Joan Slonczewski lives in Gambier, Ohio and teaches
biology at Kenyon College.
Romance author and editor
Official Website http://www.abgayle.com/
Jacqueline Lichtenberg has covered this topic extensively in her blogs
at Editing Circle and
Alien Romances. Her
advice has helped me understand and make sure that everything I write and
edit follows this dictum. It doesn't have to be an "In your face" moral,
but it sure helps when you've hit a brick wall and are not sure where to
take the story next, or when you've reached the end and feel something's
missing.
Another trick she taught me was the 750 word scene trick.
In my short story "Reversal" I consciously tried to make each scene that long.
In the end I split some smaller and a few went longer, but it did suit
the snappy tone of the short story and the narrator's voice.
Like all "rules" you don't follow it over a cliff, but it's something to
definitely take into consideration.
I cut and pasted a lot of her advice as "keepers". Weren't you going
to publish a book on craft at some stage?
This part she wrote in a blog about Wolrd Building in SF brilliantly sums up what goes into making a successful writer:
"Your recognition of what you have in common with others who are less articulate than you are is your stock in trade, the Art you can monetize commercially."
When I have my professional editing hat on, that's exactly what I try
to do. Help the author articulate what they're trying to say. It's often
in their head and you have to get them to explain themselves so you can
tease out the gold from the dross.
I love that aspect of my work. ...
Brain Plague and Children Star can be ordered
from the Kenyon Bookstore:
http://www.kenyon.edu/x29759.xml
House of Zeor is contained in the new omnibus edition, The Unity Trilogy:
You are welcome to list me as having my writing influenced by House of Zeor. I
can see echoes in A Door into Ocean and Brain Plague, especially in the
prominence of intense relationships.
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Book Description from Amazon.com
Book Description
A Door into Ocean is the novel upon which the author's reputation as an
important SF writer principally rests. A ground-breaking work . . . more
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I reread Star Trek Lives an embarrassing amount of times, I enjoyed your Sime-Gen novels. But more than that, you just seemed to me one of the "greats" in the world of Star Trek.
Yours very truly,
Moira
Producer
Her Books
Jacqueline's generosity is two-fold. First, she shares her imagination with her readers through her books. Second, she shares her skills in writing through her site. I'm indebted to her for both. She not only talks the talk but walks it.I've copied and saved almost everything she's posted to her writing school. Her words on conflict, especially, have been extremely helpful. She breaks down the craft of writing in a clear, no-nonsense way. It's a joy to "sit at her feet" and learn. It's also a joy to read her books and watch an artist in action. Dreamspy captivated me.~LinneaLinnea Sinclair http://www.linneasinclair.com
Bantam-Spectra 2005: FINDERS KEEPERS, GABRIEL'S GHOST, AN ACCIDENTAL GODDESS
Coming 2007: GAMES OF COMMAND, CHASIDAH’S CHOICE, THE DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES