Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy

The first time I read this book i hilighted the most helpful parts. I went through three hilighters. This is a must read for any writer! I myself don't really like books that teach writing but this one is amazing. It covers everything from grammer to the difference between sex scenes and love scenes. It talks about how to think through your plot logically and some helpful little tricks to making your story extra interesting. It discusses how to construct your first and last lines and it is written extremely well and on a level anybody can understand. If I could I'd give this book a hundred stars. Not only was it helpful but it was able to keep my attention, a feat very few fiction books can do.

When my sci-fi fanatic brother handed me this book and raved about Gerrold's exemplary writing style as well as his abiity to coach on the craft itself, I was skeptical. What can a sci-fi/fantasy writer offer a writer of mainly creative nonfiction? The answer is EVERYTHING.

I haven't read any of Gerrold's works, but now I want to. His style, voice, and realism stand out even in a book about writing. I've highlighted nearly every page for either tips I want to remember far into the future - especially when revising and perfecting my own work - or for quotes on the craft or life in general that match my own philosophies. This isn't just a book covering the practical how-to of writing something others will be glued to but also a book on viewing life in general and how writing and life go hand-in-hand, if they aren't one and the same.

Gerrold's clear advice broken into palatable chunks applies to all writers and is guaranteed to introduce new elements to consider for your own work and draw you out of your comfort zone. New ways of looking at the basics, as well as more in-depth knowledge/techniques, such as memes and writing in E-prime, are covered.

Sure, Gerrold uses his own work in example, but that doesn't bother me. Why would you buy a book BY a successful writer if you weren't looking for his own take on writing and how he's developed his own ideas? I've read technique books by lesser authors who, frankly, don't even have enough successful works to quote from. Gerrold doesn't have to mention his own published titles to plug; his name on the cover of the book already does that.

The fact is that he knows what he's writing about and his own work provides perfect examples of all the thought he proves he puts into his creations to make them as near perfect as possible. That's why the book is an excellent resource for writers.

P.S. Gerrold also sites examples from several other authors. :)

Though definately geared more toward those wanting to become science fiction writers, a fantasy writer will find heaps of useful advice in this book as well. It starts out with the authors beginning struggles to become a writer, something all young writers wish to hear, and Gerrold guides you from there to the What Ifs of the genres, the specific definitions, and many other technical aspects, but always with a light heartedness that sooths you into what is often harsh advice in other How-to books. By far the best things about this book though are the examples and exercies spread throughout, all of which I've personally found usefull. I'd recommend this book above all others in the genre.

Although this book doesn't qualify as a traditional how-to reference, but mainly as a collection of tips, tricks and techniques on improving your science fiction and fantasy writing, it does rank high above the majority of references available on this topic, which are usually only aimed at psyching up the reader with nothing more than fluffy, feel-good advice that's completely useless to anyone with little more than some basic schooling, some common sense, and a few hours of writing practice.
Award-winning author David Gerrold, particularly well known to Trekkies for his Star Trek Original Series' episode "The Trouble with Tribbles," presents this book in such a pleasant, entertaining and enthusiastic style that you'll be enticed not only to read it through on your first sitting, but also to keep coming back to it time and again.
The short and very easy to find sections into which the book is divided go straight to the point without overlooking anything of importance and retaining all the necessary ideas to clearly explain the points being made. The selection of basic and not-so-basic topics included range from conceptualizing your first ideas (characters, settings, plot) to editing and selling your completed manuscripts. The chosen examples, picked out of both the author's own work and classic sources of the genres, are always accurate and easy to understand. And the very practical suggestions on technique and the reminders on style sprinkled throughout the book will undoubtedly help you create and maintain healthy and fruitful writing habits if followed.
Whereas, in this volume, the ever-present anecdotic remarks of the author might be more appealing to the practiced writer who's lived through similar experiences than to the beginner, the sound information on the craft of writing itself will certainly be useful to both. This may not be the ultimate reference on science fiction and fantasy writing - for that I would turn to either "How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy" by Orson Scott Card or "Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Crawford Kilian - but it is definitely a useful and enjoyable reading. Buy this book, enjoy it, and take the counsel it gives as you would that of a good friend.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

David covers such topics as what is Science fiction and what is Fantasy, but unlike other similar books (i.e., Orson Scott Card's) these sections are relatively brief, which is good because they are of limited utility. Once he gets those basics out of the way, he discusses how to construct a story, characters, building aliens, how to outline using notecards, and dozens of other useful topics. He even covers the obscure topic of e-prime. Nothing is covered in great detail, but little of it needs to be. If you need more help with plots and how to write in general, I recommend "Techniques of the Selling Writer" by Dwight V. Swain.