Questions about Writing #5: Personal Perspective

I got an email the other day from a college student, who said he was doing a paper on my work, and would I answer a few questions? Now, if that isn't flattering, I don't know what is. I wrote the answers to his questions, then thought—wait, this is blogstuff. (Is that a word? It should be, if it's not.)

He asked why I became a science fiction writer. My answer:

Because SF was what I always loved to read as a kid, in college, and after college. I got some early encouragement from my family and a couple of teachers, who thought I had some talent for writing. So when I set out to write some stories, it was just natural that I wrote SF. It's still my favorite form of literature, though I don't have as much time for reading now as I once did. I love SF because it challenges the mind, stretches the imagination, and takes us to fascinating times and places that we probably won't get to visit in the flesh. It lets me think about science and art and the human spirit, and a lot of other things, all wrapped up in one. (I also love, as a writer, sticking my characters into strange realities and seeing how they react.)

What's my favorite book?

Oddly, it's not SF--it's fantasy. The Lord of the Rings. I've read it at least 15 times. I love Tolkien's visions, and I love Middle Earth for its magical likeness, and yet distinctiveness from, our own world. I love the mountains of Middle Earth, the forests, the Ents, the elves. And somehow this book hooked me as no other book has in its portrayal of the eternal struggle between good and evil, and the price paid for victory.

Why do I live in New England?

I came East as a college student, and never left. I love the land here, the ocean, the history, the intellectual ferment of all the universities and the culture. And the New England fall--you just can't beat it.

Thanks, Jeff from Plymouth State University, for giving me a blog topic!