Abstract
Stephen Donaldson, the noted science fiction and fantasy author, had a vexing problem, the sort of problem that most writers dread. He had an idea that he wanted to write about, but could not find a suitable way to convey it. He wanted to probe the abstract concept of “unbelief,” an unwillingness to accept the possibility that fantasy worlds might exist. But, try as he might, he could not discern the story line, the vehicle that could transport this vague idea from mind to paper.
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Notes
Stephen R. Donaldson, The Real Story ( New York: Bantam Books, 1992 ), p. 222.
Donaldson, The Real Story,p. 223.
Stephen R. Donaldson, Lord Foul’s Bane: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book One ( New York: Ballantine Books, 1977 ), pp. 21–22.
Edward J. Wisniewski & Dedre Gentner, “On the Combinatorial Semantics of Noun Pairs: Minor and Major Adjustments to Meaning,” in Understanding Word and Sentence, ed. Grog B. Simpson ( Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, 1991 ), pp. 241–284.
Orson Scott Card, How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy ( Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 1990 ), p. 33.
Donaldson, The Real Story,p. 228.
William Shatner with Chris Kreski, Star Trek Memories ( New York: HarperCollins, 1993 ).
If the puddle of muck grew larger, engulfed its surroundings, and became a threat to humans, as in the case of “The Blob,” an absorbing tale might result. However, readers of science fiction have become more sophisticated over the years, and most would now want a convincing account of the creatures’ means of survival, and so forth.
George Ochoa & Jeffrey Osier, The Writer’s Guide to Creating a Science Fiction Universe ( Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 1993 ), p. 161.
George R. R. Martin, “First, Sew On a Tentacle (Recipes for Believable Aliens,” in Writing & Selling Science Fiction, ed. C. L. Grant ( Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 1976 ).
Stephen Jay Gould, Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes ( New York: Norton, 1983 ).
Bob Shaw, How to Write Science Fiction ( London: Allison & Busby, 1993 ).
Hal Clement, “The Creation of Imaginary Beings,” in Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy, eds. Gardner Dozois, Tina Lee, Stanley Schmidt, Ian Randal Strock, & Sheila Williams ( New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991 ), p. 132.
Thomas B. Ward, “The effect of processing approach on category exemplar generation.” Paper presented at the meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Washington, DC (November, 1993 ).
Stephen Jay Gould, Ever Since Darwin (New York: Norton, 1977), p. 173.
Clement, in Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy, p. 130.
Peter Elbow, Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process (London: Oxford University Press, 1981).
Stanley Schmidt, “Good Writing is Not Enough,” in Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy, eds. Gardner Dozois, Tina Lee, Stanley Schmidt, Ian Randal Strock, & Sheila Williams ( New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991 ).
Card, in How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy.
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© 1995 Thomas B. Ward, Ronald A. Finke, and Steven M. Smith
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Ward, T.B., Finke, R.A., Smith, S.M. (1995). Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing. In: Creativity and the Mind. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3330-0_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3330-0_7
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