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Writing Questions For FPW - Scott Miller - 07-06-2004
Thanks again. Echoing some of the other board members sentiments, your willingness to interact with your audience is unparalled in my experience. Not that other authors wouldn't, but you do. I even remember pre-internet days when you solicited comments from your fans at the back of one of your books (which book escapes me); I even wrote several unsent letters as I was just a babe intimidated by my own shadow at the time. I know that I am deeply appreciative of the time you spend helping to cultivate this unique community.
I finally got around to reading some posts that I missed while in MI, including the ones demonstrating your revision process. Do you mind if I use them as examples in my classes?
Scott
P.S. I had you pegged as a music listener when writing, oh and I just picked up The Flying Burrito Bros The Gilded Palace of the Sun & Burrito Deluxe on a single CD for $8.00. Great stuff.
Writing Questions For FPW - Biggles - 07-06-2004
Noelie Wrote:Hmm. Do you mean that the stories themselves have improved, or his style of writing? My opinion is that FPW's style has improved, but the stories have always been strong. The Keep was written a long time ago, but the story is still just incredible to me. I also just finished reading Sibs and The Select, which were written a long time ago, and those stories were intense and original.
I'm certainly not saying that his stories have gotten worse. I'm just saying that they have always been strong and remain so today.
I just finished reading "Higher Centers", a short story by FPW in Analog April 1971 (which I got on eBay in super shape). Paul must have been less than 25 when he wrote the story (since his birthday was 5/17/46) and yet his combination of political philosophy and science-fiction is fully developed. He even has the medical side well-covered. Dean Koontz, my second most favorite author, was also producing good short stories at that time, while teaching at a state college in Central PA, but Dean's writing was still in its early stages of development.
In short, Paul's early stuff is all VERY good, and he has just gotten better as he goes forward.
Writing Questions For FPW - XiaoYu - 07-06-2004
Nietzsche Pops, I agree with you, though maybe I'm baised towards the Jack novels, since they're what hooked me to all of Mr. Wilson's works in the first place. I think the Jack series is much stronger than the Adversary Cycle, though I'm glad I've now read them all (yay!
) It might be because of the storyline tie-ins; they seem much closer with Jack, though I certainly enjoyed making connections in the Cycle with all the previous novels when I finally got to Nightworld. But somehow, Jack's world seems much closer and more vivid than the Adversary Cycle world. Maybe it's because I'm already carrying a vision of him as I read on in his series, instead of having to become acquainted with new characters from each novel in the Cycle.And I thank you too, Mr Wilson, for being much more than just a name on some awesome novels.
Writing Questions For FPW - Nietzsche Pops - 07-06-2004
The RMJ series was how I got started. Conspiracies was my first FPW book. Actually...no...now that I think about it...that isn't true. His first book I read was "Enemy of the State". I read this book 15 years ago. An excellent story about economic forces and revolutions. (Timely reading for any generation. I especially liked the KYFHO philosophy.
) Then I never read another FPW book again until this year. Conspiracies was first. It reminded me of X-files Light. All the great story with about 95% less pretension. Sort of a blue collar man's experience with the paranormal. Very Jack London-esque in that sense.I read The Keep soon after. Nothing like the movie. Plenty of Nazis though. Good bad guys, Nazis.
I think that the story of the Adversary was a unique type of villian. Making the Earth a "not so important" part of a cosmic struggle flies in the face of most science fiction, wherein the whole galaxy is going to fall into the crapper if Capt. Frank Thompson, Star Patrol doesn't stop the evil Malthusians, plug up the black hole, and raise 2.7 children with First Officer Lora Kane.
FPW just negates all that by having Sal Roma tell Jack that Earth just isn't that important. It's a piece...sure...but not that big a piece for the Otherness. I thought THAT was an interesting switch on the Hero Myth.
His presentation of characters and his ability to inspire terror seems to be subtly improving across the last few novels.
Hopefully he won't move to Hollywood and lose all ability to relate to really important issues, and start writing about characters that are superficial.
Writing Questions For FPW - Biggles - 07-06-2004
Nietzsche Pops Wrote:Hopefully he won't move to Hollywood and lose all ability to relate to really important issues, and start writing about characters that are superficial.
If you ever get a chance to meet Paul, you won't worry about him going Hollywood on us.
Writing Questions For FPW - Nietzsche Pops - 07-07-2004
I'm glad he won't go Hollywood. It's a true peril for people who approach the limelight.
Frank Herbert, in "Dune", once said, "Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent. It depends in part upon the myth making
imagination of humankind. The person who experiences
greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in. He must
have a strong sense of the sardonic. This is what uncouples
him from belief in his own pretensions. The sardonic is all
that permits him to move within himself. Without this
quality, even occasional greatness will destroy a man."
-From "Collected sayings of Muad'Dib" by the Princess Irulan
Perhaps FPW has a strong sense of the sardonic?
I notice that you have a quote from "The Prisoner", Biggles. A truly excellent show. If you enjoyed it, perhaps you might enjoy old episodes of the non-defunct "Babylon 5". Not quite as dark as "The Prisoner", but it isn't the sci-fi nonsense that most of the networks produce now, and it dips its toe into notions that require thought. Again, unlike many scifi programs now. In my opinion, some of the Babylon 5 episodes approach being the finest examples of scifi ever created...if you believe that mankind isn't going to essentially change its nature.
Here's MY favorite Prisoner quote.
No.2: ``Are you going to run?''
No.6: ``Like the blazes; first chance I get.''
No.2: ``I mean, run for office?''
--Free For All
Writing Questions For FPW - Nietzsche Pops - 07-07-2004
Quote:Nietzsche Pops. Clever name.
Thanks, Jimbow. You make me feel guilty as hell that I didn't think of it first. It is a stolen nom-de-plume.
A quick Internet search should reveal the origins. Basically, it is a breakfast cereal for people who follow the teachings of Friedrich Nietzsche.
So you end up with some memorable quotes (if I can remember them) like, "When you stare into the breakfast, the breakfast stares into YOU."
And, "That which fails to kill you...is this breakfast."
Oh, I went ahead and found the page for it. http://www.benhillman.com/bh_pages/np3.html
I have the video,which is not shown entirely on this website, recorded at the end of some Bravo run episodes of "Twin Peaks" that I taped a long time ago. It's a very short cartoon that pokes fun at Nietzsche. It is very funny....in a thoughtfully totalitarian sort of way.
Writing Questions For FPW - fpw - 07-07-2004
Animagess Wrote:While we're on interrogating- uh, questioning Mr. Wilson, I'm curious about how far Jack's attitude towards technology reflects his own. Me, I think faster than I write, so typing speeds up the creative process considerably...
Jack's attitude is not mine. He's leary of computers and electronic gadgets whereas I love them. But I tend to put an opposite spin on the cliches of the genre. In thrillers it's common to have the hero up to his lower lip in state-of-the-art electronics, so I decided to make Jack low tech. It also makes the story construction more challenging. I could have had Jack get a surveillance laser and bounce it off a window in Legacies, but I went the building hack route instead.
Writing Questions For FPW - fpw - 07-07-2004
XiaoYu Wrote:I was wondering, Jack has lots of danger-filled scenes and fighting. Do you visualize scenes in your head to see how to describe it? (Like Jack's roof edge dodge from the rushing Mother rakosh
The mother rakosh scene was a dream. I built Jack and the book around it.
XiaoYu Wrote:Like kidney punches; I had no idea what they were before I read the Jack books. 'Hacking the Hand' is another of the incidents that come to mind; I loved that part! But unless you were a hacker in your yesteryears, I suppose you had to research about that?
I read about building hacking in an article in a book I no longer recall. It sounded cool and whacky, so I contacted the author -- a building hacker in his MIT days -- and he guided me through the process. Research, research, research.
Writing Questions For FPW - Noelie - 07-07-2004
Quote:I could have had Jack get a surveillance laser and bounce it off a window in Legacies, but I went the building hack route instead.
And the book was oh so much better for it.