The Science of Science Fiction Writing

by James E. Gunn

Book Overview

Written by one of the leading authorities on writing, publishing and teaching science fiction, The Science of Science Fiction Writing offers the opportunity to share in the knowledge James Gunn has acquired over the past forty years. He reflects on the fiction-writing process and how to teach it, and the ideas he has shared with his students about how to do it effectively and how to get it published afterwards.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578860113
• ISBN13: 9781578860111
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Taking the guess work out of science fiction writing...

This is an excellent book written by a legend in the business. If you want an in-depth resource of Science Fiction writing tips and history, look no further. The book is wonderfully written, comprehensive, and organized. James Gunn uses "The Science of Science Fiction Writing" as a text book for his own creative writing courses and comments that the book is the result of roughly 40 years of writing observations. I can certainly see his vast experience played out on every page. Some of the chapters herein are articles previously published by entities such as Writer's Digest and Oxford Press. This book is a true gem for Science Fiction and Fantasy genre writers bent on perfecting their craft.

Outstanding and highly reccomended

The first chapter (Why People Read Fiction) is worth the price of the book alone. Some reviewers have nitpicked a few typos and repetition. Having taught eye surgery for 45 years and having written a textbook on eye surgery - I can say with confidence that repetition lies at the heart of teaching typos not withstanding. Be that as it may - the aspiring writer will find much of value within these pages.

thoughts on science fiction

This book a compilation of James Gunn's writings about writing science fiction. There are articles about the craft, the history of science fiction, and about the work of some famous science fiction writers. If you are looking for a basic book on how to write fiction, this is not the one to start with. I like this book because it talks about what goes into writing science fiction, both techniques and how other authors have approached it. Think of it as a more advanced writing book, though non-writers who are interested in sci fi might also find it of interest.

Very Helpful; Thanx Scarecrow

After reading this book my writing was better tenfold and found myself writing longer better stories al of the time. I got my copy from the ALA convention in New Orleans from a representative of Scarecrow publishing and now thing that I should have paid the full price for it. Thanx for the book, Sarah!P.S. i know this was a little later than expected, but with school and writing I just got around to... writing this... in school?!LOL Hope to see you soon.

Brilliant, interesting, useful

As a writer and teacher of fantasy and science fiction, I have read a =lot= of how-to books over the years. Most of them range from terrible to so-so. Many can be destructive to an inexperienced or uncertain writer. This is a wonderful exception, one of only two books I consistently recommend (the other is Orson Scott Card's CHARACTERS AND VIEWPOINT). I have been assisting at Gunn's summer workshop at the University of Kansas for years now, mostly because I think he's one of the best writers -- and teachers -- in the genre. Now he's put the wisdom of his decades in the field into a book which I think can be useful to every writer, regardless of experience.I really cannot recommend this highly enough.