Post by graspingforthewind on Nov 28, 2007 9:02:55 GMT -5
GFTW: You have written science fiction, fantasy, and historical novels. Which genre have you preferred writing in and why?
SRL: I still have a soft spot for good SF. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of it around just now, and the readership for it is miniscule. As a writer, SF is a tough sell in today’s market. I blame the movies and TV. On the one hand, movies can dazzle visually with great effects and convincing sets, etc. – providing a look and atmosphere that is very difficult to compete with on the written page. On the other hand, Hollywood often forgets to tell a coherent, compelling story. In far too many filmic treatments, it’s just the same old shoot-em-up dressed in space gear.
Having said that, I consider fantasy and SF simply different sides of the same coin – imaginatively speaking, there is very little difference. One deals with an imagined future, the other often with an imagined past. The imaginative mechanics, if you will, are very similar even if the conventions driving the two genres are slightly different.
SRL: I still have a soft spot for good SF. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of it around just now, and the readership for it is miniscule. As a writer, SF is a tough sell in today’s market. I blame the movies and TV. On the one hand, movies can dazzle visually with great effects and convincing sets, etc. – providing a look and atmosphere that is very difficult to compete with on the written page. On the other hand, Hollywood often forgets to tell a coherent, compelling story. In far too many filmic treatments, it’s just the same old shoot-em-up dressed in space gear.
Having said that, I consider fantasy and SF simply different sides of the same coin – imaginatively speaking, there is very little difference. One deals with an imagined future, the other often with an imagined past. The imaginative mechanics, if you will, are very similar even if the conventions driving the two genres are slightly different.
Read the rest of the interview otter.covblogs.com/archives/024190.html.
