# Sci fi story idea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418 "2011-05-10T17:58:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FarmerChuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/13edae/32.png) [@FarmerChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FarmerChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/1 "2011-05-10T17:58:28Z")
ok so my mind is just blowing up with ideas for what i think could be an epic/original sci fi novel/series… however i suck at grammar,spelling usage etc… and also type kinda slow… would anyone be willing to collaborate and if we got somewhere with it split the $$$ 50/50 ??? pm me or reply here ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/2 "2011-05-10T18:52:01Z")
Ideas are a dime a dozen. The hard part is creating a story out of that idea with realistic characters, a believable plot, and all the other factors that make up a good story. So I don’t think you’ll get any takers. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/3 "2011-05-10T19:49:00Z")
I’m honestly really curious to hear what the “original/unique sci fi” idea is. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/4 "2011-05-10T20:01:04Z")
> [@FarmerChuck](#): > > ok so my mind is just blowing up with ideas for what i think could be an epic/original sci fi novel/series… however i suck at grammar,spelling usage etc.. and also type kinda slow.. would anyone be willing to collaborate and if we got somewhere with it split the $$$ 50/50 ??? pm me or reply here What is the idea? And may I ask how old you are? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/5 "2011-05-10T20:06:22Z")
Moved MPSIMS --\> Cafe Society ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/6 "2011-05-10T20:09:40Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Ideas are a dime a dozen. The hard part is creating a story out of that idea with realistic characters, a believable plot, and all the other factors that make up a good story. So I don’t think you’ll get any takers. Indeed. I have a brilliant idea for a product to sell! If someone wants to obtain startup money, design and make the product, market it, and find a way to distribute it, I’ll split the profit with you 50/50! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/7 "2011-05-10T20:21:37Z")
As a card-carrying published SF author, I can say that what you have just posting is an ongoing joke in the SF field. “I have a great idea for a story. You write it and we can split it 50-50.” :rolleyes: The polite authors just decline. The idea is the easiest part of writing. And, in general, the “mind-blowing” idea most people come up with turns out to be a cliche that has been used in the field for decades. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/8 "2011-05-10T21:28:49Z")
> [@](#): > > the “mind-blowing” idea most people come up with turns out to be a cliche that has been used in the field for decades. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if it’s done well. The problem is, if the author isn’t aware that the idea has been used so often that it’s a cliche, then the author will usually write yet another story with the same ending. It’s particularly bad when people aren’t familiar with written SF, and only know about movie or TV SF. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/9 "2011-05-10T22:05:00Z")
Guys, I think this poster is most likely a kid. Hence, the naive post. However, I’d love to hear the concept. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/10 "2011-05-10T22:06:01Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > As a card-carrying published SF author, I can say that what you have just posting is an ongoing joke in the SF field. “I have a great idea for a story. You write it and we can split it 50-50.” :rolleyes: Any links to your books or collections of short stories? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/11 "2011-05-10T22:06:55Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > As a card-carrying published SF author, I can say that what you have just posting is an ongoing joke in the SF field. “I have a great idea for a story. You write it and we can split it 50-50.” Indeed. I’m not a published author, but this joke is familiar enough to me that the thought crossed my mind that the OP himself might be joking. To be fair, the OP didn’t say that he had _an_ idea, but rather _lots_ of ideas. He also said that the part he needed help with was the more mechanical part, like spelling and grammar and typing. He didn’t say anything at all about things like plotting and characterization, which may mean he’s prepared to do all that kind of work, or it may mean he’s too naive to realize that there is work involved in those sorts of things. But now I’m curious whether there has ever been a successful writing partnership (in SF or elsewhere) in which one person was primarily the “ideas generator” and the other handled all the technical details of writing. I suppose some books written by a celebrity with an “as told to” cowriter or ghost writer might count. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/12 "2011-05-10T22:12:09Z")
I have a great idea that I’ve been wotking on for a story. Mine is about a futuristic amusement park where dinosaurs are brought to life through advanced cloning techniques. I call it “Billy and the Cloneasaurus.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/13 "2011-05-10T22:14:30Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Any links to your books or collections of short stories? [Here is my latest.](http://dailysciencefiction.com/story/chuck-rothman/her-old-man) [And here’s an oldie.](http://www.strangehorizons.com/2000/20001009/arroyo_de_buho.shtml) You can also purchase them from [Fictionwise](http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a423/Chuck-Rothman/?si=0) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/14 "2011-05-10T22:17:43Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But now I’m curious whether there has ever been a successful writing partnership (in SF or elsewhere) in which one person was primarily the “ideas generator” and the other handled all the technical details of writing. I suppose some books written by a celebrity with an “as told to” cowriter or ghost writer might count. I suppose Ellery Queen might fit. Frederick Dannay was supposedly very good at the puzzles and Manfred Lee handled the characterizations. When Lee died,\* the Queen stories were tended to be “dying clue” puzzles, with little characterization. \*Making the statement “Ellery Queen was half-dead” literal truth. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/15 "2011-05-10T22:25:27Z")
It occurred to me that mystery/detective fiction might be one genre in which a really good, clever, original idea might actually be worth 50% of the profit. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/16 "2011-05-10T22:40:56Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Ideas are a dime a dozen. The hard part is creating a story out of that idea with realistic characters, a believable plot, and all the other factors that make up a good story. So I don’t think you’ll get any takers. Amen to that. I wrote about fifty pages of a modern day fantasy novel before I realized that I was writing a book that I wouldn’t even want to read. Character development is _hard_, and I just didn’t have the talent for it. I had characters. The luckless modern day human protagonist. His put upon ex-girlfriend. A minotaur who can’t find a job in modern times because all the mazes are made in corn fields. Smartass gnomes at war with smartass dwarfs. A vegetarian dragon. There’s a funny story to tell with these, but I couldn’t do it. It’s not the ability to come up with an idea that makes a novel. It’s the grunt work of being able to craft it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/17 "2011-05-10T22:41:52Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > As a card-carrying published SF author, I can say that what you have just posting is an ongoing joke in the SF field. “I have a great idea for a story. You write it and we can split it 50-50.” :rolleyes: I’ve always wanted to ask this. Where do you get your ideas? d&r 😃 ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/18 "2011-05-10T22:48:36Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But now I’m curious whether there has ever been a successful writing partnership (in SF or elsewhere) in which one person was primarily the “ideas generator” and the other handled all the technical details of writing. I suppose some books written by a celebrity with an “as told to” cowriter or ghost writer might count. The best example I can think of is Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Niven, going by his solo works, is a veritable fountain of ideas but does poorly with character development; his books are often very dry. Niven’s collaborations with Pournelle are much better; the characters are much more distinct, interesting, and believable. Niven made a name for himself in SF solo before he worked with Pournelle, though, so it’s not quite the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/19 "2011-05-10T23:40:06Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I’ve always wanted to ask this. > Where do you get your ideas? > > d&r 😃 I live in [Schenectady](http://www.sff.net/people/bblongyear/itschenectady.html). ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418/20 "2011-05-11T02:45:19Z")
Here’s a complete list of RealityChuck’s science fiction: [http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?557](http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?557) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-story-idea/581418.md?page=2)