If you write science fiction, fantasy, or anything within the realm of the not-quite-(yet)-real, you may have already come across the term “speculative element”. If you haven’t, then cozy in, (especially those of you writing sci-fantasy). We’re going to take today to talk about all things speculative.

What’s a “Speculative Element”?

In short, the speculative element is that aspect of your setting which takes your story beyond reality and into the realm of science fiction or fantasy. If you’re writing fantasy, your spec element is likely to take the form of some sort of magic. On the other hand, science fiction is more likely to utilise speculative technology.

However, the term “spec element” allows us to go broader than the traditional definitions of “magic” or “science”. It allows for in-between stories and genres (such as sci-fantasy or paranormal horror). And that helps us analyse everything from Phoenix Gods to FTL Airship Travel to Ghost-Touch to Ansibles to the Force.

Soft vs. Hard

In addition to the science vs. magic spectrum of spec elements, there’s another axis which helps us to define and use our spec elements to their fullest potential. That’s the background vs. foreground spectrum, or the “hard” vs. “soft” divide.

Think about the difference between, say, Lord of the Rings and Mistborn. In Lord of the Rings, the magic is wibbly-wobbly. It does stuff, but we’re often not quite sure how. A lot of what it does seems to be handwaved: that’s just how it works. If you need to fight a Balrog, you call on Gandalf, because there’s no way he can actually explain to you how to do that thingie with the staff and the light.

Meanwhile, in Mistborn, there are hard and fast rules. The protagonist learns to navigate those rules and utilise her powers to influence the plot and change the world. If we look at it this way, “soft” or background magic systems and technologies often do more to inform setting and atmosphere, whereas “hard”, foreground spec elements have a measureable effect on the plot.

Knowing these two basic defining characteristics of spec elements is going to help you with the next step. Because today, we’re going to go ahead and design the basics of a magic system

Designing a Speculative Element: Scope

It’s likely that if you’ve decided you want to write a sci-fi or fantasy story, you already have some sense of what you want your spec element(s) to be. Sometimes this is hard-wired into the narrative itself. A story about AI would be really difficult to write without figuring out… well… AI. Meanwhile, if you’re writing an epic fantasy saga, magic often be a necessary part of the world.

But once you’ve decided whether you need a foreground or background element, it’s time to decide scope. This is your chance to take stock of what you want your spec element to do. Do you want subtle technology that permeates every social interaction (such as the memory chip in the Black Mirror episode “The Entire History of You”)? Or do you really just need a big, flashy magic system capable of helping a crew break into an impenetrable fortress?

Things to consider here are not just the practical aspects (what your magic can do), but also the aesthetics. What is the feeling you want to invoke? Are we talking “laser blades” or “swords of light”? Is it mind-reading or psychic attunement or a brain chip?

As an example, for The Ravenscourt Tragedies, I knew I wanted a more subtle magic system that reflected the Victorian interest in Spiritism and the Occult. I knew I needed the magic to be able to have some measurable effect on social interactions, and that it would eventually become another tool used by various characters to move the plot forward. I eventually settled on a type of magic focusing on “Spirits”. Really, this was just a fancy way of making magicians over-powered psychics. They would be capable of manipulating anything relating to the mind — including ghosts, shades, and the spirits of the living.

Designing a Speculative Element: Limits

Finally, no spec element should be a get-out-of-jail-free card. No matter what type of element you’re developing for your story, it needs to have limits. If, at some point, you need to stretch these limits for the sake of the plot, there are always going to be ways to do that.

But having strong, clear, and enforced limits to what your spec element can do ensures that it’s not too easy for any character to completely nuke the plot. In other words, it’s the only real way to make sure that your story maintains tension.

Thankfully limits are easy. They can be arbitrary (though that’s a lazy way of doing things). More often, though, they’ll arise naturally from what you’ve already decided about the scope and style of your spec element. Whatever these limits end up being, make sure you convey them clearly to the reader.

Going back to The Ravenscourt Tragedies, the hard limit on magic became fairly obvious once I’d figured out what kind of magic I needed. I’d always wanted a more subtle magic system, and making the magic reliant on “spirit work” meant that the natural limit was simply this: no magician could affect the material world. In other words, no fireballs, lightning bolts, or teleportation (at least, not yet).

The Basics

Hopefully some of this has helped you start thinking about the speculative elements in your fiction. As a parting exercise, I encourage you to look back over some of your favourite SF/F/H stories and take a moment to analyse their use of these elements.

Do you mainly read stories with magic or science — or some mixture of the two? Is the spec element in your most recent read foreground or background, hard or soft? Finally, make a list of what the technology or magic in some of your favourite stories can do — and perhaps, more importantly, what it can’t. How does the writer convey these limits to the reader?

Once you start paying attention to how other authors use speculative elements, it’ll make it easier for you to get to grips with your own. For the next steps to take when developing a magic system or new technology for your fiction, check out this post I wrote for Round Table Mentor. Because once you’ve figured out the basics, it’s time to make your fiction real. That means focusing on how it feels.

Always feel free to contact me to talk about your sf/f project. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!