My name is Matthew Lyle and I am a Year 12 student at Port Hacking High School in Sydney, Australia. For the particular English course I am undertaking I am required to compose a Major Work. The medium in which I have chosen to do this is a science fiction short story.
I understand that you are a busy professional and that you may not have time to speak to me. However, if you could spare the time to answer some questions I have for you I would greatly appreciate it. I will acknowledge any contribution in my bibliography and Reflection Statement and will also send you a copy of my completed Major Work if requested.
After studying Ender’s Game as part of a similar course, I was left aspiring to compose my Major Work with the same effect on the responder as your novel.
One of the devices by which I have understood to achieve this effect is that, although you take your responders into a completely new imaginative universe full of unfamiliar aliens and technology, you never lose the voice of humanity. The responder follows Ender on his journey and it’s with this empathic connection that we do not become lost in this unfamiliar world but are able to fully relate to the portrayed events. My question is: what have you found useful to create this voice of humanity? And also, what have you discovered constitutes as being human? I’m hoping that once I have a clearer understanding of these questions, I will be able to better mirror the responder’s love for Ender in my own characters.
While your novel contains religious parallels, what do you personally see as the role of religion – particularly in its place in sci-fi genre? How can these parallels be represented subtly in a text? And also, where do you see us going with religion from a science-fiction perspective?
Finally, regarding the medium – what do you find is most important to focus on when writing a short story? To portray a suspenseful story with a climax etc. how many main characters do you advise me to include in my short story (the word limit is 8000 words)? Do you have any other hints regarding the composition of a short story?
Again I thank you in advance for your time and advice, and I look forward to the insights I will hopefully gain from your answers.
Kind Regards, Matthew
Posts: 2 | Registered: May 2005
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I'm not OSC, nor do I speak for him, but maybe I can offer some help:
1) Search Uncle Orson's writing class. All OSC's lessons are posted here online. They are full of useful info in OSC's own words.
2) Also try the writer's forum here at hatrack. It's full of people who would be happy to help you answer those questions you posed here.
The proprietor may respond, but I would look for answers from other sources, just in case. OSC can be contrary, responding in threads where people say "He'll never respond to this", and passing over threads that you would think would intrigue him.
Hope that gives you some starting places.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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First, I'm not aware of any religious parallels in Ender's Game. If you found them, they are not of my devising.
Second, the way you create "humanity" in characters is to use point of view deeply and effectively, so we understand the characters' motives - and you also give them hard choices to make, and many conflicting motives as they make those choices.
But I go into this is very great detail in my book Characters and Viewpoint. It may not be readily available in lands down under, so email your address to PapaJanitor (see the link at the top of the page) and we'll try to get a copy of it to you. Probably my sf/fantasy writing book as well. It will answer your questions in far more detail than I can here.
As for anything else, Mr. de Spang's suggestions re good ones.
By the way, I don't "pass over" threads so much as simply not sign on and look at anything until after it has already moved down the list. Basically, I sign on to this area and then look for threads with very few posts to see if it's new and if it's a question I can answer quickly.
But when I go for a week without signing on (as often happens when I'm working hard or traveling constantly) a question can be posted and then drop back two or three pages on the list. So I never see it at all. I don't really think of that as being "contrary" so much as "unlucky."
Of course, there are some topics that I would never post to if my life depended on it. But those are very rare - and very obvious.
Posts: 2005 | Registered: Jul 1999
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Wow... Mr. Card is certainly on a lot these days... From what I remember, he almost never posted back then...
Posts: 1245 | Registered: May 2002
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I'm not sure if you'll see this post again Mr. Card, but if you do thanks so much for reply - you have been a big help and your works such an inspiration.
The comments about motives and hard decisions have really started me thinking and now i'm more eager than ever to continue writing my Major Work.
Also thanks heaps El JT de Spang, i'll definately check out those those areas of the website you recommended.
You are a talented man Mr. Card - and taking time to reply to my questions is, I feel, the characteristics of a great man who has a passion for writing, and is only to happy to inspire that passion in other writers.
All the best Mr. Card and I wish you every success for your upcoming works!
Kind Regards, Matthew
Posts: 2 | Registered: May 2005
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