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September- October 2020 Newsletter
PROMO ROBOTICUS

Get a free ebook gift written by Nobel winner Kazuo Ishiguro, one of my favorite speculative fiction writers.

Answer the question - why is Homo Roboticus categorized as a novel in the specualtive fiction genre?
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Best Writing Advice from Thriller
fest XV
What is Speculative Fiction?
Best Writing Advice from
Thrillerfest XV

I was looking forward to Thrillerfest XV, an annual pilgrimage of writers in the thriller genre ,editors, agents and publishers in New York City every July. But all plans were upended by the Covid 19 pandemic.

Instead of moping away, the indefatigable Thrillerfest organizers and fellow writers Steve Berry, KJ Howe, Sandra Brennan and Jon Landis interviewed some pretty impressive writers for a no-holds barred 30-minute interviews and the result was very interesting - the authors were at their most relaxed , perhaps owing to the fact that they were all sheltering in the comforts of home, talking mostly about subjects they were most interested in - the art and craft of writing.

The authors I've chosen in this newsletter have sold more than 100 million books, with R.L. Stine, having the most number of books sold - a whopping 400 million as of 2008.
 
Here are some nuggets gleaned from the interviews -
 
When asked what writing advice he could give to writers, George RR Martin, author of Games of Thrones, gave two important pieces of advice - 'Just write and finish what you write.'
 
One question that divides many authors in their process of writing is the way they plot their storylines. Dan Brown, author of Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, outlines the entire novel before he begins to write it. He believes that "beginning with the end in mind", writing the last scene first, works brilliantly for him.
 
On the other side of the writing and plotting spectrum, Diana Gabaldon, author of Outlander, starts with an image or a kernel of an idea , and starts writing with no plot or storyline. "I never used outlines. It would not be fun if I knew what was about to happen."
 
John Grisham, author of A Time to Kill and The Firm, starts with a clear plot in his mind. He likes to outline, and knows the ending before he starts writing the novel.
 
Author of Memory Man and Absolute Power, David Baldacci has sold more than 150 million books worldwide. His writing style varies depending on the series of books he is currently involved in. "I use different sets of skills in the series of books I've written depending on the character with unique sensibilities."
 
R.L.Stine, author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, most notably Goosebumps and The Nightmare Room series, is a writer who finds plotting the hardest part of the writing process. Stine thinks of the title of his novel first and even plots every chapter ending before he even starts writing the novel.
 
As one listens to all the interviews, I realise there is no exact method to the complete a novel. Many of the writers still struggle every day when they faced with that formidable blank sheet of paper in front of them. For me, the best advise is the simplest, and that's from master craftsman George RR Martin - 'write everyday, but finish what you write'. Sage words of advice indeed.


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What is Speculative Fiction?


People have often asked what literary genre Homo Roboticus belongs to. When I mention that the novel belongs to speculative fiction, furrowed brows usually follow my explanation.

In honoring Kazuo Ishiguro who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017, the Nobel Committee helped legitimize speculative fiction—"an umbrella term for all fiction containing supernatural, science-fiction, dreamlike, horror, fantasy, or simply impossible elements—within a global literary community that has often ignored such works in favor of weighty realistic novels."

Speculative fiction "is a broad category of fiction encompassing genres with certain elements that do not exist in terms of the recorded history and observed phenomena of the current universe, covering various themes in the context of the supernatural, futuristic, and many other imaginative topics. Under this umbrella category, the genres include, but are not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, horror, superhero fiction, alternate history, utopian and dystopian fiction, and supernatural fiction, as well as combinations thereof (e.g. science fantasy)".








Get an ebook gift (subject to availability)
of any work by Kazuo Ishiguro,
my favorite speculative fiction writer.



Just answer the question, why is Homo Roboticus considered a work in the speculative fiction genre, and the best answer gets the Ishiguro book.

Email the answer to:
mayet@mayetligadyuhico.com

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Deadline : October 30, 2020