Filed under General • 26-07-2010 •
In this guest post, Cathryn Johnson looks to the science fiction greats for inspiration:
Great Writers – Inspiration from the Science Fiction Greats
By Cathryn Johnson
Writing is a wonderful profession. And writing science fiction may be the most exciting type of writing out there. But, all writers hit mental blocks from time to time. No matter how hard we try to write, the words just don’t come. It is at times like these that we need inspiration. We need encouragement to free our minds and get the creative juices flowing once again.
Continue reading “Guest Post: Cathryn Johnson on Inspiration”
Filed under Advice • General • 13-07-2009 •
1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.
These rules appeared in the 1947 essay “On the Writing of Speculative Fiction” by Robert A. Heinlein and I agree with all of them save for number three. I tend to find my first drafts fairly ragged. The magic happens in the rewrites. I would hate to send a first draft out to market. But, based on my own experience, I think we can interpret this rule as:
“When a professional editor tells you to change a story, do so.”
After all, the editor probably has a far greater understanding of what sells in his particular market. Don’t be precious. If they ask you to change something, they almost certainly have a very good reason for the request.
