You May Have Written Haiku, But Have You Tried SciFaiku?
Haiku is popular on Medium, with (at the time of writing) approx thirty-eight thousand stories, created by thousands of writers. Almost everyone knows what a haiku is, but there is a related contemporary form that many are not aware of — SciFaiku.
What is SciFaiku?
At its simplest, a SciFaiku is a form of haiku with a science-based or science fiction theme, which differs from the traditional haiku, with its focus on nature, seasons, and the natural world. The term was created by Tom Brinck in 1995 in ‘The SciFaiku Manifesto’ which described the underlying principles of immediacy, minimalism, science fiction, and human insight.
My Examples:
1.
Guilt or innocence
determined by computer —
Binary Justice
2.
Communication —
Suddenly understanding
that I am your lunch.
3.
Champagne and breakfast.
Romance under the twin suns
Alien Sunrise.
How to Write Scifaiku:
Like haiku, SciFaiku often follows the traditional 3 line 17 syllable form in a 5 / 7 / 5 structure, however, due to the prominence of long technical words in science fiction, this is a guideline rather than a rule. Conversely, fewer syllables or lines are allowed as long as the other guidelines in the manifesto are met.
Like haiku, the writer must strive for elegant minimalism, ideally capturing one moment in time. It should be direct, easy to read and understand, yet powerful enough to linger in the memory of the reader. The ‘A Ha’ moment or cutting word/break should be strong. There should be some kind of human insight, even if this can only be inferred. The most important detail, however, is that it must have a science or science fiction theme.
Now that you have read my examples and explanation and definition of Scifaiku, I hope you feel inspired to give this form a try. Please use the hashtag ‘Scifaiku’ and comment on this post so I can read your creations.