Science Fiction Genre Characteristics

Science fiction is one of the most popular fiction genres. There are lots of sub-genres.
Writing science fiction is hard enough, but finding the right genre is even harder!
In this video, I’ll be covering different types of science fiction genre characteristics. . If you’re new to the genre and are wanting to write a science fiction novel for the first time, or if you just want to learn more about what makes this genre tick, watch this video. Even if you don’t write science fiction, you’ll walk away with some interesting ideas to use in your next book.

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[eliasbischoff]

One minute in and I am already in love with the crisp, clean, organized style of the video. Very pleasant and easy to listen to
Wow, you are fast😂

[EmonEconomist]

0:00 Introduction
1:05 What is science fiction?
1:50 Cyberpunk
3:12 Steampunk (including 3:43 Retrofuturism)
4:30 Dystopian science fiction
5:26 Space science fiction (including 5:36 Space Opera, 6:10 Planetary Romance, 6:32 First Contact/Alien Invasion, 6:58 Colonisation, 7:14 Dying Earth, 7:20 Dying Astronaut, 7:26 Military science fiction)
7:56 Time travel
8:47 Apocalyptic science fiction
9:08 Post-apocalyptic science fiction
10:17 Alternate world science fiction (including alternate world, parallel world and lost world tropes)
11:14 Spyfi
12:01 Military science fiction
13:42 Artificial intelligence
14:48 Superhero science fiction
15:25 Science fantasy (including 16:03 Space science fantasy)
16:19 Conclusion

Great video and a very comprehensive breakdown of the genre, thank you!

[elanthys]

Jack Campbell's "The Lost Fleet" is another brilliant military sci-fi series. It focuses on a fleet that slowly relearns old tactics and military practices after a century of war made discipline and honor redundant... Great stuff.

[onamu]

Really hard to find a GOOD video about this topic. Fantastic

[jamesarnold]

I’m not gonna lie, that FF7 mention got you the subscription.

[FrenchToast]

I want to create a story that’s a mix of space opera, time travel, and maybe a dystopian future. Wish me luck!

[TirpitzLuminare]

I was really surprised sci-fi horror wasn't mentioned. Just recently found your channel, really dig it, lots of great information. Subbed

[Book-Gnome]

Having dabbled in producing youtube videos it boggles my mind how much time and energy you must invest into these videos. Kudos.

[larssgt]

Love the Orson Scott Card intro. That's my favorite author.

[ApplesThatRead]

Uh I adore this channel, your content is a hidden gem! I really appreciate the demonstrable competence here- presenting info that is concise and factual with regard to the history of the genre instead of the "well the way I PERSONALLY think about sci-fi is..." is very powerful. Education on writing elements is a huge thing I feel that holds people back from becoming proficient storytellers; there's a lot of passion but no real working knowledge base for many people unfortunately & if you don't know the history of elements it is difficult to use them in novel and nuanced ways.

[aarkmish]

You explain so well. Thank you for sharing.

[yuppodo]

...and 8 more books added to my already unrealistic book list. Haha I love it. Cheers!

[RoadToSix]

I feel more intelligent from listening to you talk

[cinelines]

Man your explanation is so simple and easy to understand! Wonder why you've so less subs! But that don't let in your way, keep making videos, we love it!...and yes, you earned a new Subscriber. 🤗

[AutomanicJack]

i love sci-fi and i think you explained it very well. maybe also important are themes like "Evolution" (human, machines, animals, uplifting). And a lot of dystopias and utopias i would put together in "Social Sci-Fi" when they take a closer look at our society.

[smokeymoment]

I didnt get a notification when this was released. Great content. I have one sci fi called Impulse.

[hakimkamaruzaman]

My favourite sci-fi sub genre is Cyberpunk.

[geoffreydonaldson]

This is a great channel! I’m working on a rather grand narratological theory which has taken me several years longer than I’d first expected (since I’m retired and don’t need to make a living in this way, I might just never complete it—there’s always that risk at my age). Naturally I begin at the beginning and shorten retrospecultion the closer I reel it all in towards the ‘present history.’

But Science Fiction was always a significant part of the whole as I envisioned it—and I’m finally arriving at the point where I have to study it more closely to see, for example, if the technology-science world of today really knocks a million years of human narratological development (overt the years I’m inclined to include pre-Homo sapiens aspects of narratology that I hadn’t anticipated at outset) off its contiguous chain of custody or not. It’s a constant wrestling match with presentism, progressivism, dialecticism, and other prejudices of the past and present days (plus ça change…). Science fiction turns me front-way around toward the future and I suspect I will encounter a lot of retrospection recast—but hope to find elements supportive of the theory so far as it’s developed. Lord!—grant me another several years!!

Thnx. This is a great overview for me.

All the best,
Scotty

[SoulScribbler]

This is such a great video. Of course, each of these could have their own video with sub-sub genres, but this is a great overview. I've only just started to get into Sci-fi reading over the past year or so and writing it in the past few months, so this is all still so new to me!

Thanks for another awesome video.

[wtk]

I've written a planetary romance whose sequel was a pure space opera ("The World of Erganna" and "The Ergannan-Largon War"), so I appreciated how you correctly connected them as being related. A lot of times these definitions trip people up. I even got some negative feedback on my planetary romance because several readers showed up expecting "modern" romance. lol