By exaggerating the stereotype, you poke fun at it; then when you take the extra trouble to really flesh out the person as an individual, the identity stuff can’t help but seem minimal.
I think at a fundamental level, that’s the first thing for understanding the Party. The Party was about people trying to challenge the oppressive conditions that they faced and not being able to do it alone.
Well, you know, nothing succeeds like success. Why do the Young Lords and the Red Guard and the Young Patriots and everybody else model themselves after the Party? Because they were super influential. Because they were making things happen.
I’ve never felt more that I was making a tangible difference in the world on a day-to-day basis than when I worked there. And for that reason, it was the biggest threat to my writing career that I’ve ever had.
Whenever I hear anyone talk about difficulty, in my work or that of others, I just think it’s a confession about a lack of exposure.
An understanding of craft should set us free.
The best interviews from the past year.
Sean Stewart (Babylon Falling)
As a little kid all my real life heroes were outlaws, self-styled and otherwise.
I feel like “Peanuts,” which is probably my favorite comic strip, shows the parade of humiliations of a character’s life, but plays them for empathy and laughs.
I read a fair amount of hotel reviews, and I really enjoyed reading them. The worse they are, the better they are in a way.