Hard Nonsense

William Gibson
I was reading a book last night, partially because I was ill and sometimes reading can make the world stop spinning, mostly though I was reading to learn how to write well. Last night I chose a gentleman named William Gibson, who's work I have to say should be required reading for anyone considering the craft. If you have never read "Neuromancer," or his short story "Fragments of a Hologram Rose," I encourage you to do so. The later is a mere seven pages long, and is one of the most fulfilling short reads I have ever run accross. What I learn when I read Gibson, is that a writer can create a fully realized world without wasting his readers time with page upon page of stunted desciption. He also has an unbeleivable knack for putting the reader right into his character's head. This is a skill which I feel all writers should strive to possess. One which I always find myself lacking in. I feel it's important though, because this is how we penetrate our readers defenses. This is how we can change them.

Anyway, I wanted to encourage all of you to check him out. I think you'll find that though his stories are dark (a bit of an understatement), there is also beauty in the future's Gibson imagines, and the beauty is that much more profound for the darkness.

Advertisement