Question 1049: Expanded Universes
Tim asks:Have you ever developed ancillary materials for one of your stories? The Man in the Rain
Question 1047: Positive Pressures
Tim asks:What kind of pressures work best for you creatively? Deadlines? Self-imposed or other consequences? No pressure at all?
Question 1045: Interest vs Obsession
Tim asks:I remember you telling Dave Robison on the Roundtable, when discussing one of his story ideas, that he should ‘try to stay interested, rather than obsessed’ and I’m curious if you could elaborate on the difference between the two states of mind. Resources MentionedRoundtable Podcast: First Anniversary Episode
Question 1042: Strong Themes
Tim asks: I’ve looked back to the first novel I ever wrote – when I was 14 – over the last week. I was surprised to find it had a stronger theme than most of my books. What kind of value do you place on the theme, whether discovered or …
Question 1041: Adult Moral Choices in YA Stories
Indiana Jim asks:In Secrets of the Heinlein Juvenile, chapter 18, you write about the protagonists making adult moral choices. Can you go a little deeper into specifically how modern YA fiction manifest the “native idealism, flippant _fait accompl_i, and/or deep self-seriousness,” and how to avoid it? Resources MentionedThe Secrets of …
Off-Grid and Overlanding
Nichole asks: Could you talk about different things that you do or can’t do if you want to go out to the wilderness and write? 100w Portable Solar KitPortable Power Bank1500w Inverter GeneratorManual Typewriter My Luck, by Mel Todd
Question 1039: Non-Linear Storytelling
Rose asks:I have two stories told out of order. I’ve tried rearranging them sequentially but I hate them that way. Can non-linear storytelling work, and what approaches are most successful? Resources Mentioned Pulp FictionReservoir DogsDouble IndemnityDS9: The EmmissaryVoyagers!Doctor WhoSlidersThe Highlander The Usual SuspectsGenesis and Catastrophe by Roald Dahl (in the …
Question 1038: Beta Reader Tech
Nichole asks: What are different ways to get material to beta readers and what are some different ways to get their feedback?
Question 1036: What is SpecFic?
Nichole asks:What exactly is speculative fiction? How is it different from sci-fi? Resources MentionedLooking Backward by Edward BellamyUtopia by Sir Thomas MoreLife-Line by Robert A HeinleinStar Wars Original TrilogyDune by Frank Herbert
Question 1035: How Formality Works
Herb asks: How do you write dialog that is formal but not archaic? Dying Earth by Jack VanceBabylon 5