Comments on: Heinlein’s Rules for Writing (Mostly) http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/ Patricia C. Wrede talks about writing Thu, 23 May 2013 05:55:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Impatience | youthful yogini worried writer http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/comment-page-1/#comment-36628 Impatience | youthful yogini worried writer Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:15:50 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=791#comment-36628 [...] this set of rules. However, it seems solid enough and a good place to start. For me, in my process, “editorial order” is my brother. He is my first reader and helps me to see my writing through a reader’s eyes. I [...] [...] this set of rules. However, it seems solid enough and a good place to start. For me, in my process, “editorial order” is my brother. He is my first reader and helps me to see my writing through a reader’s eyes. I [...]

]]> By: Jacques http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/comment-page-1/#comment-10756 Jacques Sat, 28 Jul 2012 22:19:46 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=791#comment-10756 Ah okay. thank you! love your site Ah okay. thank you! love your site

]]> By: pcwrede http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/comment-page-1/#comment-10591 pcwrede Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:50:13 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=791#comment-10591 Jacques - I'm sorry, but I don't have a cite; I just recall it being a nine-days wonder in the writing community in the mid-to-late 80s. I don't think it was an interview, and it was always clear that whatever he did, he didn't do very much of it until an editor got involved. Jacques – I’m sorry, but I don’t have a cite; I just recall it being a nine-days wonder in the writing community in the mid-to-late 80s. I don’t think it was an interview, and it was always clear that whatever he did, he didn’t do very much of it until an editor got involved.

]]> By: Jacques http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/comment-page-1/#comment-10573 Jacques Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:14:02 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=791#comment-10573 Fascinating post. I know it was written awhile ago but I just discovered it today! You said: "Late in his career, Heinlein himself admitted that he did, in fact, revise/rewrite his work before sending it out," Would you cite the source for that? I searched on the net and still can't find it. I have most of his interviews, if you give me the year he said this in I can track it down if you don't have the source as a link. Thank you Jacques Fascinating post. I know it was written awhile ago but I just discovered it today!

You said: “Late in his career, Heinlein himself admitted that he did, in fact, revise/rewrite his work before sending it out,”

Would you cite the source for that? I searched on the net and still can’t find it. I have most of his interviews, if you give me the year he said this in I can track it down if you don’t have the source as a link.

Thank you
Jacques

]]> By: Chicory http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/comment-page-1/#comment-2636 Chicory Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:19:16 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=791#comment-2636 I totally fall into the second category of writers- those who need someone to pry the manuscript out of my hands to stop me from giving it just one (million) more polish. :) I totally fall into the second category of writers- those who need someone to pry the manuscript out of my hands to stop me from giving it just one (million) more polish. :)

]]> By: pcwrede http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/comment-page-1/#comment-2633 pcwrede Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:34:32 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=791#comment-2633 Ilse - As I said, Heinlein wrote these rules in a completely different market. These days, you can exhaust the paying venues for a piece of short fiction in six months or less, you can't make a living writing short fiction anyway, and it's harder than ever to get a book publisher to look at an unpublished newbie's work. Alex - About eight or ten years back, Dean and I had a ... spirited discussion on the old AOL boards about revising. He was a lot more dogmatic then about the universal value of writing fast and not rewriting, as I remember it. Judging from this, he's refined his theory of how and why this works so well for some people. A lot of what he says is spot-on, particularly the thing about how the writer's experience while writing has <em>nothing </em>to do with the quality of the product, and in addition, he makes a strong point of the fact that every writer works differently. My only major complaint would be that we ended up posting about Heinlein's rules within a week of each other, and he got there first! Ilse – As I said, Heinlein wrote these rules in a completely different market. These days, you can exhaust the paying venues for a piece of short fiction in six months or less, you can’t make a living writing short fiction anyway, and it’s harder than ever to get a book publisher to look at an unpublished newbie’s work.

Alex – About eight or ten years back, Dean and I had a … spirited discussion on the old AOL boards about revising. He was a lot more dogmatic then about the universal value of writing fast and not rewriting, as I remember it. Judging from this, he’s refined his theory of how and why this works so well for some people. A lot of what he says is spot-on, particularly the thing about how the writer’s experience while writing has nothing to do with the quality of the product, and in addition, he makes a strong point of the fact that every writer works differently. My only major complaint would be that we ended up posting about Heinlein’s rules within a week of each other, and he got there first!

]]> By: Alex Fayle http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/comment-page-1/#comment-2631 Alex Fayle Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:36:04 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=791#comment-2631 Dean Wesley Smith has a good take on what rewriting means - and it's more towards that line of revising long past the point of usefulness. http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=1826 Dean Wesley Smith has a good take on what rewriting means – and it’s more towards that line of revising long past the point of usefulness.

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=1826

]]> By: Ilse http://pcwrede.com/blog/heinleins-rules-for-writing-mostly/comment-page-1/#comment-2629 Ilse Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:46:28 +0000 http://pcwrede.com/blog/?p=791#comment-2629 It seems to me that #5 also doesn't work when you take into consideration #3...i.e. if you have something out there that you've been trying to get published for a decade, maybe you should take another look at it and see if you can improve it, then try again. It seems to me that #5 also doesn’t work when you take into consideration #3…i.e. if you have something out there that you’ve been trying to get published for a decade, maybe you should take another look at it and see if you can improve it, then try again.

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