In a broader sense, all science fiction prepares young people to live and survive in a world of ever-continuing change by teaching them early that the world does change.… In a more specific sense, science fiction preaches the need for freedom of the mind and the desirability of knowledge; it teaches that prizes go to those who study, who learn, who soak up the difficult fields of knowledge such as mathematics and engineering and biology. And so they do! The prizes of this universe go only to those able and equipped to reach out for them. In short, science fiction is preparing our youngsters to be mature citizens of the galaxy… as indeed they will have to be.
— Robert A. Heinlein (in “Turning Points: Essays on the Art of Science Fiction” by Damon Knight, ed., pp. 26-27)
Posts Tagged ‘arts’
Passport to Galactic Citizenship
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged arts, awesome, creativity, genre fiction, inspiration, literature, Motivation, science, sff, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 4, 2013| 2 Comments »
Endless Nightmares, Russian Spies, and Other True Tales of Rejection
Posted in Writing, tagged arts, books, creativity, genre fiction, inspiration, literature, Motivation, reading lists, rejection, sff, speculative fiction novels, Thoughts, work, Writers, writing on May 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Check out io9’s entertaining new list of classic speculative fiction novels originally rejected by publishers. It’s like a mashup of English reading lists from school and some of my favorite books.
Just goes to show, eh? Keep writing!
Ottawa Comiccon, or, Thanks, Mom!
Posted in Likes, Other, tagged arts, awesome, creativity, entertainment, fun, inspiration, mom, Motivation, OttawaCC, sff, Thoughts, yay on May 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Just finished Ottawa Comiccon and it was a blast! Saw LeVar Burton, missed Billy Dee Williams because they moved his panel up at short notice 😦 but did get to see Jewel Staite, hear Summer Glau (lost passport = sad pandas but the apology video and panel call-in were nice touches), Nathan Fillion, and Wil Wheaton, all of whom were terrific.
Tonight, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow…
Posted in Likes, Other, tagged arts, awesome, creativity, entertainment, firefly, fun, genre fiction, inspiration, ottawa comiccon, OttawaCC, sff, star trek, star wars, yay on May 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »
What’s happening? Ottawa Comiccon, that’s what’s happening!
In a few short hours my weekend will start and I’ll be off to bask in the glories of my fellow geeks. Just skimming the headlines, tonight it’s Billy Dee Williams and LeVar Burton, tomorrow it’s Jewel Staite and Summer Glau, then Sunday it’s Wil Wheaton and Captain Tight Pants Himself, Nathan Fillion🙂 And more, so much more, plus a posse of costumed people sure to bring cheer to even the rainiest of days.
Thought for a Busy Day
Posted in Writing, tagged arts, awesome, creativity, finishing, inspiration, Motivation, quotes, Thoughts, work, Writers, writing on May 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I’m still busy, mostly with non-writing work, and that makes it harder to focus on being creative than I’d like. That said, you just have to knuckle down and do it. Even when you’re stuck. Even when your work is hard.
Queue this quote. As the Harvard article cited below says, Maya Angelou has been a “cook, streetcar conductor, waitress, singer, dancer, editor, teacher, civil rights organizer, and actress” and oh yes, a writer. If anyone knows how to live a courageous life filled with productive creativity, she’s it.
I realized that one isn’t born with courage. One develops it by doing small courageous things—in the way that if one sets out to pick up a 100-pound bag of rice, one would be advised to start with a five-pound bag, then 10 pounds, then 20 pounds, and so forth, until one builds up enough muscle to lift the 100-pound bag. It’s the same way with courage. You do small courageous things that require some mental and spiritual exertion….I understood early that not everything I did was going to be a masterpiece, but I would try to do it the best I knew how. I’ve listened to an inner voice and had enough courage to try unknown things.
— Maya Angelou
No Excuses!
Posted in Writing, tagged arts, awesome, creativity, finishing, genre fiction, inspiration, literature, Motivation, Thoughts, work, Writers, writing on May 1, 2013| 2 Comments »
Today I’m going to pass along a great piece of advice from Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn series and many other excellent books. It helps when I don’t feel like writing (or more likely this month, when I think I have too much to do).
“Sit in a chair and write,” Sanderson says.“Ignore this thing they call writer’s block. Doctors don’t get doctor’s block; your mechanic doesn’t get mechanic’s block. If you want to write great stories, learn to write when you don’t feel like it. You have to write it poorly before you can write it well. So just be willing to write bad stories in order to learn to become better.”
— Brandon Sanderson (as quoted here)
Artists, Wills, and Iain Banks Has Cancer
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged artists, arts, books, cancer, creativity, estate planning, iain banks, illness, literary wills, literature, Motivation, neil gaiman, resolutions, wills, Writers, writing on April 3, 2013| 1 Comment »
Iain M. Banks Cancer: Author Announces He Has Only Months To Live.
Scottish writer Iain Banks said Wednesday he has been diagnosed with late-stage gall bladder cancer and has just months to live.
(updated) For his personal statement on this, see his website. This is a tragedy for those immediately involved and bad news for anyone who enjoys good writing.
For writers thinking about what comes after this, visit Neil Gaiman’s post on writers and wills, both standard and literary.
Neil Gaiman’s Journal: Important. And pass it on….
Writers put off making wills (well, human beings put off making wills, and most writers are probably human beings). Some of us think it’s self-aggrandising or foolish to pretend that anyone would be interested in their books or creations after they’re dead. Others secretly believe we’re going to live forever and that making a will would mean letting Death in a crack.
Others make wills, but don’t think to take into account what happens to our literary estate as a separate thing from the disposition of our second-best beds, which means unqualified or uninterested relatives can find themselves in control of everything the author’s written.
Neil’s post is from 2006 and applies to the U.S., but it’s a good place to start. No, I haven’t done this myself. Yet. But I will. Soon!
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