Hard scifi writers?

[thesilent]

How many of you write in the category of hard scifi? (in case you're not familiar with the ratings: grading scifi) Have you ever had to omit possible ideas because they were outside of the rating that was already established in your book/series?

Random curiosity strikes again.

[Ariel]

Your link isn't working.

[Qray]

[mod hat]

I fixed the link for you, Silent. You don't need to include quotes in the URL.

[/mod hat]

[thesilent]

ah, sorry about that. my mind sometimes has trouble converting from HTML to BBcode modes.

[The Master]

ah, sorry about that. my mind sometimes has trouble converting from HTML to BBcode modes.

heh....I do that too sometimes!

I don't write Hard SF. I don't have the background for it. Any SF I (attempt to) write is strictly of the technobabble variety. To be honest this is the first time I have heard of this particular scale and I have never seen Hard SF sub-categorized so specifically before. While it may be useful for a scholarly look at the genre I'm not sure of its value to the author while composing their work. I think that letting the story flow naturally and take on whatever form it takes will result in a more personal and appealing story to the reader. Indeed, I think that you run a risk that the reader may negatively notice if you force the work into a particular box.

I have at times edited portions of works that I felt were getting too far afield from my story. I attribute this to what I call "racing imagination" where I get what seems like a great idea and run with it, then later realize it doesn't actually fit the story I'm working on. I cut and paste that portion into a new file and save it in my ideas folder to see if it inspires something new later on.

[starweaver]

I write hard sf, as well as fantasy. I don't have anything published yet, so I haven't faced the problem of future works being expected to stick with the level of realism established by earlier stories, if that is what you are getting at.

I don't think the "ratings" or subcategories on the site you posted really matter from a writing standpoint, although they are interesting. As a writer, the question is whether you are striving for scientific plausibility or not (hard sf vs. soft sf and fantasy). Different writers are free to approach that question in different terms.

Within a single story, I try to be fair to readers by not shifting ground when it comes to realism. It should be clear within the first few pages if it is sf or fantasy, and how fanciful it is.

I don't see this as restricting the available ideas. I use all ideas, just select a genre or subgenre where the idea works.