HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION

The title of this post is not mine—it’s the title of a workshop given by Canada’s most successful SF writer, Robert J. Sawyer. I was lucky enough to catch it at the “Social Science on the Final Frontier” conference at Laurentian University in Sudbury, but you can read a lot more of Rob’s advice on writing at his web site www.sfwriter.com . It’s must-read material.

Before you do, you should know that Rob has said in a keynote address that the days of the SF novelist who can make a living at writing are numbered. He estimates there might be ten years left before the well dries up (http://sfwriter.com/blog/?p=2413 ).

If you’re still determined to soldier on, the most important point Rob makes about writing is that you must have something to say. The kind of plot that’s just one damn thing after another will not make your book stand out. You’ve got to have a strong theme that will get people talking about the book.

Before you do anything else on your manuscript, decide on your theme and then choose a character who’s opposed to it (like the astronaut Taylor in the original Planet of the Apes movie, who begins the movie sneering at the faults of humankind as he leaves it behind forever, only to end up in a courtroom defending the human race).

Rob points out that the number one reason people will buy a particular book is author recognition, but the number two reason is because someone else recommended it. So talk at the watercooler translates into sales. Don’t try to be blandly acceptable to everyone—make a point, and don’t be afraid to be controversial. That’s the only way to make something of lasting quality. And wouldn’t we all rather leave behind a body of work that will still be remembered by generations to come?



How To Be An Editor's Dream

I took in the 2010 Ad Astra Science Fiction Convention in Toronto. Yes, it can be a circus, watching stormtroopers and Jedi knights mingle with zombies and characters from “Dr. Who”. But there were also some good sessions, including one about how to get on a book or magazine editor’s good side. Four editors revealed what they like and don’t like.

• The first thing is to do your homework: read an issue of their magazine or some books they’ve published so you don’t send them material they don’t publish. That just wastes everyone’s time. Pick a publisher who puts out work you like. Then read the submission guidelines and follow them. Every publisher who accepts unsolicited manuscripts will have guidelines for authors. Not following them just looks unprofessional.

• Your query letter is your first impression. Show professionalism in every aspect. Don’t give away the story’s ending. Don’t claim your work is the next Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter series, although more realistic (ie. less arrogant) comparisons can be helpful (particularly in an elevator pitch). Just don’t make any claims you can’t live up to. Only include the best of your credits, and only personal info that’s relevant to the work.

• Don’t feel entitled, as if you’re shopping for someone good enough to handle your masterpiece. You’re asking someone to invest in you.

• Have a good attitude: positive, open-minded, willing to accept hard criticism. Because editors really do want to work with great writing and great writers—harsh criticism means you’re going to get somewhere in the end.

• Never ever badmouth an editor at a convention, online (it stays in cyberspace forever), or anywhere else. They have long memories.

• Bottom line: be totally professional and make their job easier, not harder. As one of the editors put it, 90% of his experiences with writers are positive…because he never works with problem writers a second time.

A Book Review

You're a writer. You want to sell your work, preferably to a mass market. So the big question is: Do you need to have an agent?

The title of Richard Curtis' book "How To Be Your Own Literary Agent: An Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published" seems to suggest that the answer is, "No". But by page 11 he is unabashedly making the case for getting an agent, reasoning that (and he has the numbers to back it up), "…an editor will read the most dismal piece of junk faster and maybe even more attentively than he will a good book that comes in on the slush pile." Curtis himself is a literary agent, and has been for over forty years. He's also an author, with more than fifty books to his credit. So what gives?

His purpose in writing this book is really to help authors understand the publishing business and how it works, so as to have a relationship with their agent and their publisher that will be a well-informed one. That can only be a good thing.

With chapters like "Negotiation", "The Basic Deal", "Termination and Reversion of Rights", "Royalty Statements", "Movie and Television Deals" and many more, he walks the reader through the whole process, from seeking an agent to well past publication, and he does it with many contract samples and other excellent illustrative examples. His writing is always accessible, often self-deprecating, and frequently entertaining, so the chore of slogging through this vast legal 'briar patch' isn't as daunting as you would think.

Curtis also recognizes the paradox we authors face, namely that, "You can't get published without an agent, and you can't get an agent until you've been published." He even offers a possible solution, but for that you'll have to get the book -- there's no room to get into it here!

This is not a book you can read and retain. There's just too much information. You'll need to get a copy and keep it as a resource. Parts of it you'll want to re-read with each new work you try to sell. If you can't find it at Chapters or other bookstores, you can order it (new or used) from Amazon.com, and it's not very expensive. The direct link can be found on Curtis' website at http://www.curtisagency.com/about.html .

Personally, I consider this book a 'must-have' for the author who is serious about being published for large markets. It teaches us about the 'dark side' of our beloved work: that it is a business! We don't have to embrace that, but we do have to know enough to get over our squeamishness. This is a book with the right mix of medicine and mirth to make that pill a little less bitter to swallow.

"How To Be Your Own Literary Agent: An Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published" by Richard Curtis. Published by Houghton Mifflin 2003