--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hard science fiction, which is what I…" description: "\"Hard science fiction, which is what I write, often is rightly criticized for having either negligible or unbelievable characterization, but the science..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/robert-j-sawyer-3858_art_hard-science-fiction-which-is-what-i-wri_2450867.jpg" --- # Hard science fiction, which is what I write, often is… ![“Hard science fiction, which is what I write, often is rightly criticized for having either negligible or unbelievable characterization, but the science I've actually studied most post-secondarily is psychology, and characterization is the art of dramatizing psychological principles.” quote by Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/robert-j-sawyer-3858_art_hard-science-fiction-which-is-what-i-wri_2450867.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/robert-j-sawyer-3858_art_hard-science-fiction-which-is-what-i-wri_2450867.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/robert-j-sawyer-3858_art_hard-science-fiction-which-is-what-i-wri_2450867.jpg) > “Hard science fiction, which is what I write, often is rightly criticized for having either negligible or unbelievable characterization, but the science I've actually studied most post-secondarily is psychology, and characterization is the art of dramatizing psychological principles.” [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science fiction can blend rigorous science with deep psychological insight, using characters to illustrate mental concepts. **In simple terms:** Science fiction can explore psychology through characters. Key Takeaway Use science to reveal human behavior. Themes science fiction psychology characterization creativity Mood thoughtful inspired Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - teaching - public speaking - writing workshops Key Concepts psychological principles dramatic storytelling hard science Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance scientific detail with relatable characters? - What psychological principle can you illustrate through a plot? A Different Perspective Hard science may alienate readers lacking scientific background. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Characterization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characterization/) [Dramatizing Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatizing-psychological-569201/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Psychology Characterization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology-characterization-569200/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Secondarily Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secondarily-psychology-569202/) ## Related quotes > [Psychoanalytic categories such as "neurosis", "psychosis", "mania", and "fixation" have become part of our everyday psychological vocabulary and we now routinely interpret states of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-brassier/psychoanalytic-categories-such-as-neurosis-psychosis-mania-and/) [Ray Brassier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-brassier/) > [You can't be a 21st-century science fiction writer writing about Mars without doing tips of the hat to Edgar Rice Burroughs, to Ray Bradbury,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/you-can-t-be-a-21st-century-science-fiction-writer-writing-about-mars/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [One of the things that science fiction gets to do is thought experiments about the human condition that would be impractical or unethical to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/one-of-the-things-that-science-fiction-gets-to-do-is-thought/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Social progress is a big thing for me. Although science fiction is traditionally concerned with the hard sciences, which is chemistry, physics, and, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/social-progress-is-a-big-thing-for-me-although-science-fiction-is/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [“I do not know the man I should avoid So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much, He is a great observer, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-do-not-know-the-man-i-should-avoid-so-soon-as-that-spare-cassius-he/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I think my wife would take objection to any characterization of me as perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-blair-henry/i-think-my-wife-would-take-objection-to-any-characterization-of-me-as/) [Peter Blair Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-blair-henry/) > [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [There are technical tricks that may help you create more effective characters. My approach to characterization is not at all technical. I can't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/there-are-technical-tricks-that-may-help-you-create-more-effective/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [Characterization requires a constant back-and-forth between the exterior events of the story and the inner life of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corbett/characterization-requires-a-constant-back-and-forth-between-the/) [David Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corbett/) > [You can use the fun of the genre, but I also really wanted to come at it from the point of view of some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-hodges/you-can-use-the-fun-of-the-genre-but-i-also-really-wanted-to-come-at/) [Adrian Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-hodges/) > [Now, learning how to make a movie is something you can figure out in about an afternoon. The physics of it, the marks, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/now-learning-how-to-make-a-movie-is-something-you-can-figure-out-in/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Characterization is not divorced from plot, not a coat of paint you slap on after the structure of events is already built. Rather characterization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-kress/characterization-is-not-divorced-from-plot-not-a-coat-of-paint-you/) [Nancy Kress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-kress/) > [I think with any characterization there's a point where you empathize, no matter how much of a deviance his or her actions may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-think-with-any-characterization-there-s-a-point-where-you-empathize/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Characterization requires self-knowledge, insight into human nature . . . it is more than impersonation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-surmelian/characterization-requires-self-knowledge-insight-into-human-nature-it/) [Leon Surmelian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-surmelian/) > [ Steve \[King\] has been incredibly supportive. He's also really good about getting back to me when I have questions about plot or characterization. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-furth/steve-king-has-been-incredibly-supportive-he-s-also-really-good-about/) [Robin Furth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-furth/) ## More by Robert J. Sawyer > [Naturally, one does not normally discuss plans to commit murder with the intended victim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/naturally-one-does-not-normally-discuss-plans-to-commit-murder-with/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Not wanting to die was another universal constant, it seemed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/not-wanting-to-die-was-another-universal-constant-it-seemed/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I'm much more interested in writing about the things that engage and enrage me as an adult rather than in wallowing in childhood sorrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-m-much-more-interested-in-writing-about-the-things-that-engage-and/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Our job is not to predict the future. Rather, it's to suggest all the possible futures - so that society can make informed decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/our-job-is-not-to-predict-the-future-rather-it-s-to-suggest-all-the/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [That natural selection can produce changes within a type is disputed by no one, not even the staunchest creationist. But that it can transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/that-natural-selection-can-produce-changes-within-a-type-is-disputed/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [“You really did uplift me. You gave me the perspective and point of view and focus I needed to become truly conscious. Without you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/you-really-did-uplift-me-you-gave-me-the-perspective-and-point-of/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I'm often characterized as an optimistic writer, and certainly my 'Neanderthal Parallax' and 'WWW' trilogies shade toward the utopian. I like to think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-m-often-characterized-as-an-optimistic-writer-and-certainly-my/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I started wondering why it is that people line up behind charismatic leaders. It's easy to understand the emergence of a figure who's narcissistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-started-wondering-why-it-is-that-people-line-up-behind-charismatic/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [When you're changing centuries, people get curious about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/when-you-re-changing-centuries-people-get-curious-about-the-future/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Real people are complex, contradictory, and have their own motivations - they can't just be mouthpieces for the writers' point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/real-people-are-complex-contradictory-and-have-their-own-motivations/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [“All right,” he said. “Since you asked, Webmind is an emergent quantum-computational system based on a stable null-sigma condensate that resists decoherence thanks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/all-right-he-said-since-you-asked-webmind-is-an-emergent-quantum/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Social progress is a big thing for me. Although science fiction is traditionally concerned with the hard sciences, which is chemistry, physics, and, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/social-progress-is-a-big-thing-for-me-although-science-fiction-is/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Fiction is all about vicarious experiences and getting into other people's heads in a way that no other art form lets you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/fiction-is-all-about-vicarious-experiences-and-getting-into-other/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [Secrecy was the problem; transparency the obvious cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/secrecy-was-the-problem-transparency-the-obvious-cure/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [I'm a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-m-a-member-of-the-writers-guild-of-america-and-the-writers-guild-of/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) [Explore all 116 Robert J. Sawyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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