I was interested in political failure here in the U.S. The way we're failing to work together to solve even our smallest problems, let alone the complex ones. Paolo Bacigalupi complexfailfailure Change image and share on social
The things that have really gotten confusing to me is how you balance the desires of your publishers to produce things on a schedule, and people are always sort of giving you ideas on what you should follow up with or how you should proceed next and things like that. Paolo Bacigalupi balanceconfusedesire share on social
Maybe storytelling belongs in audio - a short story is the length of a commute. That can be a sacred spot where you have the ear of the reader without having to compete with other media like games or TV. Paolo Bacigalupi audiobelongcommute share on social
As a kid, I always liked reading stories where I had a power-projection fantasy. I wanted to be inside of a story where I had power and influence, was going to rise to power, was going to somehow influence my society. Paolo Bacigalupi fantasyinfluenceinside share on social
The sources and research I use for my inspiration aren't your typical sci-fi subjects, but it's really driven by obsession and personal anxiety more than trying to take up the sword and do what's right. Paolo Bacigalupi anxietydriveinspiration share on social
When we talk about dystopias, especially in young adult fiction, a lot of them are essentially science fictional futures. They aren't necessarily tied to the traditional concept of dystopia. And so in that space, my impression is that kids love reading about weird, wild, adventurous places, and dystopia fits that bill. Paolo Bacigalupi adultadventurousbill share on social
Mostly I sat down and said, 'I'm not going to write a boring story.' And that actually, surprisingly, solves most of your problems. Paolo Bacigalupi boreproblemsit Change image and share on social
As far as 'Windup Girl' becoming a hit - none of us expected that. 'Night Shade' was just hoping not to lose their shirts, and I had grown up hearing from everyone that science fiction didn't sell, so all of our expectations were very low. Paolo Bacigalupi expectexpectationfiction share on social
Businesses that decide to be reality based and identify where they're vulnerable to climate impact, that start thinking about how to buffer against it, are going to be able to take advantage of shortages. When the water runs out, not everyone is in the same pickle. Paolo Bacigalupi advantagebasebuffer share on social
I'm really interested in how conflicts arise and how they reach points of no return. I'm no pacifist. Sometimes force is necessary. But war is a choice. Paolo Bacigalupi arisechoiceconflict Change image and share on social