posted
My sister is waist deep in the writing process of a sci fi novel. I'm liking the characters and her universe, but I don't know what kind of pointers to give her to help her with the hook, the universe etc. I've found OSC's two writing books online and I wanted to ask what you guys thought of them. I like his instructional writing style, it makes sense and it clear...what do you guys think?
Are there any others that you have read/used or would recommend?
Posts: 75 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Holly Lisle's site - Excellent collection of useful articles, including some of the best tips for editing first draft manuscripts I've ever seen.
Robert J. Sawyer - Large "How to Write" section on his site, very handy.
I liked Stephen King's On Writing, and those by Natalie Goldberg and Lawrence Block.
The latest one I read: No Plot, No Problem by Chris Baty, the guy that sgtarted www.nanowrimo.org. Doesn't tell you a thing about style, charcterization, viewpoint, or plot, but it does offer great tips on how to finish the silly thing.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I've heard good things about Stephen King's. Thanks for the suggestions Chris, I hadn't heard of the other ones. Would you recommend any of them specifically for a writer of science fiction?
edit-those web sites seem full of useful stuff. Thanks!
posted
I read Cards book "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" and though it was pretty good. I really liked his advice on why magic should cost the user, and why. Too much of what I read seems to be the Harry Potter version of magic....wave a wand and murmur a few psudo-Latin words, and POOF, you have magic. His view on these things make for a much more interesting take on magic, and makes for a better read, IMO.
"Language of the Night", by Ursala Le Guin is a great book on WHY we are so fascinated with these sort of stories , although it doesn't offer as much practical advice.
And "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy and Get Published", by Brian Stableford is pretty good, and little more down to earth with his suggestions.
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Well, it isn't a "how to" guide, but I really enjoy Susan Cooper's "Dreams and Wishes: Essays on Writing for Children".
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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OSC's writing books seemed pretty good to me, but I don't agree with some of his comments regarding how to plot the overall story. He seems to think any given book primarily aims to focus on either a plot, a character, a setting, or an idea - when in reality any really decent book focuses inseperably on all of these at once. I have a hunch following some of that advice is going to lead to writing what you might think of as a "genre" novel, rather than a well-rounded work.
I guess what I've heard is that, rather than reading How-To books, the best use of your time is just to write and read stories. Writers write right?
Posts: 2432 | Registered: Feb 2001
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Xap, I think he was saying that there is a main focus for each work, not that the others were unimportant. But there are stories that are idea driven, like Saberhagens Sword of Power books, and there are character-driven ones like Deitz's books...you get the idea...
All of them have all three elements, but there is obviously one that stands out in each.
posted
Cecily, I skimmed Card's "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" recently and thought it was OK, and offered good advice. One piece of advice I remember is to get get good, honest feedback, preferably from professional writers, less preferably from amateurs. Feedback from well-meaning relatives doesn't help as much, beyond copyediting and self-esteem building. So see if your sister wants to get into any writing groups or workshops, or she can circulate it via e-mail--check about copyright concerns with that though. I wish your sister lots of luck in her writing!
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I have read a few books on this, and I like Card's ook the best. It had some really good suggestions on how to make stories seem more immedate, and how to communicate your ideas to others well.
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Has anyone read the one he wrote on character development? I so greatly admire the way that HE himself does it that I would hope the book is relatively helpful. I don't know though, anyone read it?
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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OSC's _Character and Viewpoint_ is a pretty good book -- especially for beginning writers who tend to make major point of view mistakes.
It does refelect his bias for third person limited omnscient narration -- but that bias is reflective of most of the genre so if someone is writing speculative fiction they should be able to write in that mode successfully before they try out other narrative modes.
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Ok, I'm looking into getting her both of the OSC books. She's very beginning, trying to create a universe, with new words, new names, society roles and all that stuff. She has issues with flow and giving us too much information....
Maybe I should ask if anyone is violently opposed to these books? Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Although I am totally not a real or experienced writer I can say that for my world(s) there is a lot more information in my head than you ever see on the page.
It's very sad but some sacrifices have to be made .
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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yeah, I understand. I think she feels like she has to sneakily cram her background info into the normal story-moving-along. It makes it choppy and pedantic at times.
But then, I'm not any kind of writer myself, so I have trouble putting my instincts into words that make sense to her. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Use JK Rowling as an example. I get the feeling she has sheaves and sheaves of papers filled with backstory that'll never be useful!
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I just saw an inteview with her, fm the PoA DVD that was just released and she really does have a TON more info that she hasn't released yet, and it affected the way the director shot some of the scenes. He wanted to do things that didn't fit in with Hogwarts, but the director didn't know that beaus the info hadden't been released yet, but she told him "You can't do that, that isn't what belongs there."...
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That book has been useful to me in it's advice on what not to do, and how to nuirture your ideas into stories.
Not enough that I've acutally finished a story yet, but I'm more of a poem person. If you're an actual writer, it may be of more use.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The reality is that she'll learn a whole lot simply by doing. She needs to just do it. Each writer writes slightly differently, even within the same genre. It might be a good idea for her to join a writer's group or two as well. But only if she's at the point where she either needs it or will benefit from it.
A lot of people say they want to write a novel but never get around to doing it. She's doing well simply by starting. So give her a pat on the back and tell her you're proud of her for trying, and support her in finishing it, too! Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Those were the first two books I read on writing when I was getting started, and I think they were a really good starting place now that I have read others. I still reread them from time to time. Not everything OSC says will work for everyone, but the books keep their advice very flexible and have really great examples. Helps you see what not to do sometime more than what to do. (That comes with time and practice, and is a continual learning experience one must get by doing.)
Posts: 14 | Registered: Jan 2004
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