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From: psc@lzwi.UUCP (Paul S. R. Chisholm)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Writing about writing
Message-ID: <137@lzwi.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-May-85 00:41:10 EDT
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Posted: Mon May 20 00:41:10 1985
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< Smokey the Bar says, "Stamp out software pirates" [squish!] >

> I would also like to point out, however, that in between the
> stories [in UNICORN VARIATIONS] he makes comments on
> writing, and what he learned, and how to do it, etc.  This
> is also true of his previous collection, THE LAST DEFENDER
> OF CAMALOT.  For anyone with an interest in writing, fiction
> writing in particular, these two books are a must.
>       -SKZB

Good point, and one I neglected in my review of UNICORN VARIATIONS.
This raises an interesting point:  What are good books to read to
learn about writing?

Specifically, what books have forewords, afterwords, junk between
the stories, etc., that give insight into writing as an activity?
May I start this discussion off with some examples?  (Why, thank
you very much!)

Zelazny's THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT and UNICORN VARIATIONS are
particularly good, as Zelazny has written a *lot* of stories, long
and short, and mentions how the short effects the long.

Harlan Ellison's STRANGE WINE and ALL THE LIES THAT ARE MY LIFE.
His earlier collections talk about writing in them, too, but not
as well.  The introductions in the above two books are better than
99.44% of the fiction I've read.  Alas, STALKING THE NIGHTMARE has
a fictionalized introduction from Ellison's Middle Messianic Period.
There are some good "Tales from the Real World", though, and some
of Ellison's fiction, which is fantastic or not, depending on some
quirk of the reader's mind.

Joe Haldeman's INFINITE DREAMS, with comments as detailed as Zelazny's,
but concentrating less on effects on novels and more on the short
stuff itself.

Your turn.
-- 
	-Paul S. R. Chisholm
	...!{pegasus,vax135}!lzwi!psc   The above opinions are my own,
	...!{hocsj,ihnp4}!lznv!psc      not necessarily anyone else's,
	...!{pegasus,cbosgd}!lzmi!psc   including my employer's.