Aliens and star-ship warriors battling it out for control of the galaxy; wizards and witches living in an alternate world accessed through platform 9 ¾; vampire, werewolf and human love triangles. All of these scenarios describe the science fiction and fantasy worlds created by literary geniuses, who through their imaginations and words are able to draw readers in and allow them to envisage, experience and become involved in these fictional universes.
The imagination is a powerful thing. It's the ability of the mind to build mental scenes, objects or events that do not exist. When described through words and subsequently imagined, those scenes, objects and events can become compelling and enthralling alternative realities for us to escape to.
Which is what science fiction and fantasy literature is all about - escapism from the everyday world. Over the past decade, even the most hardened critics have been converted and joined the thousands of children and tweens who have fallen in love with the science fiction and fantasy worlds of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and Stephanie Meyer's Twilight novels.
Look at any 'Top books of the decade' lists and Harry Potter and Twilight are almost certainly on there - and definitely on all the 'Most Popular' lists.
So what is it about these books that have drawn millions of readers, from all age and demographic groups, into their fantasy realms?
Written in an easy to read and engaging manner. An intriguing idea will only get you so far. For a novel to be a success, a great idea must be paired with plot and character development and beautiful writing. If you're interested in learning more about how to turn those ideas into engaging writing, try a number of fantasy and science fiction writing courses to learn more about the art of imaginative writing.
Related in some way to this world. Many of the most engaging and popular fantasy and science fiction novels, such as Harry Potter and Twilight have an element of reality and the human world included. By anchoring the fictional imaginary worlds, characters and events in reality, the books and storylines appeal to a wider variety of people.
Adult and children themes/relatable. The universal and non age-specific popularity of Harry Potter and Twilight is due to the books' themes. Even though they involve mythical creatures and magical powers and occurrences, the basic themes of love, friendship, family, romance, loyalty and good versus evil can be related to by a wide variety of people across a wide variety of ages and demographics.
If you have a fantasy world, mythical plotline or a sci-fi odyssey of your own floating around in your head, follow the lead and example of popular fantasy and science fiction books to turn that idea into a literary masterpiece! The ability to provide someone with a form of escapism from everyday life is a true gift. Put your ideas to paper with the help of writing courses and help transport others to another world, time or place with the written world.
About this Author
Stuck on ideas? The Australian College of Journalism offers writing courses that can help you brainstorm ideas and construct your narrative - so you've got a great story to tell.
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