Comments on: Groping For Autobio Plan

By: narcissy

narcissy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:27:06 +0000

I’d like to read a transreal and a real autobio in a 69 style edition! I love “Beneath the Underdog” by Mingus. I wrote a backwards autobio, that was fun.

By: JamesPadraicR

JamesPadraicR — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:00:37 +0000

‘Jerry’s Neighbors’ in “Seek!” that is.
Typing faster than I think again.

By: JamesPadraicR

JamesPadraicR — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:10:50 +0000

I read the autobio last year and thought it was interesting and entertaining.

Personally, I’ve always found what you’ve written about Lynchburg to be very funny and right on target. My father grew up there, and my late uncle lived in the area until last year. He once told about the one time he went to Falwell’s church and how, when it was time to pass the plate around, he and his wife tried to leave and found that the doors were locked –from the outside.

I read “Gnarl!” a couple of years ago, and the essay about your trip there brought that story to mind.

Whatever you write, enjoy it. I’m sure we will.

By: EA

EA — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:55:18 +0000

EA sez “I want those letters - in my garden! I pick them up?” see you soon! Keep on TRUCKIN!

By: rs

rs — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:51:20 +0000

yeah, we kind of believe our story informs our stories. it would seem more obviously so in your case. how about a fictobio? I sprang into the world fully formed and decided to write …

By: Mac Tonnies

Mac Tonnies — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:06:26 +0000

I think cuttlefish should make at least *one* appearance.

By: Peter Turney

Peter Turney — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:46:04 +0000

I had read

[1] http://www.cs.sjsu.edu/faculty/rucker/biography.htm

but not

[2] http://www.rudyrucker.com/pdf/autobiography2004.pdf

when I left the previous comment. Given [2], my comment isn’t really relevant. You’re welcome to delete it.

By: Peter Turney

Peter Turney — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:46:24 +0000

I’ve enjoyed biographies of Turing, von Neumann, Einstein, Alan Watts, A.E. van Vogt, Charles Babbage, Paul Bowles, … I think what interests me most is finding out what key experiences shaped their lives. For example, here’s a great (short) biography of A.E. van Vogt, by Alexei Panshin:

http://www.enter.net/~torve/articles/vanvogt/vanvogt1.html

This gave me a lot of insight into van Vogt’s stories. One of the points that interested me was the influence of Alfred North Whitehead’s Science and the Modern World. I understand now how Whitehead’s philosophy seemed somehow familiar and comfortable to me when I first read it, because I had already absorbed some of his ideas through van Vogt.

I think autobiography is more difficult to write than biography. Autobiography tends to lack objectivity, omit negative experiences and character flaws, and (worst of all) self-indulgently wander. If you can write about yourself as well as you wrote about Peter Bruegel, then go for it.

These are the kinds of things I would like to know: What events or experiences got you interested in math? What got you interested in science fiction? What motivated you to go from reading science fiction to writing science fiction? Your novels hint at some experience with psychoactive pharmaceuticals: I bet there is some good biographical material there. You seem to worry a lot about mortality: I’m guessing you lost a close relative when you were young?

Briefly, this is what I want in a biography (but maybe I’m not typical): Describe the main events and experiences that shaped your personality and determined the major decisions that you made (pivotal experiences). I don’t want a list of facts; I want a kind of causal model.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:50:27 +0000

intersperse it with science fiction stories, one that relate to stuff written in that chapter (new ones would be good). either that are write about some things you wanted to do as if you did.