 Fantasy: July 16, 2025 Issue [#13234] |
This week: Science: Fiction to Fact Edited by: Annette-Outta Town-See Ya 8/22  
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1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
| "Magic is just science we don't understand yet" ~ Arthur C. Clarke |
Science: Fiction to Fact
Fantasy fiction invented almost all of the technological advances we now enjoy daily.
Leonardo DaVinci is credited with the creation of concepts for helicopters, parachutes, and a self-propelled cart that could be considered an early idea of a car.
Jules Verne described manned submarines and travel to the moon.
While both these artists did not get to see their fantasies turn to reality, they set the stage for engineers to try (and eventually succeed) at making these machines.
More recently, Star Trek predicted the use of tablet computers in the twentieth century. We now use these things daily, whether as users or being exposed to someone using a tablet. Doctors have us check in on tablets. Recently, I saw a cashier in a membership only super store make the rounds and ring up customers with a tablet by connecting the contents of the cart to the membership, making the check out process much faster for those customers.
As fantasy writers, we constantly have to ask ourselves whether we should use existing, even cutting edge technology in our tales, or if we can let it rip and create things that nobody has yet.
When using something that exists already, there is the risk of the writing becoming dated quickly. Technology moves fast. Someone using a Blackberry in a novel will elicit chuckles from those who know and create confusion for readers that are too old or too young to conceptualize what a Blackberry even is.
When describing a non-existent technology, it is imperative to include it seamlessly into the text. Its use has to be made logical and necessary for the plot to progress. At the same time, it needs to get enough explanation so that readers understand what they are looking at and what they can expect from the object.
That's probably why wands are so popular. They can create anything and we've all been trained to recognize them since our first free magic show at the local public library. And that's why local public libraries can never be a thing of the past.
Do you know of something that was a fantasy in your younger years that is now a reality? |
| | | Advent (E)
A spaceship is damaged and finds a planet for the survivors.
#2256540 by Beholden   |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Replies to my last Fantasy newsletter "A Thriving Genre" that asked: Do you prefer short stories, epics with several books, or a simple one-and-done novel?
Quick-Quill  wrote: I prefer a novel or novella |
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