Why should I write small scale sci-fi?

I’m a screenwriting student. I’ve been studying for years - writing scripts, creating projects, and avoiding getting a ‘real’ job. I like to write small-scale stories. I like them, partly because they are easier to sell, but also because I can make them myself.

The problem is, writers want to create Doctor Who. They want to write epics, like Lord of the Rings or Guardians of the Galaxy. While that’s a fine ambition, they don’t seem to realise that those shows/films are notoriously difficult to make. There’s a huge number of writers trying to create large-scale space operas. The competition is enormous and fierce.

So why don’t we scale it down?

But what does ‘small-scale’ mean?

I hear you ask. From probably another part of the country, if not the world. That’s okay, I can hear you. I have enhanced hearing. (Or maybe I’ve bugged your office space). Either way, I can probably answer your question.

Getting personal

Your typical science-fiction space opera focuses around a group of people trying to save the galaxy. The stakes are huge! The entire galaxy is going to be destroyed/conquered/enslaved by a fascist regime! Only your heroes can stop them, using their powers/high-tech weapons/righteous liberalism!

In a small-scale story, the stakes are still high, but they are much more personal. Your main characters are focused on something that affects their lives specifically. Perhaps something an everyday person might worry about, like losing a loved one, for example, or being alienated from their friends.

The stakes in small-scale sci-fi are similar to the stakes in grounded drama. The difference is, the antagonist might be supernatural. If you’re writing a story about somebody getting evicted, for example, the antagonist in that story could be a loud alien in the attic who keeps the neighbours awake. The hero has to find a way to keep that alien quiet so they don’t lose their home!