Charles Stross

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. ”

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. ”

I write more for the children of the computer revolution, who are also interested in speculation and exploring the human condition, but approach it from an information perspective. ”

History is another country and might be full of fascinating incidents and places to go visit - but as a destination for emigration, it has some problems! ”

I have a low taste for urban fantasy and paranormal romance. ”

One of my earliest recollections is being woken up at some ungodly hour in the morning by my parents and sat in front of the fairly new black and white television, watching a grainy image of a man in a white suit climbing down a ladder. It was the first moon landing, and I became a sort of spaceman, as many kids were. ”

I suspect political fiction is at its best precisely when it doesn't preach, but restricts itself to showing the reader a different way of life or thought, and merely makes it clear that this is an end-point or outcome for some kind of political creed. ”

Generating ideas isn't some mystical talent that you have to be born with: it's a skill you can develop. ”

If you're going to write for a living, you should find something fun to write. ”

Pubs are, disturbingly, where I hatch most of my best idea-sculptures: possibly it's something to do with the disinhibiting effects of alcohol, or maybe it's just having company to yack at. ”