How in Hades’ hell do you write good science fiction?

Dear aspiring author,

so you have decided that you wish to write your own story, and you are not sure where to begin. Well, as one who has developed a few things in their time, I might be of some assistance.

Lets start with your last question first, if you allow: how to make your own world different from all the others. That is a good question, for it asks the question of what different means for you. Since we are talking science fiction, do you want to explore new, futuristic applications of tech? Of space travel and exploring new areas? Or of the shifting ways humanity has build civilization, philosophy and society due to new technical developments or other events, as in meetings with extraterrestrial beings?

Asking this question will lead you to your next question: how does world building work? Well, as they say, nothing comes from nothing. And if we look at science fiction, it might just be our world developing in the constraint of hard physic laws, leading to the genre of Hard Fiction - no breaking of natural laws here, no sir! Or are you on the other side of the spectrum, where technology feels more like applied magic and everything can be made possible with it?

Also, what does your universe contain? Are there other life forms, developing and growing under distant stars? Are there ancient civilizations, already crumbled and forgotten, with secrets to be found? Or is humanity truly, utterly alone out here, left to itself to grow and change over thousands of millennia?

All of these settings can make good stories. I find it always good to start out with a few keystones I would like to see in my world. Things which interest me, make me laugh or make me think. If it is engaging to me, it will produce a good idea of how my world will work. Later, one can always expand, add or subtract.

But my best advice is the very key of what will make your idea to a book which will be read and enjoyed by others. That is the question of what your actual story is. What do you want to talk about? Who are your characters, their key motivations, their backgrounds? As with world building, so with character creation: nothing comes from nothing. All actions, all thoughts and philosophies of your actors are rooted in the way they grew up and what they see as important, good and useful. Are they standing up to fight an evil empire? Do they have an important mission? Or is it something else pushing themselves out of their former life, like love or wanderlust?

It is up to you to decide all that. Just remember: stories are character-driven, else they would be (fictional) reports. Those can be fun, too! Just know what you want to write. For that, I always ask myself: is that something I would like to read myself? Is it engaging to me? Am I surprised myself where a story is going?

Coming back to your last question: I personally don't think that true originality is as important as one would think. Many great stories have been written by fans of an existing genre, shamelessly taking from their favorite authors and cobbling it together as they go. Well, why not? Is not all human creativity inspired by others or the events of our time? No author comes out of the blue, and even the greatest took inspirations of modern developments in their time. And yet, we read them with great enjoyment. Do we sneer at those who read the great Isaac Asimov and were inspired to write their own stories? Or who watched Star Wars and dreamt of awesome ship battles in outer space? Of course not! What we want is not true originality in the way the world or the story has been constructed, but things we sometimes recognize and sometimes feel surprised by. Again, the question is, is it a story you enjoyed writing? Then the chance is high that we enjoy reading it.

Let me wrap up my mad ramblings, before I bore you further. If I may, I can give you a few examples of books in the science fiction area which made me think about what you can do with it:

Dragon's Egg: Hard Sci-Fi at its finest. It feels more like a report than a story, and yet, it shows one what to do with a simple idea alone: can life develop on a neutrino star? And if yes, how would it look like?

The Diamond Age: Humanity has not even reached the stars yet, but nanotechnology and the internet have drastically changed how human society works - for example, all national states have ceased existing, since digital payment made it impossible to collect taxes.

Frankenstein, or, the modern Prometheus: Ah, the original Science Fiction book itself. It asks the terrifying question: if you create something, how much do you take responsibility for it? Especially if you see it as repulsive, and yet, it has feelings and independent thought? A question asked many times again in our modern age of AI.

And, last but not least:

The Murderbot Diaries: a true treat to read. It asks the question of what would happen if a sentient robot gains consciousness - and subsequently develops depression, wanting to be left alone and a need to consume TV as much as possible? Few stories made me laugh so much - and also, think so much about what it means to live in a world of neurotypicals.

And there we go. I hope I could offer you some ideas and advice for your question. If you have further ones, feel free to ask - I am glad to be of assistance.

Seek heaven through violence.