A Son of the Rock

Recently Elizabeth Bear, guesting on Charlie Stross’s blog, and Ian Sales have commented on the writing process especially as it applies to Science Fiction.

Both touch on what is SF and what is not.

Bear bemoans the expectation that SF writers know what the future will be like.

We don’t of course. No one does. At best we can suggest possibilities and post warnings.

Bear states what is obvious with a little thought: that she writes for today’s audience about today’s concerns.

Sales also emphasises the point that SF writers are only ever actually writing about the present and then proceeds to wax more or less lyrical on the info dump and its special salience, necessity even, in the SF story.

For anyone interested in writing both posts are worth a look.