On lit-fic versus SF
Scalzi, in the midst of reaming out another PC idiot who tut-tuts about the horrible influence of Heinlein on modern SF, perfectly sums up the difference between creators of 'literary' fiction and writers of SF, thus:
"People start writing literary fiction as they tumble through writing programs at Sarah Lawrence or Bennington or Iowa because that’s what they’re expected to write and they want to impress their professors and fellow students; people start writing science fiction, on the other hand, roughly ten seconds after they set down The Star Beast or Ender’s Game or Snow Crash because they get done with the book and think, holy crap, I want to do that. Academia generally wants you to show you can write; science fiction generally wants you to tell a story. "
Nice.
And don't get me started on lit-fic wrters who steal SF ideas and claim they're not doing SF but something *better*...
"People start writing literary fiction as they tumble through writing programs at Sarah Lawrence or Bennington or Iowa because that’s what they’re expected to write and they want to impress their professors and fellow students; people start writing science fiction, on the other hand, roughly ten seconds after they set down The Star Beast or Ender’s Game or Snow Crash because they get done with the book and think, holy crap, I want to do that. Academia generally wants you to show you can write; science fiction generally wants you to tell a story. "
Nice.
And don't get me started on lit-fic wrters who steal SF ideas and claim they're not doing SF but something *better*...