Geofiction in Science Fiction

Using Geofiction in Science Fiction
Arthur C. Clarke. Frank Herbert. H.P. Lovecraft. Isaac Asimov. Some of the greatest science fiction writers in history, writers who have produced some of the most memorable sci-fi works of literature ever written, have all at one point or another made extensive use of geofiction as a foundation of their writing. This more than anything reveals the strong connection between science fiction as a genre and geofiction as a hobby and art in and of itself.

There is a tendency to think of geofiction as just a hobby, but as the authors above show, you can take geofiction to entirely new levels. Science fiction is one genre that allows you to do just that - which is why it is one of the most popular genres to use with the hobby.

This article is a guide to using geofiction in science fiction works to enrich one's work and give it a vibrant, realistic foundation.

Science Fiction and Geofiction
Good science fiction, be it a novel or a movie, does not necessarily have to have geofiction - or, a process by which someone creates a fictional world as a backdrop to a story or a project in and of itself - incorporated into it. But, most science fiction out there does, for good reason.

Science fiction often involves extraterrestrial, supernatural, or otherwise futuristic concepts and characteristics, like time travel, interstellar travel, exotic and advanced architecture, intelligent beings, and other components of life that we do not see everyday here on earth. Therefore, to create all of this, it's necessary to have a world that allows such a detour away from reality.

Using Geofiction in the Genre
I will use space travel as one example of using geofiction. The only other terrestrial body to which humans have been is the moon, so space travel in today's world is pretty nonexistent. But, using geofiction, you can make space travel a key component of a story that moves beyond reality's current limitations.

Star Trek is a classic example of this. The crew of the Enterprise routinely stops over at various exotic locations, and travels to planets, galaxies, stars, and other places in the universe that largely don't exist. But, geofiction allows them to exist and is the process by which a writer creates these far-off worlds, complete with alien terrain, culture, and civilization. Spock comes from the planet Vulcan because some writer decades ago wrote down a description of what Vulcan looked like - before the planet even "existed".

In short, using geofiction is taking a concept and making it possible by giving it a reality or environment. Creating planets, galaxies, or even alternate dimensions allows things like interstellar travel and time travel to exist. This is why geofiction is such an important part of the science fiction genre.