Because good future studies and good fiction have a great deal in common, futurists need to recognize and apply the skills of word artists from all genres, particularly novelists and short-story writers. One form of science fiction that futurists could use is the scenario, which is an exploration of an alternative future. A good scenario should be relevant, organized around key branching points, credible and useful, and intelligible. Tips for short-story writing, such as those by Ben Bova in his book "Notes to a Science Fiction Writer," should be considered by futurists. For example, good writing should invent complex characters, not stereotypes. While science fiction and scenarios are both useful for future studies, there is need for a new genre of writing called future fiction. Its aim would be to popularize the findings of futures research and to fix images of plausible and desirable futures in the minds of the general public. Future fiction would contain many of the characteristics of a good scenario and would depict believable complex human characters in realistic situations. The genre could be modeled on contemporary historical novels, the formula best-seller, or the made-for-TV miniseries. (RM)