It’s the end of October, and I’ve been reading all around the blogosphere on topics concerning advice for writers, publishing and SF/F politics, genre art, and general geekery.
Jason Sanford is over at SF Signal talking about The Political Battlefield of Military Science Fiction. “In American science fiction circles, one of the easiest ways to start an argument is to mention military SF. On the one hand, military SF is a popular subgenre, represented by many classic and best-selling works and well loved by loyal fans. Opposing that, however, are many other fans who see military SF as glorifying war and violence.”
What Makes Science-Fiction? China Mieville with Tom Hunter. “China seemed particularly unfussed about whether his books should be classed as science-fiction or not.”
The Ranting Dragon Lists Twenty Must-Read Finished Fantasy Epics. (Do you agree with the list?) “This list aims to provide an introductory overview of the epic fantasy genre and a resource for those who may be interested in reading an epic series but don’t quite know what is available or what might be worth reading.”
From Jon Sprunk at Tor.com – Backstory: How Much Is Enough? “Yet no matter how long a time period your story covers, there is always something that came before. Those events that impact the storyline are called backstory.”
A reading list: Pre-1923 utopian and science fiction stories authored by women.
From The Character Therapist: Why You Shouldn’t Be a Closet Writer. “Justification of effort is a theory that says, “If I have to work hard to achieve something, I will afterward find it more attractive.” We all understand this. The thought of wasting time and energy toward a particular end would prove us to be sort of daft, right? Consequently, it would damage your self esteem and confidence.”
Rachel Gardner has a message for novelists: Stop Trying to Brand Yourself. “Who are you writing books for? Identify ONE PERSON in your life who represents your audience in terms of age, gender, lifestyle. Blog for her. Create Tweets or Facebook posts that would interest her. That’s how you’ll develop a following.”
Over at Omnivoracious, Jeremy L. C. Jones interviews R.A. Salvatore. “On the occasion of the recent publication of R.A. Salvatore’s latest novel, Omnivoracious invited Jeremy L. C. Jones to share his thoughts about the book—and to interview the author.”
Maruice Broaddus talks about the big themes in his Kings of Breton Court series. “And just as, as a writer, I’m vain enough to believe that the words I put onto page demand to be read—especially as book three, King’s War, has just been released—I wanted to talk about the “big idea” behind each of the books. Or at least some of the things rolling around in my head as I was writing them.”
Art of the Genre: Why do they want all our women? From The Black Gate blog. “I’m not sure what it is about this particular threat that men find so intriguing, but I’m betting it has come from the school of sacrificing virgins. It seems the subconscious mind of the Y chromosome simply gets off on the threat of female subjugation, or even the deliverance of said act [see Art of Gor].”
On a Pale Star 