5 Tips for Writing Sci-Fi (When You’re Not a Scientist)

5 Tips for Writing Sci-Fi (When You’re Not a Scientist)

If you’ve ever stared at your sci-fi manuscript and thought, I have no idea how quantum anything works, you’re not alone. Writing science fiction without a science degree can feel like stepping into a lab with nothing but a notebook and a dream. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to be a physicist to write compelling, believable sci-fi.

Whether you're writing about alien civilizations, rogue AIs, or a lab disaster (hi, Facility X), here are five tips to help you write smart science fiction, even if you’ve never touched a microscope.

1. Focus on the “What If,” Not the “How Exactly”

Great sci-fi often starts with one solid question: What if?
What if humans could transfer consciousness? What if a planet’s biology rejected our presence? What if time travel was a side effect of grief?

You don’t need to explain exactly how the machine works. What matters is the consequences of the tech, the discovery, the mutation. Readers will forgive a lack of technical jargon if your ideas spark curiosity and your world feels grounded in its own logic.

2. Anchor the Science in the Story, Not the Other Way Around

Don’t let research rabbit holes keep you from writing. Learn just enough to make your concept believable, and focus on how that science affects the characters. Sci-fi that’s too obsessed with technical accuracy can start to feel like a textbook. Remember, story comes first.

And if your scientist character uses words you don’t fully understand? That’s fine. Readers assume specialists talk that way. Just don’t try to bluff your way through a three-page lecture on particle physics. Trust me.

3. Use Real Science as a Springboard

Look into emerging technologies or strange biological phenomena for inspiration. Cloning, neural implants, dark matter—all of these are real, fascinating things you can twist into new directions.

You don’t have to explain the entire theory, just plant the seed. Let it bloom into something speculative, strange, and thrilling.

4. Create Internal Rules—and Stick to Them

Your science doesn’t have to mirror real-world physics, but it does need to feel consistent. If gravity changes on one page and no one reacts, readers will notice.

Decide early what’s possible in your world and what’s not. Is faster-than-light travel possible? Can humans breathe the alien atmosphere? If you bend the laws of nature, make sure those bends are intentional, and stay bent the same way throughout the story. Just like real physics, it doesn’t make sense if physics just halfway through the story unless there is a specific reason why.

5. Let the Emotions Be the Guide

Behind every spaceship, virus, or alien species should be a human story. The tech isn’t what readers remember; it’s the fear, the awe, the loss, and the grit. Write the science fiction, but don’t forget to write the people.

If you're not a scientist, lean into what you do know: emotion, tension, and why your characters make the choices they do. That’s the heart of every great sci-fi story.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be a biochemist to write about rogue organisms, or an engineer to imagine a future civilization. What you need is curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to research just enough to make your fiction feel real.

You can build whole worlds from “what if.” So don’t wait for a PhD to get started. Just write, and fix what needs to be fixed later.

Kayce Grant

@book.of.kay