The Thing About Science Fiction

I Think People Really Need To Think What It's Like To Have All Of Society Arrayed Against You.

I'm A 48-year-old Writer Who Can Remember Being A 10-year-old Writer And Who Expects Someday To Be An 80-year-old Writer. I'm Also Comfortably Asocial -- A Hermit In The Middle Of Los Angeles -- A Pessimist If I'm Not Careful, A Feminist, A Black, A Former Baptist, An Oil-and-water Combination Of Ambition, Laziness, Insecurity, Certainty, And Drive.

Religion Is A Dangerous Prod, Because It Can Always Be Misused And Get Out Of Hand, But It's Useful For Keeping People On The Straight And Narrow.

First Forget Inspiration. Habit Is More Dependable. Habit Will Sustain You Whether You're Inspired Or Not. Habit Will Help You Finish And Polish Your Stories. Inspiration Won't. Habit Is Persistence In Practice.

Civilization Is To Groups What Intelligence Is To Individuals. It Is A Means Of Combining The Intelligence Of Many To Achieve Ongoing Group Adaptation.