How To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories”. In this series we are talking to anyone who is a Science Fiction or Fantasy author, or an authority or expert on how to write compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy .
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Calvin Fisher.
As a native of Minnesota, Calvin Fisher learned to spend long winters tearing through pages and pages of novels. His desire to write for an audience bloomed early; as a child, he sold stacks of homemade comic books to family and neighbors. In the years since, his passion has refined and matured, but ultimately remains the same. His desire to bring characters to life is the engine that powers each work. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado. For more information visit CalvinFisherMedia.com
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what first drew you to writing over other forms of storytelling?
Writing is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. My first love was comic books, especially Spider-man. I’d tear through comic books like a scampering raccoon. I was inspired by these stories, and I created my own comics and sell them around the neighborhood. The desire to share stories with the world has always been a part of me. I love writing novels because of the lack of obstacles. Whatever’s on your mind, you can put onto the page. There is a freedom in writing novels that you can’t find in other mediums.
You are a successful author. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I think one of the key traits is an ability to self-reflect well. This comes out especially while self-assessing my projects. Being able to honestly evaluate what works and what does not is critical in turning out a good story. No project is perfect, especially at first.
Another trait is persistence. Writing is an activity you have to do day in, day out, regardless how much you may want to at a given time. Along with that, getting a novel published, much less out to an audience, is a long process with its own share of bumps. You have to learn how to roll with the punches in order to succeed.
Lastly, being able to put yourself in another person’s shoes is important. Being able to understand where people are coming from is important in writing characters. Unless all of your characters serve as reflections of yourself and your beliefs, you need to see others’ perspectives, and learn what makes people tick.
Can you tell us a bit about the interesting or exciting projects you are working on or wish to create? What are your goals for these projects?
The sequel to Apocalypse Bounty is in the works! It will release at a TBA date in 2022. My chief goal is to continue the story of Mark Northfield, and give readers more of the story they’ve experienced in the first novel. This includes more exploration of his character, a whole new region of the post-apocalyptic world for readers to see, and a deadly villain with a wolf’s cunningness to meet.
Wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. How do you define sci-fi or fantasy? How is it different from speculative fiction?
I’ve always been a bit loosey-goosey with terms like sci-fi vs. speculative fiction, so take my definitions with a grain of salt. I generally consider sci-fi to be technology-oriented: technology plays a big part in the story, either establishing the setting or being a more direct plot point. From there, sci-fi can be broken down into two sub-categories: hard and soft sci fi. The technology in hard sci-fi is more grounded, with a focus on how the technology functions. Soft sci-fi is less concerned with how the technology works, with almost all the focus being on how the technology impacts the world.
Fantasy, by contrast, is more oriented with magic, and how that interacts with the world. Not all sci-fi or fantasy stories work into these boxes, but they do a good enough job.
Speculative fiction is a larger bucket that sci-fi fits into. Think of squares and rectangles: all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. The definition of speculative fiction is in the name: speculative fiction involves speculation. All sci-fi stories could fit that definition. However, stories that project some idea of the future or alternate history, with little or no concern for technology, would probably fall in the speculation category, but maybe not sci-fi.
It seems that despite countless changes in media and communication technologies, novels and written fiction always survive, and as the rate of change increases with technology, written sci-fi becomes more popular. Why do you think that is?
Sci-fi is a unique drama because it provides a way of escape for people, while also serving as a way of reflecting upon our current world. Not many other genres can do both at the same time. Most focus on either pure escapism, or on pure reflection. Because sci-fi can operate in both modes, it is very responsive to the changes in the world. At times when people more want an escape, sci-fi is there to provide it. If people are looking more into a way to reflect upon the world with a critical lens, or comment on the world, sci-fi is also there. Sci fi is a very perseverant genre because of this flexibility.
In your opinion, what are the benefits to reading sci-fi, and how do they compare to watching sci-fi on film and television?
Reading sci-fi is awesome due to the way it encourages the reader to exercise his or her imagination. A science fiction writer can provide just enough information for the reader to imagine something really cool in his or her head. On the big screen, it can be great to see authors’ worlds come alive, worlds that readers have become invested in, but at a same time they have a tough time living up to what readers often imagine. This is often due to the limitations that come with films and television, whether they be budgetary or time related.
What authors and artists, dead or alive, inspired you to write?
A number of my big inspirations are comic book writers. J. Michael Straczynski, Paul Jenkins, and Brian Michael Bendis immediately come to mind. As far as novels go, Cormac McCarthy and Vince Flynn are people I greatly admire in their writing style and ability to craft stories. My favorite fantasy author is Brent Weeks; I love how he writes his characters and pulls the reader into his plots.
If you could ask your favourite Science Fiction and Fantasy author a question, what would it be?
I would ask Brent Weeks his process in creating characters. They are all so three-dimensional, and I’d like to know how he consistently makes his characters so real and human.
We’d like to learn more about your writing. How would you describe yourself as an author? Can you please share a specific passage that you think exemplifies your style?
I write with the fast-paced, get-to-the-point styling of thriller writers, mixed with some of the flair of comic book writers. Here is one passage that exemplifies this, where our leading hero Mark Northfield, is making a harrowing decision:
“You can’t help, Northfield. You can’t help when you have no idea what’s going on. You gotta just wash your hands of this and walk away. Get out before these people find you and you either have to kill them or let them kill you.
He turned around and silently snuck to the window, during which he glanced at his reflection; clad with his goggles and gas mask, he looked like a demon in the night.
He slid open the window and stuck his foot through. He didn’t get the chance to stick his other through.
His eyes widened. Footsteps.”
Based on your own experience and success, what are the “Five Things You Need To Write Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
- Master your characters. No matter how engaging your world is, or how cool your tech is, people are unlikely to invest themselves in your story if there aren’t characters they find compelling. Write awesome characters, and the rest will follow.
- Pay attention to details. Sci-fi readers look to immerse themselves in your world, which means they’ll drink up every detail. Inconsistencies with how your setting or plot work may prevent some readers from fully being able to immerse themselves. The minute details really do add up, especially in this genre.
- Seek feedback early and often. No matter how amazing you are at criticizing your work, you have blind spots. It’s inevitable, regardless of who you are. Readers invested in your success, especially those with a critical eye, can make all the difference in how your book lands with the general audience.
- Longer isn’t always better. When possible, try to exercise brevity. Long exposition and descriptions are taxing on readers, and if used without a measured restraint, will pull readers away. Evaluate what is necessary to keep in your novel, and what may be better on the chopping block.
- Be gracious to your readers. Whether you have two readers, two hundred readers, or two million readers, they chose to read your book out of the millions that have been published. That is an honor, and if you can recognize that, your gratitude will appear on the page. All else being equal, a writer that appreciates his readers will pen a better story.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Entertainment, Business, VC funding, and Sports read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
I’ve always wanted to meet Wyatt Russell; he’s been in a variety of movie and TV roles that I find incredibly interesting, and I’d love to hear his thoughts playing each of them. It would also be interesting hearing his story growing up as the son of Kurt Russell. His life, I imagine, must be an interesting path.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I have a website, calvinfishermedia.com where I keep readers updated on my future works! I also have a blog on my website where I engage with readers. I’m active on Facebook and Twitter, as well, with the name calvinfishermedia.
Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success.
About The Interviewer: Ian Benke is a multi-talented artist with a passion for written storytelling and static visual art — anything that can be printed on a page. Inspired by Mega Man, John Steinbeck, and commercials, I.B.’s science fiction writing and art explore the growing bond between technology and culture, imagining where it will lead and the people it will shape. He is the author of Future Fables and Strange Stories, the upcoming It’s Dangerous to Go Alone trilogy, and contributes to Pulp Kings. The CEO and Co-Founder of Stray Books, and an origami enthusiast, Ian is an advocate of independent, collaborative, and Canadian art. https://ibwordsandart.ca
