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Yes, it happens often, it has happened to me, although with me the similar stories often appear after mine because I could not get the story published.

With a genre like science-fiction, readers are very picky and are quick to dismiss "retreads". It might be worth digging deeper to find something that hasn't been done before.

What if life on another world was created by humans and it is humans, now a very ancient & differently evolved race, who are returning to their old outpost to see if their synthetic life forms are still thriving? What if this opens up a whole new odyssey for both species?

What if humans created synthetic life forms to do hard labor on worlds that are inhospitable and a deep rift develops between humankind and their created races; and a disease develops among humankind -- the only cure is to be found in micro-organisms that evolved in the bodies of their creations, which they alone possess knowledge of?

There are lots of places you can take this idea that haven't (to my knowledge) been done before.

And whenever you create an alien race, unless you are doing straight-up space-opera or space-fantasy, you have to ask yourself what environment caused them to evolve as they are described to the reader. That internal logic helps "sell" their "reality" to the reader :)

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@VincentAsaro I need to think about the native environments of my aliens in that case. They aren't on their native planet, but I have 3 main alien races. I'm generally not so good at this. Or doesn't that matter it's set totally on Earth?

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It's not that hard once you get into it. If I were you I'd take some basic books about evolution, especially the basics of natural selection, out of the library and bone up a little.

And if your human characters try to figure out anything about the alien races, you'll have to give them something to work with, so they can reason backwards: if they have A and B traits they must have come from A and B type environments etc.

With classic SF it was usually the concept that came first & then the story. That eventually led to a revolution (or revolt!) called the "new wave" of SF (roughly 1960-1975) that became increasingly literate & decreasingly science-literate. But it's still good to keep in mind. I mean, if you wanted to write a legal thriller, you'd want to get the legal stuff right, wouldn't you?

BTW there's an awesome anthology from the 90's called First Contact full of original articles & stories by scientists & SF authors that you might want to get hold of. I've seen 'em on Amazon for sale for as little as $1.00. Your library system might have a copy. Good resource!

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@VincentAsaro I just got your message. The most recent Sci-fi book I've read was book one of Knight's Dawn Trilogy, over a year ago. I'm not a big science person, I'm more of a sociology person, looking at culture and changes there, how people respond to unexpected events. I know that the earth experiment has been done a lot too, it's hard for it not to be. I have read "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and was a big fan of the books but that was more of a comedy than a sci-fi. Part of sci-fi is a "what if" feeling, right? I dunno, I might go this road but I might not, I'm not very science minded, but can usually follow along.

As far as publishing, I'm not sure. I write mostly for myself so publishing isn't my main goal. I know cats are a pretty common animal to use but it's a logical jump (well, as logical as any animal) because they are smart and cunning and lithe.

When I read sci-fi, one thing I hate is in-depth descriptions of every piece of technology. I don't want to know that your ship is carbon fiber. I don't want to be reminded every five minutes that you have a data chip implanted in your head.

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@Cheadarchesse Well then write what pleases you. You asked for feedback & that's my impression of the idea :)

Why can't SF be funny? THHG is definitely SF & Adams actually brought some really fresh innovative ideas to the genre, such as the Babel Fish & the Improbability Drive.

For me the fun of SF *is* knowing what things are made of, how they work, and the "why" of alien biologies, technologies & cultures. Different horses for different courses, I suppose...

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@Cheadarchesse I like knowing how stuff works but I don't want to hear it repeated constantly. If it's already explained about how a teleport works, I don't really want to hear it again. Unless of course, its important.

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@VincentAsaro I'm sorry if that came off harsh. I didn't mean it to. I was just trying to have a debate (it's nearly a hobby =P) but I really do appreciate the feedback. I know I'm horrible at comedy so I doubt I could do a do a new THHG but the culture is one I could do. I have already started it. For example, the cat's with rank have a ear-piercing style thing with feathers on it, the more for the higher rank. Obviously I'd describe it better than that.

@AmberGovier that's pretty much what I was going for. You're more eloquent than I am =)

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@Cheadarchesse Ha ha no worries :)

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@Cheadarchesse I'm not really that eloquent. Although I will say I write more eloquently than I speak, mostly. I do chuck a few words like 'phantasmagorical' into everyday conversation. I like to laugh at the confused looks on people's faces. I'm very immature.....

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My first wattpad story just posted is a bit sci-fi, a bit silly.

For alien cats, Larry Niven's Kzinti books fleshes them out very thoroughly. Cats are the mascot of the fantasy genre, so I'd probably style your basic story idea as operatic sci-fi, instead of hardcore, feeling free to loosen up on the science.

In addition to its evocation of wonder, I like science fiction that reveals/comments on the enigma that is human beings and human societies.

With the rationale of overpopulation, how many cats does the world euthanize every day?

Even today, some cultures hunt and hang cats, claiming them to be creatures "not of this earth."

Reversing the role of master-pet is one dimension. There must be more to explore between human and cat...

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@MC2superscript Advertising is not allowed in the Science Fiction club. Advertise in the Share Your Story club instead.

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It doesn't look like Advertising to me, but rather a contribution to the discussion thread that science fiction and humor can co-exist. Sorry, @TheLocalGuerilla.

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@MC2superscript Oh wait, I saw it wrong. My fault. You haven't seen anything!

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@MC2superscript I think part of the reason that people pick on cats is because they are a natural ninja! (not my cat, he's obese) They are quick and strong for their size. Have you ever tried to give a cat a bath? It's NOT easy, that's for sure.

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@Cheadarchesse A lot of cultures have superstitions about cats, the ancient Egyptians believed them to be like a guardian in the afterlife. In Japan there is the Nekomata, a cat monster with a split tail. It was said that they could control the dead and create illusions. There are also were-cats, and they were believed to be witches familiars and in league with the devil in medieval times.

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They say there are no new ideas... And there is some truth in that. They also say that great minds think alike... And I think there may be truth in that too. Sometimes it's interesting to re-visit an old idea and re-tell it in a new way. Sometimes its interesting that a number of authors want to explore similar themes, because it may suggest that there's something important in there... I knew one sci-fi writer (published and mulit-award winning) who said that he intentionally didn't read the work that other writers were producing (even though other people said he should) because he wanted to keep himself fresh. He didn't do too badly...

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@TimNorwood It's been a trend, beginning trend anyway, to retell stories. I've been watching Grimm lately (recommended, by the way) and Huntsman and Mirror, Mirror have debuted too. I can totally understand where that author comes from, it's probably a good idea. I don't read much sci-fi and I don't know where the line is drawn but I do love a good sci-fi story.

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