“[My wife] liked to collect old encyclopedias from second-hand bookstores, and at one point we had eight of them. When I wrote my first historical novel---back in 1980, before I was online---I used them often as a research tool. For instance, I learned that the Bastille was either 90 feet high or 100 feet or 120 feet. This led me to formulate Wilson's 22nd Law: 'Certitude belongs exclusively to those who only look in one encyclopedia.'” FirstsLooksHandsLawUsedNovelWifeFeetResearchToolsHistoricalEightMy WifeInstanceOnlineBookstoresWilsonEncyclopediaSecond HandCertitudeHistorical NovelsBastille Author:Robert Anton Wilson
“The ratio of authentic literature to trash in pornography may be somewhat lower than the ratio of novels of genuine literary meritto the entire volume of sub-literary fiction produced for mass taste. But it is probably not lower than, for instance, that of another somewhat shady sub-genre with a few first-rate books to its credit, science fiction.” FirstsMayBookLiteratureFictionNovelTasteMassScience FictionRateCreditGenuineInstanceGenreVolumePornographyTrashRatiosShady Author:Susan Sontag
“I was highly aware, in writing [the book] ROOM, that there are unsavoury aspects to our interest in such cases, and I thought it was rather honester to include discussion of media representation in the novel itself than to cling to the high moral ground by merely avoiding scenes of voyeurism, for instance.” WritingBookInterestRoomsMoralCasesNovelMediaSceneAspectInstanceDiscussionRepresentationAvoiding Author:Emma Donoghue
“There are some varieties of fiction that I never touch - mystery stories, for instance, which I abhor, and historical novels. I also detest the so-called "powerful" novel - full of commonplace obscenities and torrents of dialog.” StoriesPowerfulFictionNovelMysteryHistoricalInstanceVarietyCommonplaceDetestObscenityHistorical Novels Book:Strong opinions Source: Strong opinions
“I had an idea for a medical conspiracy thriller. Since it was non-horror, I didn't want the publishers and editors bringing a lot of baggage - my history as a genre writer in the SF and horror fields, for instance - to the novel when they read it. I wanted them to consider the book solely on its own merits. So I called myself Colin Andrews. I was tired of seeing my books at floor level. Not that Herman Wouk and Phyllis Whitney and William Wharton are bad company, but I wanted to be up at eye level for a change, where people with bad backs could get a chance to see my books.” PeopleWantBookIdeasEyeWantedChanceLevelsCompanyNovelSeeingFieldsHorrorTiredMedicalInstanceGenreMeritEditorsConspiracyPublishersThrillersBaggageAndrewWhitneyBad Company Author:F. Paul Wilson
“The mental state I'm in is completely different, but the act of trying to write is the same. I mean, in all instances you try to write good sentences. But in a novel you're free to do whatever you want, and in the autobiographical works you can't make things up.” WantWritingTryingMeanDifferentStatesNovelSentencesInstanceDo Whatever You Want Author:Paul Auster