## Can we gather some helpful reading materials for authors of rationalist fics?

* Author: u/None *
* URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/1tlsva/can_we_gather_some_helpful_reading_materials_for/
* Score: 6

* Created: 2013-12-24T13:37:54

### Post:

As someone who's trying to start one and epically struggling... Yeah, any helpful links in general would be awesome. Maybe I'll put this thread in the sidebar for future reference.

### Comments:

> **u/AmeteurOpinions** [+8]  *Finally, everyone was working together.* (7 hours later)
> 
> http://qntm.org/blog - A mass of useful stuff
> 
> http://lesswrong.com/ - A huge, huge mass of topics and cool things

>> **u/None** [+6]  (a day later)
>> 
>> [The Fun Theory Sequence](http://lesswrong.com/lw/xy/the_fun_theory_sequence/) might be particularly useful for a writer interested in science fiction or fantasy writing. It's a guide on how to build Utopia where people would actually want to live for a long time. Friendship is Optimal was partially guided by these rules. [Building Weirdtopia](http://lesswrong.com/lw/xm/building_weirdtopia/) is especially interesting.
>> 
>> Of course, before you can write **good** rationalist fiction you have to first know how to write so maybe [general "how to write" self help books](http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself/dp/0060545690/ref=tmm_pap_title_0) might be more useful. That said, there's nothing stopping you from learning how to write by writing rationalist fiction.

> **u/None** [+6]  (a minute later)
> 
> I'll start out with [the TV Tropes page on how to write realistic space travel](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/SoYouWantTo/WriteAHardScienceFictionStoryWithSpaceTravel); I find that the tags of realistic scifi and rationalist fic often overlap.

> **u/logrusmage** [+3]  (3 days later)
> 
> https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm
> 
> My favorite piece of writing advice, from George Orwell.

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