The Creative Writer’s Ultimate Guide to Science Fantasy

The science fiction and fantasy genres push the limits of the imagination. That’s like their whole thing. It’s what they’re known for.

And yet, in their purest forms, they still come with limitations. After all, boundaries are the reason we know how to categorize certain works. 

But what if you’re a creative maverick whose imagination can’t be caged by the official definitions of sci-fi and fantasy? 

What if you want to imagine scientific concepts that have yet to be discovered? What if you want a showdown between a power-crazed scientist and a warlock with abilities that defy human comprehension?

What if you just really want to see some witches in space?

Well, my friend, you’re looking for science fantasy: a hybrid genre that captures readers' imaginations by weaving the possible with the impossible.

You and I are going to explore this genre together. We’ll discuss:

• What counts as science fantasy
• The history of the genre
• Key elements of science fantasy
• How this genre compares to fantasy and science fiction
• Great examples worth checking out
• Tips for writing science fantasy
• Challenges to look out for as a science fantasy writer

We’ve got a full agenda and zero time-manipulation capabilities, scientific or otherwise, so let’s get to it.

What is Science Fantasy?

Science fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that blends elements of both science fiction and fantasy.

And which elements does it blend, you ask?

I dunno. You tell me. That’s the beauty of the genre.

You want undead space pirates? You got ‘em. An exiled queen embarking on a Hero’s Journey through virtual reality? Don’t see why not. Cyborg elves? No one’s going to stop you.

You don’t even have to make it a perfect 50/50 blend. Your novel can be primarily science fiction with a dash of magic or mostly fantasy with a few sci-fi tropes tossed in.

If this is all starting to sound familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen it before. Not only are there many famous works of science fantasy—Star Wars might be the most famous—but there are entire subgenres that incorporate a lot of sci-fi/fantasy blending.

Paranormal fantasy and urban fantasy play with decidedly science fiction elements like extraterrestrial life. They also toy with the question of whether there might be scientific explanations for phenomena like telekinesis or telepathy.

Some superhero fantasy stories depict their heroes and villains gaining superhuman abilities through scientific means, like radioactive spider bites.

Then you’ve got science fiction subgenres that seriously stretch the bounds of real scientific understanding. Time travel fiction presents a world where humans can manipulate the timeline. Space opera comes with alien species from faraway galaxies who often have mysterious abilities.

As you become more familiar with science fantasy, you’ll start noticing it everywhere.

Why Write Science Fantasy?

So why blend these two particular genres? What’s the appeal?

For one thing, science fiction and fantasy mesh together beautifully because they’re both speculative fiction. That is to say, both genres present a non-realistic world, exploring what life would be like under wildly different circumstances.

Science fiction does this by imagining real-world science pushed to its limit. How will today’s innovations evolve 50, 100, or 3,000 years in the future? How will it shape our society, environment, and sense of identity?

Most sci-fi stories can be drilled down to one question: what are the social consequences of scientific progress?

In the fantasy genre, authors imagine a universe powered by the unknowable and undefinable. Supernatural beings defy human understanding. Even humans may be able to wield magic with the right tools and training.

Fantasy worlds allow for extreme conflicts and, therefore, extreme heroism. It’s a genre that taps into (or, in the case of dark fantasy, challenges) our grandest ideas about courage and the human spirit.

Both genres dive into a made-up reality defined by extraordinary circumstances. Blended together, they create universes, characters, and conflicts that allow us to explore the extremes of possibility and powerlessness, of heroism and hubris.

Also, you can have cyborg elves. 

The History of Science Fantasy

So where exactly did science fantasy come from?

As with most literary subgenres, it’s hard to nail down the exact origins. The phrase “science fantasy” first showed up in 1935, but at that time it was used as a synonym for “science fiction,” so let’s forget we ever learned that. It’s confusing.

You see examples of science fantasy well before 1935, anyway. Mary Shelley is often considered a pioneer of the genre, what with her story about a scientist creating sentient life with the help of deceased body parts and a little electricity.

We may be calling it science, but it’s a sort of imagined science; it doesn’t stem from the physical laws we observe in the real world.

The 19th century also brought us science fantasy stories from authors like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, though the genre slipped in popularity during the Golden Age of Science Fiction (1938-1946 in the U.S.). 

The Golden Age of Sci-fi was all about hard science fiction, and hard sci-fi is built around clear and logical scientific explanations. The genre started to “soften” a bit near the end of the 20th century with science fantasy works like Dune, and authors have been innovating ever since. 

These days, you can find science fantasy books anywhere and everywhere. And for good reason! This genre is thrilling, thought-provoking, and extremely flexible.

On that note, let’s discuss some of the marvelous things you’ll find in science fantasy stories.

Key Elements of Science Fantasy

Because science fantasy is an imaginative free-for-all combining two genres, it’s hard to nail down the official components of the category.

After all, you can have a lot of fantasy with a dash of sci-fi, buckets of sci-fi with a hint of fantasy, or any other combo on the spectrum. Not a lot of room for universality there.

Having said that, there are a few elements you can expect to find in nearly every science fantasy book you come across. Most of them are ingredients the two genres share, making their appearance in this combo platter inevitable.

In other words, your readers will be expecting them. And that’s reason enough to learn about them.

Tropes From Both Genres

A trope is a storytelling device you see repeated across several different works throughout literature, film, and television.

This can include familiar characters, settings, conflicts, themes, moments, and even story structures. 

The Wise Old Mentor is a classic fantasy trope. The hostile alien invasion is a science fiction trope. The battle between good and evil, accidentally changing the future through time travel, self-aware artificial intelligence… they’re all tropes.

These story elements have been repeated throughout time because they stand for something deeper. For example, the self-aware AI touches on the question of what it means to be human.

It’s not bad to use a trope that’s “been done,” especially if you find a way to put your own spin on it. In fact, you can bet that readers will pick up your science fantasy book expecting to see some of their favorite tropes from both science fiction and fantasy.

You can discover 68 science fiction tropes in this article, but here’s a short list to give you a sense of what we’re talking about:

• First contact with an alien species
• Intergalactic war
• Time loop
• Robot rebellion
• Corporate domination
• Nuclear wastelands
• “Real” life is a simulation
• Biological warfare
• Mass extinction
• Cybernetic enhancements

As for fantasy tropes, we’ve got an article on those, too. It includes stuff like:

• The Dark Lord
• The Orphan Hero
• The Reluctant Hero
• Magical artifacts
• Forbidden magic
• The Hero’s Journey
• Good vs. evil

Awe-Inducing Worldbuilding

Both science fiction and fantasy call for intriguing worlds, even if all the intriguing stuff is cleverly hidden within the world we know. So it stands to reason that when you mix these two genres, you’ll get a real jaw-dropper of a setting.

In fact, worldbuilding is one of the reasons readers gravitate toward science fantasy books. They want to get lost inside an unfamiliar universe. They want to feel the wonder or dread or post-apocalyptic devastation… whatever you’ve got waiting for them.

And it’s not just about creating a science fantasy setting that captures their attention and stirs their emotions. You also have to make it make sense. The science, magic systems, political structure, religion, cultural values, history, and physical environment all need to work together to create a fictional universe that’s somehow also believable.

It’s not an easy task. But I’m not going to leave you to find your way through it on your own. We’ll dive deeper into the details of worldbuilding later, and I’ll give you some great resources for further study.

Conflicts Caused and Complicated by the Setting

While science fantasy is loaded with an absolute embarrassment of novelties like flying pirate ships and wizard clones, the ultimate goal is still to tell a story. That means all those fun bells and whistles have to actually serve a purpose in the narrative.

How is your protagonist’s journey jumpstarted, aided, and complicated by the remarkable realities of their world?

Maybe advanced technology has allowed a corrupt and oppressive government to rise to power, and now your protagonist must lead a rebellion fueled by outlawed magic. 

Maybe your main character is on a quest to find a captive prince but the prince is guarded by an army of genetically engineered super soldiers.  

You get the idea. It’s not enough to tell a good story inside an extraordinary setting. You have to create a compelling relationship between the world of your novel and the events that happen within it.

Use your science fantasy setting to torture your protagonist. Let them get a leg up because of magic or advanced technology, then put them up against an antagonist who has those same capabilities only bigger. Challenge them with the landscape and fauna, with politics and culture.

Just keep looking for ways to let this masterful world you created play a role in your story.

Powerful Human Themes

Both science fiction and fantasy are famous for their epic narratives and profound themes. It figures, then, that the themes that appear in science fantasy tend to be mighty. 

You don’t see a lot of “The journey is the destination” and “Life is what you make it” in science fantasy. Usually, you’re looking at massive ideas that dig into our deepest fears and greatest hopes about what it means to be human. 

Science fantasy themes often touch on topics like:

• The price of progress
• The relativity of morality
• Whether there’s more power in evil or goodness
• The truth of human limitation
• The truth of human potential
• Our place in the universe
• The nature of prejudice
• The allure of evil
• The corruption of power

All the big, scary, thrilling stuff, basically. Stuff that pairs well with unknowable magic, terrifying technology, and supernatural creatures.

So as you write your own science fantasy story, try to get a clear idea of what you’re trying to say. Then check out this article for tips on working that theme into your novel without being all preachy about it.

Science Fantasy vs. Fantasy and Science Fiction

All the key elements we just covered demonstrate the overlap of fantasy and fiction. But how does this genre stand alone from its two parent genres? How do you know when you’re reading science fantasy and not pure sci-fi or fantasy?

I’ve got some insights that will help you differentiate these three categories of speculative fiction, but before we get into that, I want to be transparent about something:

The lines can get blurry here, just as they can with all subgenres and hybrid genres. I’ll give you my best explanation, but you might find that someone else draws the line in a slightly different spot. 

In fact, you can jump on Reddit and announce your favorite science fantasy book, and there’s a good chance someone will tell you why it’s not technically science fantasy. Or call something “science fiction” and wait for someone to tell you it actually contains elements of fantasy.

The good news is, no one with any real power over your literary career is coming to test you. The deeper you dive into this genre, the clearer your own sense of science fantasy will become. As long as you know how to accurately communicate the nature of your book’s content to readers and agents, you’ll be fine.

Science Fantasy vs. Fantasy

We’ll start with the simple one.

A pure fantasy is a story containing magic, supernatural beings, and/or any other element that doesn’t exist in our reality and defies the physical laws of the real world. 

A science fantasy, as you know, contains fantastic, supernatural elements as well.

But science fantasy differs from fantasy in that it also includes remarkable beings, capabilities, or occurrences that can be explained by science. 

A fantasy novel might include science and technology, but if it’s pure fantasy, it will be science and tech we recognize from our past or present reality. If it’s unfamiliar future stuff, then you’re reading science fantasy.

Science Fantasy vs. Science Fiction

This one is slightly more complicated. It’s also the distinction where you’re most likely to encounter debate.

The difference seems simple enough at first. If all the remarkable, mind-blowing stuff is rooted in science, then it’s science fiction. If there’s also magic, it’s science fantasy. Easy-peasy, right?

But what is magic, exactly? If we’re talking about scientific advancements that don’t exist yet, where is the line between the scientific and the fantastical? 

The general rule is that pure science fiction involves the imagined evolution of actual science we’re aware of today.

In a pure sci-fi novel, homes might come with pre-installed artificial intelligence that takes your temperature, wakes you up in the morning by raising the shades, and alerts you to any suspicious activity outside your front door.

It’s futuristic technology because we don’t have it now. But its existence in the story can be explained using scientific concepts from the real world.

Time travel is trickier. So are alternate universes. And the presence of extraterrestrial life doesn’t seem so far-fetched anymore, but what about when you get into specifics, inventing entire species and cultures and alien skill sets?

Then there are elements that fall under the category of fantasy but can be imagined as having scientific explanations, like telekinesis and telepathy.

Generally speaking, all these things—these science-adjacent concepts that can’t be supported by real-world knowledge—nudge the story over the line and into science fantasy territory.

But that’s not the only distinction.

Hard Sci-Fi, Soft Sci-Fi, and Science Fantasy

Science fiction is often divided into two subcategories: hard science fiction and soft science fiction.

In hard science fiction, the scientific details are extremely important. Readers expect all the futuristic technology to be explained and be logical. Naturally, this works best when the innovations that drive the story are all based on real science.

In soft science fiction, the details don’t matter so much. There should still be some logic to the tech and concepts presented in the narrative, but readers care less about the probability that such technology could exist and more about the emotional elements of the story.  

As you probably figured out for yourself, science fantasy doesn’t fall under the category of hard science fiction. It can still contain detailed explanations rooted in real-world science. But it’s also going to have phenomena that can’t be explained by natural law as we know it.

Plus, as we just discussed, science fantasy often includes those fuzzier sci-fi elements that can’t be thoroughly explained because they’re not actually possible. Not as far as we know, anyway. Things like time travel and hive-mind aliens can only get the soft sci-fi treatment.

Famous Science Fantasy Books and Movies

Now that we’ve analyzed science fantasy within an inch of its life, we’re ready to get to the good stuff.

What are some great works of science fantasy you can read or watch to see this genre at its best?

Here are some of my best suggestions:

Star Wars

Star Wars is perhaps the most famous example of science fantasy. 

The plot itself follows the Hero’s Journey story structure—classic fantasy move. Then there are all the other-worldly creatures that populate the movies, not to mention the undefinable Force holding the galaxy together.

In terms of the sci-fi elements, you’ve got space travel, clones, and futuristic weaponry. There’s not a lot of explanation or modern basis for the tech in Star Wars, though, and many classify this as leaning heavily towards the fantasy end of the science fantasy spectrum. 

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Galaxy

This is the opposite of Star Wars—loads of sci-fi with a dash of fantasy. 

A former treasure hunter/war vet and a spaceship racer end up on the run together aboard a smuggler’s ship. In this universe, most people are born with magic (the war vet wasn’t, and that’s considered a birth defect).

But here’s the kicker: this world’s magic system is actually a melding of magic and technology. What?

The Broken Earth Trilogy

This story shows us a version of Earth that looks nothing like our own—a planet with one inhabited continent and recurring, apocalypse-level natural disasters. As you might guess, the novel is an exploration of climate science—more specifically, it dives into the intersection of systemic racism and ecological collapse.

There are also beings with the power to manipulate the power of the Earth, so there’s your fantasy. And the whole series dives into massive themes concerning power, oppression, and human resilience.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Remember that thing I said about science fantasy themes? How this genre doesn’t mess much with smaller, personal themes and instead dives into massive questions about our place in the universe?

This movie somehow manages to do both at once with equal emphasis, throwing the audience into an existential crisis while also addressing intimate topics like generational trauma, identity, and loss.

You’ve also got dimension-hopping, a battle against the most powerful being in the universe, and a nihilistic bagel.

Tips for Writing Science Fantasy

Hopefully, you’ve now got a pretty good grip on what science fantasy is. As for how to write it, that’s a whole other topic.

It’s also a huge topic. We’re going to cover a lot of it, especially the details that are unique to science fantasy. But we’re skipping over a few major steps in the writing process, like goal setting, brainstorming, plotting, and revising.

If you could use a more comprehensive guide to writing a novel—any novel—I highly recommend snagging our free e-book, Let’s Write a Book. It’s over 100 pages of top-notch writing instruction and won’t cost you a dime.

For now, we’ll touch on the major aspects of writing a science fantasy book specifically, starting with the big idea.

Find Your Core Story

As I mentioned before, it’s very easy to get caught up in the sci-fi and fantasy elements that make this genre so enthralling. I don’t blame you, and the last thing I want to do is discourage you from exploring the clever ideas that spill forth from your creative brain.

That said, the ultimate goal is to write a clear and compelling story. In order to do that, you’ll have to be able to determine which of your captivating ideas serve your plot and which ones should be cut from this novel and filed away for possible use in a different story later on.

When I talk about finding your core story, I mean figure out:

• Who your protagonist is
• What they’re trying to do (their goal)
• What stands between them and their goal (the obstacle)
• How struggling against that obstacle is bound to change them (their character arc)
• What it all means (your theme)

The sections that follow should help you get closer to filling in those blanks, as we’ll cover character and conflict development.

When you can identify the story that lies at the heart of your novel, you’re better equipped to design a world that supports it. 

You can come up with magic and technology that helps and hinders your protagonist on their journey. You can design landscapes that challenge their weaknesses and create an atmosphere that enhances the tone of your narrative.

Not to mention, the better you understand your central storyline, the easier it is to dream up subplots and secondary characters that heighten the main conflict and tie into your themes.

It’s okay if you work best by dreaming up the world first, then finding your core story. Just remember that the world should serve the narrative, not the other way around. Once you find the story you want to tell, make sure your worldbuilding supports it.

On that note…

Take Time for Worldbuilding

Even though your story takes top priority in your science fantasy novel, the world is still incredibly important. Readers flock to this genre because it’s full of well-told stories in captivating universes. 

So let’s get captivating.

Now, you’ll likely be pulling a lot of your world’s details right out of the ol’ imagination, even if your science fantasy takes place in the real world. And trust me, it gets hard to keep track of information that isn’t true, especially when there’s a lot of it.

You might also find yourself drowning in research, whether it’s new knowledge about scientific concepts, a real location you’re only semi-familiar with, or actual history.

So make your life easier and start your worldbuilding bible right away. A worldbuilding bible is a document or file system where you keep all the information about your science fantasy setting, including notes, maps, and research. Check out this article for tips on organizing this document, plus a free downloadable PDF and Dabble template.

If you’re a Dabbler, you can create your worldbuilding bible using Story Notes. That’s a huge help, as it puts all the details of your universe only one or two clicks away as you write your novel.

As for what kind of information you should have in your worldbuilding bible… well, that’s a beefy topic on its own. You can find in-depth answers in these articles:

• Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: How to Construct and Unforgettable Universe
• A Not-So Technical Guide to Creating a Setting for Sci-Fi Stories
• How to Create a Fantasy World Without Getting Lost in There
• The Magic of Writing a Fantasy Setting

For now, you and I will just walk through some of the most essential worldbuilding elements.

Physical Worldbuilding

According to the Brandon Sanderson definition, this includes all the stuff that exists in your world naturally, without the interference of sentient beings. So, stuff like:

Terrain - Think about landscape, geology, and natural borders or barriers. How do these details influence the way your characters navigate their world?

Climate - This includes weather patterns, seasons, and the potential for natural disasters. In the context of science fantasy, it could also influence which species or beings can survive happily in your world.

Flora and fauna - What types of plant and animal life thrive here? How do species interact with one another? What threats might your characters encounter in this world? How might your characters pose a threat to other living beings?

Natural resources - What naturally occurring elements can be used for food, building materials, textiles, weaponry, or even magic? Who controls access to those resources?

Cosmology - What are the celestial bodies in this universe? Do they interact? How do humans or other sentient beings relate to the cosmos?

Magic - Even if your magic can’t be measured and explained the way science can, you still want to treat it like a physical reality of your world. What can magic do? What are its limitations? Can everyone use it? For more on this, check out this guide to creating a magic system.

Science - If all your science fiction elements are rooted in actual, current science, you might just use this section of your worldbuilding bible for storing research. If you’re dreaming up future scientific discoveries, lay out the logic of your made-up concepts.

Cultural Worldbuilding

Now we get to the stuff that was created by the sentient beings in your world. This includes stuff like:

Architecture - What do buildings and homes look like? How do the structures of your science fantasy world reflect values, innovation, politics, and security?

Language - How do beings communicate with one another? Are there multiple languages? A dominant language? A non-verbal language? (Psst. We have a whole guide for inventing a fictional language.)

History - How did your science fantasy universe become what it is today? How does that history influence the way your characters view the future?

Religion - What are the core tenets of the primary religion in your world? How does that religion mesh with science and/or magic? How does it define daily life for your characters?

Traditions - How do your characters commemorate major events like birth, death, and rites of passage? What about holidays?

Pop culture - What kind of recreation do you find in this world? How do characters express themselves? Who’s famous? What does fame look like?

Class system - Who holds the power? How do they maintain it? How are wealth and status measured and expressed?

Politics and government - How is this universe governed? Who runs it? How do their citizens feel about them?

Don’t feel like you have to provide comprehensive answers to all categories. Depending on the type of science fantasy story you’re writing, you’ll likely find yourself focusing on some areas more than others, and that’s a good thing.

Remember, your goal is to build a compelling universe that serves the story. There’s no sense in spending months of your life writing an extensive history that isn’t even relevant to your plot.  

Define the Science/Magic Relationship

This topic technically falls under the heading of worldbuilding, but it’s a big issue that’s specific to science fantasy, so we’re going to let it have its own little spotlight.

When you write in this genre, you have to give some thought to what it means to include both science and magic as world-defining forces. 

For an in-depth look at this topic, I highly recommend Doug’s guide to weaving magic and sci-fi elements. Not only does he explore this exact subject but he also offers a nuanced view of science fantasy worldbuilding that’s beyond the scope of this article.

For now, I’ll just point out a few things you’ll want to think about as you determine how science and magic interact in your story.

For example, are magic and science considered equally legitimate areas of study and sources of power? Or is one revered and the other stigmatized? Are all beings in your science fantasy universe in agreement on this subject, or are they divided?

On that note, is it possible for science and magic to work together? Perhaps magic is a natural force that powers advanced technology the same way electricity would. Maybe scientists have developed new tech that enhances magic capabilities. 

The opposite could also be true. How might these two forces inhibit one another? Is one more powerful? Or do they simply have different strengths, fueling different areas of life in your fictional world?

However they interact, remember to nail down the limitations of both forces, as well as the cost of using them. These details are crucial for maintaining conflict in your story.

After all, if your protagonist can fix everything with magic and technology, no strings attached, then there’s really no story there to begin with.

Flesh Out Your Characters

Your characters are the soul of your story. If your readers don’t care what happens to them, they won’t have a reason to keep reading.

We’ll go through a few key concepts for creating characters your readers love (or love to hate), but first, I want to remind you of one key step that’s specific to this genre:

Make deliberate decisions about who has the power to do what.

Who has access to technology? Who has magical powers? Can magic be learned? Is anyone banned from tapping into either force? What are the potential consequences of using technology or magic, and do those consequences apply to everyone, or just a select few?

The answers to these questions have a huge bearing on how your characters experience their world and navigate conflict. In what situations are they powerful? What does it mean for them to be powerless? How do they rally strength when they’re up against magic or technology that they cannot access or manipulate themselves?

Their abilities and limitations can even symbolize more abstract aspects of their personal journey or internal conflict. Maybe they’re ostracized for having a “freakish” superpower that ultimately saves the world. Or their obsessive devotion to technology eventually destroys them.

Let this question of ability and limitations keep rolling around in the back of your head as we work on fleshing out your story’s cast, starting with the headliner.

Protagonist

This is your main character, the being whose goals drive the central plotline. You’re gonna want to know a lot about this character, from how they dress to the traumatic memories that influence every major decision they make.

Now, we can’t possibly discuss every aspect of your protagonist in this article. But don’t worry—we do cover nearly every character-related topic imaginable in DabbleU. I suggest browsing this section if you need a little extra help creating your fictional beings.

For now, here are the most crucial details to fill in when it comes to your main character:

Goal - This is the thing your character wants. Their pursuit of this goal is what the whole story is about. 

Motivation - Your character’s motivation is the reasoning behind their goal. Why do they want what they want? You’ll usually find the answer hidden in their Ghost.

Ghost - The Ghost (or Wound) is a traumatic past event that still informs your character’s decisions in the current timeline. 

Let’s say your protagonist was shamed and ostracized as a child for possessing a unique magical ability. Now they’ve become a scientist obsessed with completing a project that will give them the kind of power their culture approves of.

Lie - The Lie—or The Lie Your Character Believes, as K.M. Weiland calls it—is the flawed philosophy your character lives by in order to protect themselves from future harm. The Lie is usually fear-based and inspired by the Ghost.

In the example above, your protagonist’s Lie might be “There is no power in being myself.”

Strengths and weaknesses - As your main character pursues their goal, they’ll run into increasingly dire obstacles. Knowing your protagonist’s strengths and weaknesses makes it easier to kick them when they're down (it’s an author’s duty) and give them the occasional moment of glory.

Character arc - This is your character’s journey of growth (or refusal to grow) over the course of the story. It usually happens because the obstacles your protagonist faced forced them to re-evaluate the Lie. You can learn more about crafting a compelling character arc here.

Antagonist(s)

Any character who stands between your protagonist and their goal is an antagonist. There will likely be several minor antagonists within your story, but there’s often only one primary antagonist.

In most science fantasy books, the primary antagonist actively opposes the protagonist. These two characters have conflicting goals, and the antagonist will stop at nothing to secure victory for themselves.

You could make this character a cookie-cutter villain who makes life tough for the protagonist out of pure evilness, but modern readers usually appreciate more nuance than that. 

In fact, it’s a pretty slick move to give your antagonist the same depth as your protagonist. Think about what they’ve been through, what they fear and desire. Ground their evil in relatable weaknesses and vulnerability, and you’ll create a truly compelling conflict between your two adversaries.

Secondary Characters

Your secondary characters are all the folks who aren’t centered in your novel but still play a meaningful role. This typically includes characters like mentors, best friends, assistants, family members, and even antagonists.

Secondary characters exist to support your protagonist’s story. That’s the whole reason they’re in the novel to begin with. This usually means they’re directly engaged in the central conflict, but they can also have their own secondary plot line that sheds more light on your main character’s arc or the story’s themes.

Now, even though these characters play a supporting role, they still need to be fully realized human beings (or whatevers). A few of them may even have their own character arcs and subplots.

So take the time to give them the same in-depth treatment you give your protagonist… or close to it, anyway.

Tertiary Characters

Tertiary characters usually only show up a few times and are defined by only one or two memorable traits. They don’t have character arcs and no one cares about their goals, motivations, or backstory.

So why bother creating them?

Well, there are several reasons to include the occasional tertiary character. They might provide comic relief, convey information, or fill out the world, like the aliens kicking back at the cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope.

You don’t have to spend a lot of time fleshing out these characters because, quite frankly, they don’t need that much flesh. You may even find that most of your tertiary characters show up spontaneously when you realize you need them during your writing process.

Create Conflict Worthy of Your World

Finally, we’ve got to talk conflict. After all, it’s not a story if there’s no struggle.

Your protagonist wants something. That desire clashes with the antagonist’s goal. Bam. Conflict. 

But it doesn’t stop there.

Compelling conflict comes with major stakes. Why is it so crucial that your protagonist reaches their goal? What do they gain by succeeding? More importantly, what do they lose if they fail? It should be something huge.

Then, you want to build tension as the story progresses. Raise the stakes. Add a ticking clock. Increase the obstacles, whether that means the antagonist becomes more powerful or the protagonist is somehow weakened.

Let your conflict steadily get worse.

And let it be a direct consequence of existing in this particular world at this particular time. After all, you did all that worldbuilding for a reason, right? The advanced technology and fantasy elements you dreamed up are all here to serve the story.

Your science fantasy setting should be relevant to both the external and internal conflicts. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with those terms; we’re going to explore both of them starting now.

External Conflict

Your story’s external conflict is the battle between the protagonist and a force outside themselves. That force is usually another character, though it could be an entity like society, technology, or the supernatural. (Just FYI, even when it’s an entity, that entity may be represented by a specific character.)

In most science fantasy books, the external conflict is a problem that could only exist in this world. The protagonist might be battling literal demons, trying to reverse the consequences of time travel, or rebelling against a corrupt government ruling with dark magic and advanced technology.

Even if you decide to write a slice-of-life story that just happens to be set in a science fantasy universe, you’ll still want to build science fantasy elements into the conflict. 

Let’s say your novel is about an alien teenager who dreams of a bigger life outside their small town even as their parents pressure them to stay put and take over the family business.

What counts as a “bigger life” in this world? What technology or supernatural abilities can your protagonist use to pursue their dreams behind their parents’ backs? What are the consequences of using those powers?

No matter what your story is about, let your sci-fi and fantasy elements inform the way your characters struggle, fight, fail, and overcome.

Internal Conflict

Internal conflict refers to the battle a character fights within themselves.

They might face a moral dilemma or identity crisis. Maybe they’re trying desperately not to fall in love or they’re torn between a sense of loyalty to their royal family and a desire to protect the citizens suffering under monarchical rule.

Whatever it is, their internal and external conflict should steadily make each other worse as the narrative goes on. 

Let the external conflict force your character to make tough decisions and acknowledge their feelings of guilt or fear. Let the internal conflict motivate bad, avoidant choices that only exacerbate the external conflict.

As for how the science fantasy world factors into all of this…

Internal conflict often touches on universal dilemmas. It’s the reason we’re able to relate to aliens and clones and demon warriors.

So don’t worry about making the heart of your protagonist’s internal conflict genre-specific. Instead, think about how your science fantasy elements can highlight the emotional gravity of their inner battle.

Everyone can relate to the vulnerability of falling in love. But what if you fell in love with someone who had telepathic abilities, leaving you powerless to mask your flaws and failings behind a cool, confident facade? Terrifying.

Challenges of Writing Science Fantasy

At this point, you hopefully have a solid sense of what it takes to write a great science fantasy novel. Now we should talk about how easy it is to create a hot mess when you write in this genre. 

Let’s explore the biggest potential pitfalls of combining fantasy and science fiction.

Don’t worry—you’ll have no problem avoiding and overcoming these challenges. You just have to be aware of them.  

Worlbuilder’s Disease

Worldbuilder’s disease occurs when you become so wrapped up in creating a fictional world that you never get around to actually writing the novel. 

Fantasy, science fiction, and science fantasy authors can all fall prey to this dreaded condition, though it’s most associated with high fantasy where you’re creating an entire secondary world.

You’ll know you’ve contracted worldbuilder’s disease if you find yourself obsessing over historical details, family lineages, or plant species that have absolutely no relevance to your novel’s plot.

To overcome worldbuilder’s disease, return your focus to the core story. What do readers need to know about this world in order to understand the characters, conflicts, and themes? 

If you’ve already built the necessary details of your world, it’s time to start writing. Even if you haven’t but find yourself gravitating towards the irrelevant in your worldbuilding sessions, it might be worth jumping on that first draft and doing some worldbuilding on the fly, just to remind yourself that your ultimate goal is to write a book.

In many cases, worldbuilder’s disease comes down to the fear of getting started. There’s safety in designing a world. You get to disappear inside your own imagination, away from the judgment of anyone else. 

And because worldbuilding is all about preparing to write an excellent book later, this is a phase where your inner perfectionist can thrive, obsessing over every detail.

If you think you might be avoiding your first draft, you can find tips for overcoming your fear of failure here and tips for overcoming writer’s block here.

Infodumping

One major challenge of writing a story set in a science fantasy world is getting your readers up to speed with all the details that make this universe remarkable.

How does the technology work? What are the laws of magic? What fantasy creatures roam the kingdom? What’s the deal with this 3,000-year-old intergalactic battle?

In your eagerness to help readers make sense of this universe, you might catch yourself infodumping. That’s when you unload a ton of background information on them at once. It’s a surefire way to get them to stop reading.

After all, they came here for a story, not a history-science-magic lesson.

The trick is to dispense key information as they need it. Trust me: they don’t need to know everything in chapter one.

It also helps to relay key details through a variety of methods, including narration, dialogue, and flashbacks.

For more detailed tips on writing engaging exposition, check out this article.

The Potential Chaos of a Magically Scientific World

We’ve talked a lot about how fun this genre is because it allows you to stretch the limits of your imagination. But even with all that freedom, you still need consistency and order. 

A little thoughtful worldbuilding goes a long way in this regard. 

If you lay out your technology and magic systems for yourself, identifying the limits, rules, and costs of using the powers available to your characters, it’ll be much easier to write a story that makes sense.

You’ll also be less likely to create plot holes or inadvertently contradict yourself.

And don’t forget to clarify the relationship between magic and science. Your readers will feel much more grounded in this world if they understand what it means for these two forces to coexist.

Creating a Trope Soup

As I mentioned before, readers love seeing their favorite sci-fi and fantasy tropes appear in science fantasy books. 

What you want to avoid, however, is clogging your narrative with a mish-mash of tropes in an effort to establish that this is, indeed, science fantasy. 

As always, the trick is to make sure those tropes serve a purpose. What role does that evil wizard play in your story? What’s the purpose of the alien invasion? Is the time loop necessary or just a distraction? 

If it can be cut without hurting the story, cut it.

Overpowering the Story With Genre

There’s a reason readers and writers alike flock to this genre. Science fantasy is fun, thrilling, and awe-inspiring. It transports us to places we’ll never see in the real world and invites us to live out adventures we can only experience in our own imaginations.

As an author, it’s easy to get so caught up in creating the magic of the genre that you allow the story itself to be a flimsy support system for extravagant worldbuilding. It’s like piling layers of frosting and buttercream roses on a slice of Wonder bread.

Your readers are here for cake. Give them cake.

Craft complex, relatable characters with rich inner lives. Throw them into conflicts that terrify them, embolden them, and force them to change. Devise subplots and symbols that highlight deeper themes.

Help readers see themselves—their own fears, desires, and inner lives—reflected in a world that leaves them slack-jawed and breathless.

That’s what they’re looking for in a science fantasy novel.

No pressure.

Your Imagination Unleashed (But, Like, Still Organized)

Now that your noggin is packed with science fantasy know-how, the thought of getting to work on your novel might seem a bit overwhelming. Juggling all those characters and conflicts and tropes while steering clear of potential pitfalls… well, it’s a lot.

That’s why I want to offer one last tip:

Write your science fantasy novel with Dabble.

This all-in-one writing tool is great for storytellers of all kinds, but it’s especially useful for science fantasy authors. 

The customizable Plot Grid allows you to see every element of your story at a glance, including plot lines, character arcs, timelines, locations, and more.

Story Notes make it easy to create and organize a worldbuilding bible that’s always one click away as you write and revise. And not only can you craft thorough character profiles complete with images and property lists, you can sort them into casts by species, abilities, or any other category.

I haven’t even touched on all the amazing features that help you write, revise, focus, and set goals, but it’s probably best if you just explore them for yourself.

If you’re not already a Dabber, click here to try it for free for 14 days. Your free trial grants you access to every single feature, and you don’t even have to enter a credit card to get started.

So go ahead. Give it a whirl. 

I think you’ll find it’s the closest you can come to blending science and magic in this universe.