Sci Fi Tropes and Conventions
The purpose of sci fi.
How do you build suspense to make the reader anticipate something?
For example, a character notices no birds in the sky foreshadows an environmental disaster.
Plot points in a sci fi short stories.
(you must name all five!)
Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution.
Define sensory imagery and give an example.
What is using the five senses (smell, sight, sound, feel, taste) to create vivid descriptions?
Jurassic Park: "Life finds a way"
What is an example of foreshadowing?
Your never going to guess the ending.
YOUR
Should be "You're" - You are.
Two common settings in science fiction.
What are space and science labs?
Could also be... dystopian futures, virtual/digital realities, post-apocalyptic worlds, alternate realities
Short, choppy sentences can create urgency and fear, while longer sentences help build suspense.
Literary devices that help with vivid description.
1) Personification (e.g., "The wind howled through the cracks in the wall"). 2) Simile (e.g., "The UFO was like a frisbee hanging in the sky").
Destroying an alien technology that could save Earth, but also risks global catastrophe.
What are character choices with consequences?
They're going through there assessment today.
THERE
Should be "their" - there - direction (here, there, everywhere).
their - possessional
they're = they are
Typical conflicts in sci fi.
What is:
person vs technology
person vs extraterrestrial
person vs govt
Unpredictable endings
What is a plot twist and cliffhanger?
Or, moral reversal, circular ending, character choice with consequence.
Dialogue tags
The Death Star in Star Wars
What is technology as a double-edged sword?
represents ultimate power and the corruptive nature of authoritarian regimes.
"What do you want to do," she asked?
The position of the question mark:
should be "What do you want to do?" she asked.
Typical characters in sci fi.
Why are characters always:
scientists and explorers, aliens, AI/robots
World building
What is including cultural customs, historical events and societal norms?
Specialised vocabulary and terminology
What is using specific language to help create authenticity?
E.g. microchip, nanobots, airlock
Alice in Wonderland
What is an example of circular ending?
It was to silent. There was no birds, no insects, no rustling of trees.
TO
Should be "too".
Typical themes in sci fi
What are:
environmental disasters, advanced technology, identity and existence, exploration of the unknown, extraterrestrial encounters, future societies
Different plotlines
What is using multiple timelines, dimensions or points of view?
Indirect characterisation.
What is representing a character through their actions and speech, and how other characters respond to them?
The "alien invasion" was actually Earth sending a rescue team.
The quite steps of the stranger echoed on the cement walls.
Quit - stop something
Quite - to a degree
Quiet - the absence of sound.