tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post671792831087915123..comments2024-03-22T11:32:57.801-07:00Comments on The Alien Next Door: “How Do I Get My Science Fiction Stories Published?”Nina Munteanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-48405729563945608352010-01-01T22:41:30.353-08:002010-01-01T22:41:30.353-08:00It is an age-old debate that seems to evade a clea...It is an age-old debate that seems to evade a clear-cut answer or solution... I think this is because of several things:<br />1. the definition of each genre varies with each individual<br />2. the two genres are often crossed and mixed in wonderful ways in the same book<br /><br />I usually approach the debate with independent definitions of each genre. Usually, what I find is that these overlap a fair bit with each other; mainly because each, in turn, has its own sub-categories that together span a continuum from, say, hard SF to epic fantasy. So, yes... let the debate begin...Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-87469297688174179472010-01-01T19:42:13.850-08:002010-01-01T19:42:13.850-08:00Did you ever debate the sci fi vs fantasy question...Did you ever debate the sci fi vs fantasy question? It is one I pose to my undergrad class and to me has a very clear outcome. I'm curious how you approached it.Mama Podkaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17426961183153387383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-5076258705782338862008-12-08T19:35:00.000-08:002008-12-08T19:35:00.000-08:00Sounds like a good debate that I'd love to jump in...Sounds like a good debate that I'd love to jump into, Isabella... :) Care to start one? :DNina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-60202439038003857542008-12-08T17:36:00.000-08:002008-12-08T17:36:00.000-08:00hey, you ARE the girl next door! i'm in vancouver...hey, you ARE the girl next door! i'm in vancouver, too. wonder whether we know each other. ever been to the vancouver bloggers meetup? anyway, great overview of what's science fiction.<BR/><BR/>i bet there are quite a few people who would want to argue with you re SF vs. fantasy.isabella morihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01150933640442379951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-92085964569827447762008-12-08T03:56:00.000-08:002008-12-08T03:56:00.000-08:00I haven't read the other Crichton novels you menti...I haven't read the other Crichton novels you mention, Robert, but I'm willing to take your word for it. :o)<BR/><BR/>It makes more sense from a marketing viewpoint, that's for sure. I had understood it more as a normative thing, or as a definition of science fiction, which I found a bit more problematic.Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04600030574995481267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-31842333128642941712008-12-07T19:41:00.000-08:002008-12-07T19:41:00.000-08:00Janet, if you don't like the Jurassic Park example...Janet, if you don't like the <I>Jurassic Park</I> example, try more recent Crichton. Go and read <I>Prey, State of Fear,</I> or <I>Next</I>; they are clearly anti-science. <BR/><BR/>And the point I was making was a marketing one: the commercial science-fiction publishers rarely publish anti-science SF (outside of the genre, there's lots of it; inside, not so much). <BR/><BR/>Sure, outliers get published -- but they are outliers. One can always say about anything that there's room for something that isn't the norm. <BR/><BR/>I have lots, lots more to say on this topic than just that brief bullet point. For instance, see <A HREF="http://sfwriter.com/lecture1.htm" REL="nofollow">this talk</A> that I gave in 1999 at the Library of Congress.RobertJSawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07740259797270341313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-29372723467327476722008-12-03T19:17:00.000-08:002008-12-03T19:17:00.000-08:00Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kathleen. I rea...Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kathleen. I really liked your story about the Borg... hehe...Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-84906171551740613192008-12-03T16:25:00.000-08:002008-12-03T16:25:00.000-08:00I hae always admired SF writers not only for the c...I hae always admired SF writers not only for the creaive passions but the stick-to-it attitude, paricularly when they develop a race and let it expand into a series. My problem is that I can never keep track. For example , my friends used to tease me when I offered suggestions on how the Borg could overrun Deep Space 9. My friends were very very patient and one even made up a flow chart so that i could get all my dimensionsright. But I never did and i think this is because I ould never keep track. I would make a sad sad sad SF writer. So I say to all the SF writers out there stick to it. And heed the advice of the Alien Next Door, she can share the tools and tricks to get those stories out there.<BR/><BR/>Kathleen Molloy, author - Dining with DeathUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215724539219193468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-63967200064336048522008-12-03T14:22:00.000-08:002008-12-03T14:22:00.000-08:00yes, Jean-Luc.... we get it all the time! LOL! Tha...yes, Jean-Luc.... we get it all the time! LOL! That's why we have the answers too... :) I will be doing a series of writer's workshops (online telecourses) in the new year and science fiction writing, particularly, will be one of them. I'll discuss anything from premise to world-building. People can watch for the series at "The Passionate Writer" )http://www.thepassionatewriter.com)Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-69444664283018102402008-12-03T14:17:00.000-08:002008-12-03T14:17:00.000-08:00So true, Janet... That's one I find the most inter...So true, Janet... That's one I find the most interesting (and frustrating) ... More on THAT one later... :)Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-66298372054227195052008-12-03T11:56:00.000-08:002008-12-03T11:56:00.000-08:00I can imagine many people ask this question to aut...I can imagine many people ask this question to authors.Jean-Luc Picardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01689798190618944262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-45840603503150476902008-12-03T09:57:00.000-08:002008-12-03T09:57:00.000-08:00I can certainly understand that. But movies, espe...I can certainly understand that. But movies, especially the lower calibre ones, often descend into facile stereotypes. Religious people have a very similar frustration. Those of us who love both science and God get it from both sides. ;o)Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04600030574995481267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-2610449552030115592008-12-03T09:43:00.000-08:002008-12-03T09:43:00.000-08:00Good point, Janet. That was one of Rob Sawyer's po...Good point, Janet. That was one of Rob Sawyer's points and I left it in because, in most cases, it is true. Let me explain:<BR/><BR/>I, myself, as a scientist, continually question how science is used and abused. And this is not what I think Rob Sawyer meant when he cited "anti-science" themes as well-representing the genre of science ficion. And I do agree with him. Most of these (and most of them are movies, not literature; perhaps Jurassic Park isn't the best example) are inflamatory, sensationalist and do make science itself the "bad guy". Most are horror-thrillers that abuse science and make it a stereo-type. To a large degree they don't represent nor understand the pursuit of science very well.Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-91656499826256453982008-12-03T09:32:00.000-08:002008-12-03T09:32:00.000-08:00You're very welcome, Bobbi. I'll be posting more l...You're very welcome, Bobbi. I'll be posting more like it in the future... Happy writing!Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-55210509293882955822008-12-03T08:41:00.000-08:002008-12-03T08:41:00.000-08:00I'm going to take issue with the last point. Advo...I'm going to take issue with the last point. Advocating the responsible use of science is not being anti-science. I think there is some room for some very fine science fiction that explores the possibility that sometimes it might be better to back off.<BR/><BR/>In the case of Jurassic Park, it was the irresponsible application of scientific discoveries that was the problem, without proper consideration of unforeseen consequences. I don't consider either the book or the film to be anti-science.Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04600030574995481267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-30531364343781590612008-12-03T06:11:00.000-08:002008-12-03T06:11:00.000-08:00Great info - and just what I needed! I've been a ...Great info - and just what I needed! I've been a writer all my life, but I've only ventured into science fiction in the past few months. This post was very timely for me!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15334812243182354729noreply@blogger.com