Essential Reads for Aspiring Authors - Part 2: Orson Scott Card's "How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy"

Orson Scott Card

On recommendation of a friend I recently purchased Orson Scott Card's How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy. For those unfamiliar, Card is most famous for his sci-fi novel Enders Game and the seven sequels that followed.

Despite being a noticeably short read, (it clocks in somewhere shy of 140 pages) the advice is solid and easy to apply. This book is well suited to anyone with a penchant for sci-fi or fantasy, regardless of whether you've started your first draft or are already knee deep in revisions.While the examples used in the book are more often than not bent towards sci-fi, most of the advice offered is applicable to any aspiring author of speculative fiction. 

My only qualm with the text is that its advice regarding literary agents seems dated and overly skeptical (This is likely due to the fact that it was first published in 1991). Card advises seeking out an agent only after you've received an offer from a publisher. As a great deal of publishers are no longer accepting unsolicited queries or manuscripts, I'm not so sure that this is heed-worthy advice. Furthermore, he insists that the best agents are charging a going rate of 10%, (as opposed to 15%) something that I'm also quite skeptical of. Perhaps this was the case two decades ago. Today I'm not so sure.

The book is divided into five sections:

1. The Infinite Boundary: this chapter primarily deals with how to recognize and label speculative fiction, and helps explain how sci-fi and fantasy differ from one another.

2. World Creation: offers a great deal of advice about the process of creating a believable world, with a focus on setting firm rules surrounding your magic and technology.

3. Story Construction: especially useful in determining whether you should write your story with the milieu, idea, character or event in mind. This chapter is also benefitial in that it helps you determine whether or not your protaganist should also be your viewpoint character.

4. Writing Well: this chapter was invaluable to me, as it aids the aspiring author in writing exposition. How much is too much? How much is not enough? How do I integrate it into the story without slowing the pace of the novel? There is also some practical (and humorous) advice about integrating jargon, slang, and made up languages within your work.

5. The Life and Business of Writing: unfortunately the weakest of the five chapters; largely to blame is the outdated material and advice pertaining to literary agents. There are a few nuggets of wisdom to be found here, but be skeptical--particularly in regards to what's written about literary agents, finances, and querying--it is most certainly not the most up to date information available. 

Minor faults aside, this was a fantastic read and has provided me with a great deal of practical advice to help hone my craft. It'll definitely be studied more thoroughly during my revision period.

To the readers: what other books about the craft have you read and enjoyed?

Grave No. 3240

[via mostly forbidden zone]

well, damn.

how long, and at what speed, must someone be swung around by the heels before they cease to live? a centrifugal death. or centripetal actually (someone once told me there is no such thing as "centrifugal force" and it was only a scientific lie this whole time-- like how the brontosaurus was really just a brachiosaurus.) both ways, i don't imagine it to be a quick or accidental murder and i would assume this damn clown was aware of what he was doing.

that may be a horrible way to go-- but going is always horrible in its own right-- however, this particularly awkward death has somewhat immortalized william snyder as it is truly interesting.

when each one of us slowly dies of cancer, no one in the future will post our haphazard obituaries on their blog whilst drunk. no one will care because there is nothing curious about cancer; there is nothing unique.

my greatest wish is that an ill-practiced circus clown ends my life. or perhaps a hummingbird. i've never trusted those syringe-beaked crack-addicts.

i just want it to be interesting.

Nerf or Nothin

nothing makes you feel surprisingly old and surprisingly young at the same time like a good ol' fashioned nerf war in a corporate office. cubicles make for great battling tactics. and when better for our war than when our manager is trying to hold a company-wide chat-meeting?

it was me, d, and b. everyone else attempted to work.

C (manager): Seriously, what is D doing
C: all that noise
B: music
B: he's performing a symphony... of sorts
C: nope, it sounds like football
D: aerobics
C: all that banging
B: it's definitely not football
D: man aerobics

the child was alive in us all, though the adult was having trouble keeping up. we had to take a good number of "i'm not as young as i thought and i need to rest" moments between battles. and i've never wished i was a non-smoker more.

D: NERF WARS RULE!!!
W: is anyone else sweating right now?
C: I just need you in this chat for when we test your acct
C: TEAM HERE COME THE INSTRUCTIONS
C: PAY CLOSE ATTENTION
W has left the room.
B has left the room.
D has left the room.
C: OMG team.

what you may not know about corporate-set nerf battles is that there is never just one. once it's begun it becomes a full on war-- eventually everyone is coming to work with their own weapon. i more or less have to take calls while clutching my 10-shooter now. i take my breaks with the gun and go odd routes to throw the enemies off. i've even sacrificed smoke breaks just to sneak-attack fools. vietcong style.

i pee with the damn thing.

i split open the knee of my last un-ripped pair of jeans, but this is exactly what i needed.

though we collectively lost five darts.

Essential Reads for Aspiring Authors - Part 1: Miss Snark

Beginning today and reoccurring periodically I will share some of my favourite books and blogs that I have encountered while aimlessly wandering. My focus will be anyone of notable involvement within the publishing industry, be they agents, editors, interns, authors, publishers or anything in between. While I'm aware that some of my favourites can be seen on my sidebar, I feel that many of these are such a treasure trove of information that they warrant additional commentary.

Let's begin.

Part 1: Miss Snark

An anonymous literary agent with a host of devoted snarklings, Miss Snark offered aspiring authors essential advice about the publishing industry between 2005-2007 before announcing her blogging retirement.

Miss Snark is of special significance in my case, as she was the first person in the know within the publishing industry that I stumbled upon. She remains a personal favourite on account of her straight forward advice, no nonsense attitude and her ungodly mastery of sarcasm.

If you haven't read her material yet then the following should offer a small taste of what's to be found at her blog. If you're anything like myself or her countless supporters, you'll find yourself reading all two years of her posts in an extended sitting.

Here's but a small sampling:

Agents 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Cover Letter Critiques 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

First Page Critiques

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Query Fails

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

If time is an issue, I recommend visiting The Snarkives, which is a collection of Miss Snark's wisdom, but topically organized for easy browsing.

So there it is. I encourage you all to check her out, or if you've already read her material, read it again. Feel free to share your thoughts about this wonderful agent; at over 2.5 million hits on her blog she is obviously appealing to quite a few people.

Addendum: And just where is Miss Snark these days? Some claim the identity of Miss Snark to be remarkably similar to literary agent Janet Reid, particularly on account of the work they represent, their location and their writing style. The unconvinced claim otherwise, noting Janet's lack of Clooney love and affinity for gin that were part and parcel with Miss Snark. As for myself, I'm still on the fence about it. 

Get Out of Your Apartment (By the 31st)

after my failed attempt at purchasing inexpensive dvds online, i decided to hit blockbuster's 3-for-$20 aisle and deal with things manually.

i grabbed the men who stare at goats, fantastic mr. fox, and sherlock holmes. i figured that'd be enough to redeem the experience of recieving a crusty malkovich and european harold & maude.

"for $3 more, you can get a bag of candy and a soda," the clerk reminded me, "cheaper than walgreens!"

"do you get commission for this?" i asked.

"no," he said, "i just don't get yelled at." that was, technically, the wrong answer because i would've bought the candy had he said he was getting a commission. the yelling part happens to all of us and i don't really care. oh well.

"ah," i said, "no thanks. can i see those dvds for a second though?"

when the clerk was ringing up each video, i could've sworn i'd seen a roaring tyrannysaurus rex on the cover of one. mentally, i scanned the potential plot-lines of each movie, looking for a reason there would be a dinosaur in any of the three. i'd seen fantastic mr. fox and while there were a number of animals in the film, i couldn't remember any dinosaurs. the men who stare at goats shouldn't have a t-rex. and sherlock holmes definitely shouldn't either.

he gave me the stack of dvds and-- sure enough-- there it was: a screaming dinosaur right on the cover of sherlock holmes.

"there should be no t-rexes in this movie," i said.

"have you seen it?"

"no," i said, "i started it on a plane, but blacked out because of drugs. but it didn't seem to be heading in the dinosaur direction..."

"oh!" the clerk said, "you want the robert downey jr. version."

he was right, but in my book no version of sherlock holmes should involve dinosaurs. and no movie should have the same title as another in order to trick someone into buying a crappier version.

the important thing is i was not gotten. it was close, but i managed to escape blockbuster without being screwed over by a company. marketers, man. marketers.

of course i got home only to be welcomed in with this letter:


how can a company blindly mail me a notice to vacate? i moved in less than two months ago! my mind immediately went to reasons for potential eviction: perhaps they discovered i had stolen two doors from the basement and installed them in my bedroom, they realized we never paid a pet deposit for our particularly loud and greasy feline who enjoys destroying good shirts and running out the front door at any given chance, or maybe they smelled the plant-life simon sometimes burns for a night-cap...

i've been fucked before, but i've never been asked to vacate my apartment in under two weeks with no new apartment lined up. i mean, i've raised $899 in a month without a job and i've raised $1350 in two weeks similarly-- but this was going to be the bad news that broke me.

i called the management and left one of those "please call me back as soon as possible" messages with a firm voice. i explained in that message that i had no intention of moving out by july 31st and i saw no reason why i should be asked to.

in his room, travis strummed at his guitar, singing, "get out of your apartment. get out of your apartment. by the 31st!"

carmen the cat meowed because she was hungry again.

i shot her with my new nerf gun.

this one called for some beers.

travis and i got a six-pack of shiners (the beer, not the face-punch) because it was the cheapest and neither of us had tried it before. i put my nerf gun on the counter with the beer and took out my wallet.

"what's this?" the clerk asked while pointing at my gun.

"it's a stick up," i joked.

he stared at me.

"you know," he said calmly, "i was just robbed last night."

this was not meant to be an awkward trip the liquor store, it was meant to distract me till i got a call back regarding my possible eviction. of course, the minute the clerk informed me of the earlier robbery, i noticed there were three men fixing a television.

initially, i'd thought they were maybe preparing it for a game or something-- in hindsight, it's clear they were scanning it for footage of the gunman.

sometimes i'm an accidental asshole.

after two beers, i called laramar sf urban apartments and was greeted by the accounting department.

"oh!" she chirped, "i was just about to call you but i didn't have your number!"

"really?" i asked, "because i left my number in my last message. and how were you about to call me if you don't have my number?"

"yeah," she said slowly, "it wasn't in our files. we tried, though."

"that aside," i said, "i'm not planning on moving out of my apartment and was hoping you might be able to shed some light on why i received a notice to vacate."

"haha yeah," she laughed, "that was a mistake."

"okay," i said, "i figured that. but what happened?"

"oh, it was just a typo."

"a typo that resulted in the full and proper spelling of my name and address?"

"yeah, but just ignore it. everything is fine."

i suppose it's great i will not be evicted from my apartment at short notice, but i don't believe that makes "everything fine." this was coming from laramar sf urban apartments, whose slogan is "committed to exceptional property management."

typos that lead to accidental eviction notices are not what i call "exceptional" unless we're looking at it like "this situation was exceptional-- it doesn't usually happen." in that case, this was a quite exceptional experience-- least it better be.

"can i have that in writing?" i asked, "i have a letter stating i must move out by july 31st, and i'd like another letter saying you're calling it off."

"okay," she said, "we'll mail that right out."

"and please," i added, "make sure there are no typos. i really want to receive this letter immediately."

i've seen some typos, but i've never run into one that happens to coincidentally spell the entire name of someone who happens to live in the exact apartment you've mailed it to. but i couldn't squeeze any other explanation out of this accountant.

the best theory we had was brought on by travis-- suggesting laramar has a keyboard with our full names on each key, and while they may have meant to hit the "james dawson" key, they hit the "president wishnack" one instead-- you know, maybe they're right next to each other.

ridiculous.

between my failure with amazon, my near failure at blockbuster, and an accidental eviction notice, this blog is inches away from becoming "chaos, nonsense & tourists: the story of how president wishnack gets fucked by companies every single day and is quietly losing his mind over the entire thing."

This was Written Wednesday

the day started at 8th & folsom: wicked grounds; a cafe that is self-described as "the one and only kink cafe," complete with good coffee and a fine selection of dildos and bondage paintings.

they also sold herpes. stuffed herpes. i gave a friend/ex-girlfriend the same kind of herpes as a present once.

interesting place.

after coffee and dildos, we sped to jeffrey's toys for a new nerf gun and plenty of backup ammo. i wasn't joking about the battle happening thursday and needed to be sure i was strapped for anything.

we ate some cheap tacos and headed home before making our way to the artists in residence trash-art show. naturally, we ran into a bit of chaos at our apartment-- mostly regarding bad news delivered by the postal service-- but that's an entirely different story.

i have to say, the art show had a great attendance but a horrible location. we were there the moment it opened and made our rounds quickly. but after about ten minutes, the place was crowded beyond what i'm sure the fire marshall would approve of. it got to the point where we were just crammed in a corner with nowhere to move. naturally, i got few pictures.

other than that, the pieces were pretty great. i could've stood to see more than they had on display, but it was still worth the visit.

i dug these trash dresses made from a mixture of beer caps, finely woven caution tape and recycled computer wires-- they reminded me of my high school 3d art teacher. her claim to fame was constantly being involved in a lawsuit with mars co. because she'd made these gowns and tuxedos out of candy wrappers.

the coolest thing, though, was seeing nemo gould's tiny piece. you might remember me mentioning this trash-artist in the past. i can't say i formally met mr. gould, but i did stand in line in front of him while waiting for complementary alcohol.

nemo gould's work is the little wheeled robot with antlers and i recommend you all take some time to check out his portfolio.

anyway, my claustrophobia and overly puffy jacket called the viewing to a quick end and we all headed back up the hill. but again, it was well-worth seeing.

now, i just need to schedule a tour of the dump.

So Here is the Game

prove you exist.

your tools are your Mind and, its vessel, your Body.

as they are your only tools, you should keep them in good shape.

there are no rules in this game, but you'll find that rules will often affect whether or not you succeed.

there are seven billion players.

every player may go about proving they exist differently. this does not mean your way is wrong.

you may choose to tackle the situation with a partner, or a team.

or even a cult.

that part is up to you.

there is a time limit, but it's different for every single player.

furthermore, you cannot know what the time limit is.

a mixture of your Body and your choices will determine your time limit.

bad choices in this game can still prove you exist, but they can drastically shorten your time limit.

for instance, one player may decide to shoot seven other players, hack them up and hang their severed genitals on the flagpole at a public library.

they would almost instantly exist across the entire world, but their game will end abruptly and without much Love.

Love is key in this game.

sometimes you might feel like eliminating Love would improve your chance to prove you exist, but this is never true.

there is no point in existing if you do not have Love. and there is certainly no point in proving you exist if you do not have Love.

Love comes in many forms, and sometimes it's scary. but it is most definitely on your side.

in this game you will run into players that Fear something about you or something about themselves, and they will approach you with Anger.

Anger most commonly exists in order to mask another player's weaknesses.

while Anger is an easy emotion to turn to in a moment of panic, it is important to approach everything logically and open-mindedly.

although there are seven billion players, this is not a game of competition.

no one has to lose in order for you to win.

don't panic when you're not in control of the game. there is no situation in which panicking helps.

the sooner you accept that Chaos will happen no matter what intricate precaution you've taken, the sooner you will be able to enjoy this game.

be ready to improv, and be ready to alter plans.

be ready to Love and be ready to die.

but remember, it's just a game.