I did not want to write a story about the invasion of Earth, so I had to create a race capable of living nearby, which meant to either on the Moon, on Mars, or on Venus. I picked Venus.

Sarah Zettel

Categorized in : Writing Race Moon

Mama took me in her arms and held me tight. Her embrace was hot and she smelled like sweat, dust, and grease, but I wanted her. I wanted to crawl inside her mind to find that place that let her smile and sing through the worst dust storms. If I had to be crazy, I wanted my mama's kind of crazy, because she was never afraid.

daughter crazy dust

Then, I realized that there is an indigenous presence in the Solar System. It's us. So, then, I got to wondering what would happen if a more technologically advanced society moved next door to us, the way we moved next door to the American Indians.

next doors way

Becoming a mother cannot help but change things. An author's life is reflected in their writing, whether they want it to be or not, and parenthood is one of the biggest life changes there is.

life-changing change mother

I describe my plots as follows; A character is walking down the street when all of a sudden a piano falls on them. They spend the rest of the story digging out from under that piano. How they dig, how long and how well, this all depends entirely on the character.

piano character fall

I suppose if I was to have to pick a few, Ursula LeGuin would have to top the list. It was while reading her work that I decided I wanted to be an author.

lists reading work

I think people enjoy a series. When you like a story, many readers want more of the same, which is dandy, if the author and the characters have more to say.

character people thinking

I have to do more close research and fact checking for the science fiction. This is not however to say that writing good fantasy does not involve doing good research.

writing science fiction

Fantasy is, of course, booming, and I think it's beginning to str... by Sarah Zettel

Fantasy is, of course, booming, and I think it's beginning to stretch its range as well.

range fantasy thinking

All of this got me thinking about the history of the westward expansion, and got me to wondering how the exploration of the Solar System would be changed if there were an indigenous presence out there.

expansion would-be thinking

As far as the writing goes, I started telling stories as soon as I could talk, and started writing them down as soon as I could string words together.

telling-stories together writing

I have a better internal and intuitive understanding of folklore and myth than science and technology, so in that way fantasy is easier.

technology understanding science