Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25726
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25726
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Fantasy and science fiction books have a major additional task that other genres can avoid if they wish: worldbuilding.

A story of any genre _can_ devote a lot of attention to description and detail, but it isn't a necessity dictated by the choice of genre. But SF and fantasy, as a rule, _need_ to establish a new world. They _need_ to explain how their setting works, how the world functions, how their premise has made the story's reality different from our own.

Even if 99% of the world _is_ mundane, and exactly like our own, the fact that it's in the SF/fantasy genre means readers are coming _without_ assuming that most aspects of the real world carry over to the story. You _need_ to give the readers grounding, let them know where they're landed.

All that being said, there are _incredible_ varieties in style. Plenty of genres, like romance and thrillers and _certainly_ travelogues, will leap at the opportunity to explore a strange or unusual location. And plenty of SF/fantasy writers are sparse and lean, establishing the setting in a very minimal way and leaving it at that.

Bottom line is, yes, there's good reason for fantasy and science fiction to devote extra attention to description. But, if you look, you'll find that pretty much any combination imaginable can be done.

Original score: 8