Science fiction is the genre of great ideas, especially scientific and technical concepts. You might enjoy an inventive sci-fi film by Christopher Nolan or a novel by Philip K. Dick and wonder, how do they come up with such brilliant ideas? The answer is manifold. Some writers study science and keep up with scientific news; others might be inspired by other writers’ works or their own lives. So, if you still haven’t found the perfect way to come up with sci-fi concepts or simply would like to try a new creative exercise, read on.
A few years ago, I took the Writing Science Fiction course by Ian Long – if you’re serious about writing sci-fi, I can’t recommend this course enough (you can contact him at: ian.long@euroscript.co.uk.) Contrary to historical or academic categories, Ian classifies sci-fi films based on the type of concepts they use. I’ll use this sort of classification to build up towards my creative method. Here are some examples of concepts from sci-fi books and films:
Removing something. For example, José Saramago removed human sight globally in Blindness, Kim Fupz Aakeson removed more human senses in Perfect Sense, and Charlie Kaufman introduced a machine to remove memories in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Adding something. Ted Chiang brought us aliens with a funny language in Story of Your Life, Spike Jonze took AI to the next level in Her, and Philip K. Dick introduced a machine to see the future in Paycheck.
Moving something (or someone). For example, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale moved Marty McFly to the past in Back to the Future, and Douglas Adams moved Arthur Dent off Earth in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
This made me realise something. Removing, creating, and moving are operations we perform on computer files every single day, and so I came up with…
The Computer File Method
When generating sci-fi concepts, I find it useful to think of people, objects, and qualities as computer files. Every identity, abstract or concrete, individual or collective, thus becomes an object or a file on which you can apply all operations. Here’s a simple formula for it:
Computer file operation + Noun = Sci-fi concept
Why a noun? Well, it seems like the most general and at the same time clearest way to formulate the method, but I’ll explain some variations later.
Let’s apply the formula to generate some of the examples covered in the previous section and some new ones:
Delete + Sight = Blindness
Moving + Person to the past = Back to the Future
Create + Sense = Extrasensory perception (ESP) stories
Copy + Human = Moon and other films with clones
Delete + Electricity = The series Revolution
You might argue that these concepts are just a tiny part of these stories’ premises, and that many details still need to be added, and you’d be absolutely right. I’ll get to that. For now, I’d encourage you to try the method. I’ve used it at workshops with students, and you wouldn’t believe the stuff they come up with in just five minutes.
For extra clarification, here is a list of computer-file operations (by no means exhaustive) and a list of typical nouns (even less exhaustive) that can help you get started.
Computer file operations:
- Creating
- Deleting
- Editing
- Changing extension
- Merging
- Making copies
- Software can’t read file
Nouns:
- Person
- Object
- Animal
- Planet
- Piece of technology
- Institution
- Profession
Considerations and Caveats
First, I used nouns as the files on which we perform operations, but you can definitely use verbs. For example, remove “procreate” from the world and you have Children of Men. Of course, you could have used the noun “fertility” or “procreation,” and the result would be the same. That said, I don’t like limiting brainstorming when there’s no need. You might want to remove verbs, adjectives, or pronouns for your story. You can do this with every type of word – nouns are simply the most straightforward cases.
Second, as I said at the beginning of the article, this isn’t the only way to generate sci-fi concepts. People have been coming up with great ideas for centuries without it. This is just one more tool that might spark your creativity from time to time. Never limit yourself to it.
Third, you might not want to start your sci-fi story with a concept at all. You might be the type of writer who starts with a compelling character, then adds a sci-fi touch and generates a new universe from there. Once again, don’t limit your brainstorming to one technique.
Go crazy!
So, I recommend you try the computer file method for a few minutes and see how it works for you. Generate as many concepts as you can. There’s always time later to sort them out or realise how ludicrous they were. For now, keep brainstorming.
If you have any suggestions about how to improve the method or any cool concept you’d like to share, feel free to comment below!
Next week, we’ll see how to refine and extend your concepts. Keep writing!
Juan Venegas 
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