Space Travel

If you write science fiction (or its sub-genre science fiction romance), your characters probably need to get from place to place . . . unless they’re locked in a room somewhere the entire story. Not sure that would make a very interesting read, though. My critique partner frequently reminds me my characters are in a “white” room—no action, no descriptions. Actually, my first drafts resemble screenplays with a lot of dialogue and some stage directions.

So, how do your character move? Let’s assume they can walk, run, crawl. Can they project themselves to another place (teleportation)? Can they fly? Great. But not exactly what I’m going for. I’m thinking more along the lines of vehicles.

Is the civilization your characters inhabit advanced enough to get off their planet? Are they in the early stages of space exploration or are they veterans? Have they mastered faster-than-light speed? Or found wormholes through which their ships can travel from one star system to another?

Or what about a stargate? Thanks to Amazon Prime that I accidentally subscribed to a year ago, I’ve been OD’ing on Stargate SG-1. Now there’s an interesting concept. Obviously, other people found it interesting since the show was on for ten seasons. Stargates are like personal wormholes, taking people from one planet to another in a different star system. A stargate could be something designed by aliens, like in SG-l or the obelisk 2001: A Space Odyssey.

 

However your characters travel, be consistent. But most of all, have fun designing your methods of travel.

Diane Burton writes science fiction romance, romantic suspense, and mystery. Her most recent SFR is The Chameleon (Book 2 in the Outer Rim series).