In one book, CACHALOT, just for my own amusement, every character is based directly on someone I have known.
ALAN DEAN FOSTERAdvances have fallen, generally, for everything except the biggest potential bestsellers.
More Alan Dean Foster Quotes
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I’d really like to have been Sir Richard Francis Burton, but it’s the wrong century.
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The overwhelming triumph of the international multimedia conglomerate has resulted in less diversity within the field and has made it much harder for newer writers not only to break in, but to make any kind of a living while doing so.
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The storm hit with all the fury of a woman who’d been dieting for six months, only to discover she’d gained four pounds.
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Even as children, human beings fabricate elaborate revenge fantasies.
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The universe is full of dead people who lived by assumption.
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Where lies the line between sorcery and science? It is only a matter of terminology, my friend.
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Keep writing. Try to do a little bit every day, even if the result looks like crap.
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Science-fiction allowed me to go places that were otherwise inaccessible, which is why I started reading it.
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Growing up, I never gave a thought to being a writer.
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When readers start asking about character motivations instead of concentrating on the special effects, it means you’re connecting with them on a personal level.
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So rewriting is hard for me. I mean, I already know the story and would rather read something new.
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It is always hard when reality intrudes on belief.
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If you’re crazy, there’s two things you can do to make yourself feel better: One is to get yourself cured. The other is to make everyone you have to deal with crazy.
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The thing all writers do best is find ways to avoid writing.
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I try to challenge myself as much as possible, as often as possible.
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Given all the changes, both economic and technological, SF hasn’t done too badly.
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Spontaneity is one of the joys of existence, especially if you prepare for it in advance.
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Writing allows me the time to travel and see the world, which is what I always wanted to do.
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I write early in the morning, usually after reading portions of at least half a dozen newspapers on the web.
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Getting inside the mind of a terrorist wasn’t difficult at all.
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I play basketball and try to go diving at least once a year. I don’t really have hobbies in the traditional sense.
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All I ever wanted to be was a traveler and explorer.
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Last year I went to a worldcon for the first time in two decades. I may go again this year.
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Don’t try to write to the trend of the moment.
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Some of it is carefully structured and well-thought-out. That’s where the real danger lies.
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I engage in too many activities already through the actions of my characters.
ALAN DEAN FOSTER