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Want to write a science fiction novel? Hope to get it published? Follow these ten tips for writing a science fiction novel and you'll have a completed science fiction novel ready to put in the mail to an editor or agent in as little as six months.

Ten Tips for Writing a Science Fiction Novel

1. First, you should be aware that literary science fiction isn't the same as media science fiction. In other words, apart from media tie-in novels, like Star Trek (which are written by invitation) the novels that are published are very different than the science fiction you see on movies and television. So the first tip, if you want to write a science fiction novel, is to read science fiction novels and see what is being published. You may be surprised!

2. Read early science fiction. Before embarking on his science fiction career Hugo award winning author Micheal Swanwick read every science fiction work that had been previously written. He believed that if he was going to write in a genre he should be fully familiar with its history. Now, it would be difficult to keep up with all the science fiction that is currently published in a year, never mind reading everything that's been written. But you should get a list of important science fiction novels - there are several such lists around; Gardner Dozois, the former long-time editor of Asimov's and fine science fiction writer himself, has compiled a good one - and start working your way through it.

3. Read current science fiction. It's a lot of reading, I know, but, to go back to Micheal Swanwick, he points out that reading is a lot easier than writing, so if you can't do the former how are you going to be able to do the latter? Read novels, but also read the magazines to stay current. Asimov's, Analog, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Interzone are all good choices and will keep you up to date.

4. Write your novel. This tip is adapted from the science fiction writer Robert Heinlein's Rules for Writing, as are the next four tips. It seems simple - but it's the rule that trips up more wannabe novelists than any other! I'd suggest that you write for an hour every day, which should amount to about 600 words or so. You'll be amazed at how the word totals add up if you do, and how fast your novel progresses.

5. Finish your novel. Again, it seems simple, but many would-be writers wind up with many abandoned beginnings. If you don't finish your novel you have nothing; if you do finish it, you'll have a complete novel, which

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