Some alien sci-fi stories focus on the interaction between humans and aliens. Often, the aliens and the humans in the story are in conflict. Some sci-fi writers use the conflict between aliens and humans to then push the story forward and propel the plot of the story. Some of the best alien sci-fi will put the aliens front and center, creating aliens who have their own world, rules, and backstory. Often, the aliens will be just as prominent as the humans in the story, giving the reader two different perspectives on a conflict or issue. [1] X Research source
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Dawn by Octavia Butler. The Word for the World Is Forest by Ursula Le Guin. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. Pandora’s Planet by Christopher Anvil.
Ask yourself several questions, including: How does the author characterize the aliens in the story? How do the humans interact with the aliens? How does the story build tension and conflict? Does the ending of the story satisfy your curiosity as reader? Is the ending optimistic about aliens and humans interacting or is it more pessimistic and dark?
You may include details of either world in the story’s setting. For example, if your story is set the alien world, humans in the alien world may still remember their own customs and rituals. This would then allow you to show the reader the contrast between the alien customs and the human customs. You may also decide to have aliens who invade the human world, integrating their customs into the customs of the humans. The aliens may also bring their own rituals and try to impose them on humans.
Is their world green, lush, and full of other species besides the aliens? Or is it foggy, cold, and dark? Maybe their planet contains multiple eco-systems or only one eco-system that is ideal for the alien race. Perhaps they subsist of a specific crop that only grows in certain areas of their planet. How do the aliens move around in their world? Do they fly in spaceships or have special clothing that allows them to jump and fly? You should also consider basic infrastructure elements like housing, food sources, energy storage and distribution, waste disposal, and the layout of the towns, cities, or neighborhoods in the alien world.
Consider several questions, such as: Did the aliens crash land on their planet and build it into a thriving metropolis? What were the major events of their history? For example, maybe their world is no longer inhabitable due to a natural disaster or genocide. Or maybe their world is prosperous and the envy of other planets in the galaxy. You should also think about different races within the alien world, such as aliens who are considered royalty or higher born and aliens who are considered servants or slaves. You should try to have a diverse range of social classes and backgrounds in the alien world, as this will make the aliens more distinct and varied.
You should determine the psychology among the alien world and consider how the rituals and customs in the alien world affects their beliefs and values. Maybe the aliens do not believe in eating other living beings and this means they do not raise animals or beings besides themselves on their planet. Or, maybe the aliens are a matriarchy, where females are in power. This could then affect their attitudes toward male aliens in the alien world. You may also consider how the aliens procreate, as the sexual lives of the species could be an important factor in their interactions with the human world in your story.
You should outline the physical world of the humans in your story as well as the history of the human world. Consider if the human world is suffering due to a disease, a plague, a natural disaster, or a man made disaster, such as nuclear war or civil war. Maybe a planet very similar to Earth has been destroyed and become uninhabitable, forcing humans to look at alien worlds to conquer and re settle. You should also consider the rituals and customs of the human world. Does the human world resemble our current world or does it focus on a specific area of the world? How do the humans use rituals and customs in their daily life? How does the human world differ from our current reality?
Think about how the aliens walk and move their bodies. You should also think about how their bodies are proportioned. They do not necessarily need to walk on two legs and have limbs like humans. They may have physical characteristics that have evolved due to their world or environment. For example, maybe your aliens have antennas on their heads because they can feel shifts in the wind in their world, allowing them to hunt for food more effectively. You should also think about whether there are different genders in the alien world and how the bodies of different genders appear. You do not have to be limited by male or female genders. Maybe the alien race has a third gender that is asexual or a combination of male and female genders.
Your alien race may also communicate in other ways besides language or words. Maybe they use their antennas to send messages to each other or have the ability to communicate through telepathy. Perhaps they use a system of body movements to communicate.
For example, maybe your main character is a human who has been gifted with the ability to read minds. This human is then able to access the conversations of the alien overlords, who have enslaved the human race. This ability could allow the human to save the humans from the aliens and become the hero of the story.
For example, maybe the central conflict of your story is that aliens have taken over the human world because their planet is no longer habitable. This alien invasion may then result in a human hero who tries to fight the aliens with a special ability and help from other humans in his community. Or, maybe the central conflict is that humans have enslaved aliens who have crash landed on their planet. The humans may then try to hide the aliens and experiment on them. This may then result in one alien who tries to oppose his human captors.
You should also make sure you are keeping in mind how aliens and humans are interacting in your story. The humans and the aliens should be playing off each other, creating tension and conflict as the story unfolds. The interests of the humans should also be in opposition to the interest of the aliens, as this will ensure they are always in conflict with each other.
You should also make sure you are keeping in mind how aliens and humans are interacting in your story. The humans and the aliens should be playing off each other, creating tension and conflict as the story unfolds. The interests of the humans should also be in opposition to the interest of the aliens, as this will ensure they are always in conflict with each other.
For example, you may describe the alien species as “having a wide head with bulbous eyes and a pair of thin antennas that twitched with energy. ” This description is detailed and clear without using cliched images. You may also describe UFOs as “flying dinner plates” or “gray ships in the sky” and avoid using the term “UFO” altogether to try to make the reader less familiar with the storyline.
You may want to do research around a specific scientific concept and try to integrate it into your story. For example, maybe your alien race has found a way to time travel using spacetime and the theory of relativity. You may then describe the alien’s approach to spacetime, using the principles of spacetime in science.
You should then go back and edit your first draft. Revise any sentences that sound wordy or unclear. Break up long-winded sentences so they are more concise and to the point. If there are any confusing moments in terms of plot or character development, you should also clarify these areas in the story. You may need to rewrite certain sections of the stories so plot and character are stronger on the page.