Novels are one of the few remaining areas of narrative storytelling where one person does almost all of the creative heavy lifting. Charles Stross areacreativeheavy Change image and share on social
I tend to work on the principle that much humour relies on cognitive dissonance - on the foreground not matching the background, on the protagonist's response to a situation being inappropriate, and so on. Charles Stross backgroundcognitivedissonance share on social
Fiction is the study of the human condition under imagined circumstances. Charles Stross circumstanceconditionfiction Change image and share on social
Science fiction was rocket-mad for about 40 years until aerospace hit a brick wall about 1970. I would not write off space colonisation or exploration completely, but we are profoundly ill adapted for going boldly into outer space. Charles Stross adaptaerospaceboldly share on social
I have a low taste for urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Charles Stross fantasylowparanormal Change image and share on social
If you're going to write for a living, you should find something fun to write. Charles Stross findfunlive Change image and share on social
Luckily, I'm not a stand-up comedian, so I don't get the fear of standing on stage in front of a dead audience: my humorous pieces have to make it past an editor before they get exposed to the public. Charles Stross audiencecomediandead Change image and share on social
Science fiction has traditionally been economically naive, with a strong libertarian streak, which I think is like a crude Leninism. That's attractive because it could be used to explain everything, and if only we lived by its tenets, everything would be perfect. Charles Stross attractivecrudeeconomically share on social
The real challenge in this line of work is being able to weed the productive ones from the chaff, to decide which you're going to spend the next six to nine months turning into something that people will pay for. Charles Stross chaffchallengedecide share on social
Generating ideas isn't some mystical talent that you have to be born with: it's a skill you can develop. Charles Stross beardevelopgenerate Change image and share on social
