Currently viewing the tag: "fiction"
Question: what are the seven deadly sins of science fiction?
from the book
“the seven deadly sins of science fiction” as the title suggests, there are seven of them, and i need them by tonight. please help! 
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no, the book lists things you should refrain from doing when writing a science fiction novel. they are referred to in the book as “the seven deadly sins of science fiction”. i need to know what the book lists as the seven sins.
Answer:
Answer by JephC
Reading Science Fiction
Writing science fiction
watching science fiction
playing science fiction
believing in science fiction
listening to science fiction
Scientology
Question: Are fiction and poetry two different genres?
This may be a stupid question, but are fiction and poetry two different genres? I’m putting together a collection of my short stories and poetry, and I wanted to listed the whole thing as my “fiction” as I also have a collection of non-fiction essays. If it includes poetry, should I give it a different indicator?
Answer:
Answer by S.K.
Yes, poetry is not included in the ‘umbrella’ category of fiction, which includes many genres (like mystery, romance, steampunk, etc.).
Question: How close to our real lives can fiction be?
“Truth is stranger than fiction.” This is *the* reference quote for most folks but, what purpose does it serve other than just sounding good?
I think stories no matter how reality-based will remain stories. In fiction, everything has a reason- someone’s death, someone’s success, someone’s pain… The writer has to justify nearly everything in a story.
Can it be compared to real lives where things have no reason or order…. or do they?
P.S. I just made up this question after reading the preface of a story book. I hope you like the question.
Answer:
Answer by Patricia M
My life wouild make a great story. But I have not seen any fiction that compares to real life. Pem
Question: What is the moral of Will Ferrell’s movie, Stranger Than Fiction?
I saw the movie, Stranger than Fiction (2006) starring Will Ferrell and I loved that movie a lot. I want to know what the moral/message of the movie is. Is it, “What is written in a book, happens in real life?” Or is it, as Mark Twain said, “Truth is stranger than fiction”. Or maybe is it, “Never be afraid to try new things” because in the movie, Harold Crick is an IRS agent that lives a dull life and is dominated by his wristwatch. Can anyone tell me the moral of Stranger Than Fiction?
Answer:
Answer by Meghan Renee
That it’s realllly boring, lol.
Question: How do you feel about self-aware fiction?
“Self-aware fiction” meaning fiction that references the fact that it is fictional. It may just hint at this idea or it may be a major plot point, but the characters/narrator/description/etc seem to have some idea that they may not be “real” in the strictest sense.
Answer:
Answer by Dwayne Hoover
Metafiction? It’s cool.
Question: Do you have any sample questions in the area of science fiction?
I am attending a meeting in a day and it involves impromptu speeches that last 1-2 minutes. I am the coordinator for this meeting and need to ask the questions that the people will answer in their speeches. The topic of the day that all questions must pertain to is “science fiction”. So far I have asked what people’s favorite science fiction movie/TV show are and what technology in science fiction they would like in the world today. Do you have additional ideas for questions I could ask that people could answer?
I will award 10 points for the best question written that deals with science fiction.
Answer:
Answer by Joe K
In the Dresden Files, what unusual profession has Harry Dresden taken up?
Question: Is reading fiction a window into knowledge?
I understand that reading “fiction” in general helps you to accumulate a larger vocabulary and allows us to use our imagination. But other than that, what is it good for? How could it make you smarter, would you say that it does? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to read a book that teaches you about science and math? Wouldn’t that make you smarter, not a fiction book?
Answer:
Answer by arokh72
What do you mean makes you smarter, there are various forms of “smart” not just book smarts or science smarts? A good fiction novel can get you thinking about things in a different way. It’s one reason I love alternate reality novels so much as it gets me thinking on those alternatives and how our world would be different. Also a decent fiction novel can have some basis on real things, especially if the author has done some decent research. Take Lord of the Rings for example. It is said to be an example of the world around Tolkien’s time and how the world he lived in influenced LotR (he denied it however). For example the the destruction of the Old Forest by Sauraman’s forces can be said to be linked the industrialisation of England during Tolkien’s time. Also the Elvish language is based on a tribal Finnish language and the entire trilogy has links back to various ancient European mythologies. So yes if you take the time from a novel to look deeper and maybe learn more about them they can increase your knowledge on various items. Another example is Empire of the Sun, a novel set in WW2 China with a British national, lead me to learn more about th lesser known parts of the WW2 such as the Rape of Nanking (aka Nanjing) by Japanese forces in WW2, or the fate of Europeans living in the Bund district of Shanghai at the time.
Question: What would happen if fiction and reality were combined together?
A friend of mine said that if fiction and reality would combine together, it would be called “nuclear fiction” or “nuclear reality” and the whole world would explode.
It would be cool to travel back in time using a time machine and undo the bad aspects of history such as World War II, horror and slasher movies, September 11, 2001, etc. so that I would have a happier and better life. It would be cool to travel back in time and alter the past.
Answer:
Answer by dvandom
If you combine fiction and reality, you get fiction.
Question: What fantasy and/or science fiction audiobooks would you recommend?
Please tell me your favorites so I can listen to them! =)
If possible, I would like a list under categories “fantasy,” “science fiction,” or “both.” A special notification if the title has good music would also be nice – good music is a nice bonus but not a requirement.
As always, thank you for participating and helping out!
Answer:
Answer by marbehraglaim
A great one I listened to was “Spirits in the Wires” by Charles de Lint. It is not necessarily my favorite de Lint book, but the audiobook presentation is one of the best I’ve ever heard. It features two speakers, a male and a female, and they alternate depending on the character’s gender, but they each know how to do a variety of voices and accents.
“Spirits in the Wires” is part of de Lint’s Newford series. Another good book from that series is “The Onion Girl,” which has been recently made into an audiobook, though I haven’t heard it yet. I’m hoping my library will one day carry it, and I may order it from Amazon, if the price goes down.
I am currently listening to the audiobook of Richard Matheson’s “What Dreams May Come,” which is one of my favorite books, and it is about Heaven and Hell. For a more mainstream Matheson title, you might try “I Am Legend,” though I haven’t listened to the audiobook version of it.
Question: What do you think the main difference is in fantasy fiction over adventure fiction?
Once you introduce a paranormal element, is it no longer to be classified as “adventure fiction”? If you know your stuff, please say so. If you want to quess, or even have a strong opinion, you’re welcome to answer, but I especially want to hear from those in the know.
Answer:
Answer by MOM KNOWS EVERYTHING
I think a little paranormal element can be contained in adventure fiction, (ESP, ghosts to a limited degree, “possession”) but once you get into truly “unreal” subject matter (dragons, wizards, time travel, the distant future, etc.) it becomes “fantasy” because there isn’t any reality base anymore.