Wow, I may have to push PZ out of my "favorite biologist" spot. After all, PZ never wrote a fawning review of my book like Carlo Artieiri did on his blog, Musings of a Mad Biologist (caution: contains one naughty word, but I hope people agree with his sentiment).
Actually, it’s weird. When I set about writing this site, I had no plans to write a book. But after a few years I started thinking about it, and decided to write magazine articles first to get my name out there and work at being a writer. Then I wrote the book, and it’s sold reasonably well. But with the site, the articles, and even the book, it never occurred to me that it would be a source of inspiration for others. That’s probably true for most books; if you set out to write an inspirational book you wind up writing some pablum that eventually gets plugged by Oprah. I wouldn’t mind an Oprah plug, but I would be in truly awful company (anyone who makes a Dr. Phil joke in the comments will have their IP banned).
So it amazes me when people get so much out of the book. It started small, but you never know where it’s going to go. And if you are reading this and wondering if there is a book in you, my advice is: start writing. I am the laziest guy alive (ask anyone who knows me– anyone) and I wrote one. You can too.
Thanks Carlo!
Note: While poking around del.icio.us about astronomy, I saw someone else who links to my site. They were saying something nice too, but the irony was too, well, delicious not to mention here. The emphasis is mine.
I always hate people misquoting stuff or talking bad science, probably because I find myself doing that exactly. Phil Blait corrects many popular, but incorrect astronomy beliefs.
March 22nd, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Ye Ghods, I did write a book and I hope I never have to do it again. You know how all authors (including you, if I recall) thank their spouses and families because they were absentee husbands for months at a stretch? I always thought that it was somewhat of an exaggeration, but holy hand grenades if it isn’t the honest truth.
The only way I’d ever want to do it again would be during a six-month sabbatical in the Bahamas.
Maybe.
March 22nd, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Yeah, yeah, the ‘laziest guy alive’ who just happens to spin out numerous brilliant daily articles filled with in-depth discussion and more thoughts than I have in a year.
As for P.Z., how on Earth does he have time to do all that (also brilliant) blogging and keep up with his professorial duties? That really doesn’t make sense.
March 22nd, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Lazy is a relative term. It takes decades to learn how to play a guitar correctly. Yet, some “lazy” people find enough energy to combat their own built in procrastination to make that instrument sound acceptable.
Yes, every person has at least one book inside of their own mind. But (for most of us) starting all of the paperwork is just to tedious to contemplate.
We are all too busy most of the time to find time to do the things we know we should be doing.
March 22nd, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Phil,
When I saw you last summer you were talking about writing another book. So when will that one come out?
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Phil,
That’s the thing about writing books (or articles, or scripts as I do)… you never know how what you write will affect someone; how it will settle in their brain and stay with them, and then one day — bam, it acts on them. And, if you’re lucky, you get to hear about it — maybe not right away, but at some point.
I still keep letters I get from people about stuff of mine they’ve read. I have a whole envelope full of letters from a sixth-grade class that read one of my articles and they decided to write me… it was delightful!
Not to mention the notes I get passed along from people who have seen my shows or exhibits…
So, yeah, it’s great to touch people Phil — and you should be pleased as punch that they write about it…
(I know that you are… )
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Hey, I can’t write fawning reviews of your book — we’re rivals, remember? Enemies! Snarling brutes locked in grim combat! Nemeses! Eternally warring champions of life, green mother earth, and teeming seas vs. cold, dark, vacuum dotted with hostile clots of plasma and sleeting radiation! And then there’s the competition over which of us is cutest…
March 22nd, 2007 at 9:26 pm
WRT poking about del.icio.us, I recently heard about a tool for doing “vanity pokes” there. Go to http://del.icio.us/url, and enter your url or urls, and del.icio.us will give you a list of the bookmarks to them! And an RSS feed if you like, so that you can keep up with additions. Pretty cool. Your main url (http://www.badastronomy.com) is bookmarked by 416 people as of right now! Go go Bad Astronomer!
March 22nd, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Dangit…take the comma off the end above…bummer. http://del.ico.us/url
March 22nd, 2007 at 9:28 pm
*sigh* http://del.icio.us/url
March 22nd, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Re your title: Yep, it’s true.
Aother biologist for astronomy.
March 23rd, 2007 at 3:53 am
I’ve written and had published several books and have quite a little career going.
My advice: be VERY careful about how you try to get published. People are standing in line to take advantage of you.
Don’t fall for publishamerica and similar garbage. Get informed. The best way to get really published is to either get a reputable agent (agents are not automatically legit, nor are they necessarily a good thing to have–only a good one is) or a reputable publisher.
Yes, you can get published legit without an agent with mid-size to small independent publishers, but do your homework. Unless you decide to totally self-publish (and there are certain books and situations which merit this approach, though I’ve never done it) DO NOT give anyone one penny to publish your book. Ideally you’ll get an advance, though many very good, legit, and effective independent publishers don’t provide advances (and publishamerica says they do–$1 they give you! That’s part of their rip off). But you should get royality checks. Beware beware.
Also, though I write fiction–supernatural fiction of all things, but FICTION, my mission is to promote clear and/or beautifully executed science and nature writing. I lecture on it for my state (North Carolina) Humanities Council.
Those of you with science grounding and a desire to write, I am advocating you. Why? Because as a complete science illiterate myself, it’s all I can do.
Science, the world as revealed by science deserves to be put forth beautifully, as in the best literature.
IF YOU HAVE SOLID GROUNDING IN SCIENCE AND ALSO HAVE A GIFT FOR WRITING YOU COULD BE WRITING THE SCRIPTURES OF THE FUTURE. Don’t believe me? How do you feel when you read Chet Raymo? You are familiar with his astronomy books and other evocative science books, I hope. It could be that when our great-great grandchildren look back on this era, they can say that now was the time when the scientific worldview came unto its own. Any worldview is spread by the power of the pen.
Unless you are just dying to write a novel, look seriously at narrative nonfiction about the science topics that interest you. Do this, please. As a novelist, I’m sorry to say I don’t believe we need more novels!
But we NEED absolutely accurate, eloquently written (if you have that gift) writing on any and every aspect of legitimate, not pseudo science. It is one of the best and most overlooked ways to promote science literacy and to get the general public excited about REAL, hard science. Please consider it.
I can offer several examples of what I mean if anyone wants to explore it here. Anyone with writing questions may email me at sherry@sherryaustin.com.
March 23rd, 2007 at 5:42 am
While I haven’t read the book, I have been reading this site for sometime and it has inspired me enough to apply to the space sciences department of the Helsinki polytechnic.
March 23rd, 2007 at 6:12 am
What book, wailashi?
March 23rd, 2007 at 6:30 am
Sorry, I should say “which book” of those discussed above.
March 23rd, 2007 at 7:23 am
Books, harbingers of change. I’m surprised the Church didn’t have Gutenburg strung up by his,,,well, never mind.
I love SciFi, which I like to call SUBVERSIVE fiction, as it always asks questions of the potential of WHAT IF,,,
My bro, the rocket scientist, writer, poet, TV producer insisted several years ago I learn the art of writing poetry at his poetry workshop in Redondo Beach, Calif. Some of it was,,,fairly good. Even wrote a short novel, which started as whimsey(what if Santa Claus was actually a time traveler?) and ended up an adventure, with genetically enhanced cats and gorillas. It’s funny how ones plans for a story are often subverted by the story itself. As the plot unfolds, questions are asked which lead to more questions and a story that was totally unseen at the outset. Mine was fun and taught me something about writing, but wasn’t really good enough to get published in the mainstream media.
My current passion is for George R.R. Martins Ice and Fire series. It amazes me how someone can write a book of a half million words, then turn around and write several more in that series of equal length, without it becoming in any way stale or predictable. That’s genius!
So, here’s my only (sorta) haiku for you. It’s somewhat science oriented,,,
Butterflies flutter
in my beard.
If I shave it off,
will storms end?
(GRA, 1999)
Fun, eh?
GAry 7
March 23rd, 2007 at 7:42 am
“Bad Astronomy” was a great mental stimulant that help pull me back into the wonderment of the dynamic behavior and beauty of our, and hopefully others, vast universe.
It is safe to say I would never have become a heliochromologist without both the book and the forum. [Hopefully that statement will actually mean something someday.
]
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:59 am
Sherry, I was talking about Phil’s book.
March 23rd, 2007 at 1:35 pm
I like Phil’s book, too. Very necessary, and very good.
I know Alan Hale of Hale-Bopp comet fame and his book about the comet is good as well.
March 23rd, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Since BA and Pharyngula are my two must visit blogs every day, I would LOVE to see a small side blog deditacted to just watching these two flame eachother. I can only guess at the magnitude of erudite insults that would ensue
March 23rd, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Wow, Phil thanks for the cite! I was planning on emailing you to let you know that I loved the book, just didn’t want to sound like a deranged fan-boy…
Thanks for the great book and keep up the good work! It’s sites like these that let me pursue my love of science to horizons beyond my own field…
Oh, and would you consider aggregating all the BA movie reviews into a book???
Carlo
March 23rd, 2007 at 11:19 pm
P.S. Oh, and sorry about the expletive… I normally try to keep the blog clean but sometimes one cannot find alternate ways to contain one’s enthusiasm.
March 24th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Bart: PZ is a poopyhead.
March 25th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Oh, the erudition!
March 26th, 2007 at 12:17 am
Phil Bliat? Could be worse – my Dad once got a letter addressed to Mr A.D. Paine! (Instead of Raine – one letter can make quite a diff!)
As for writing non-fict’n science articles if I can shamelessly self-plug* I’ve been writing astronomical articles -mostly focusing on individual bright stars for years now. Started off for the Astronomical Society of South Australia’s monthly ‘Bulletin’ newsletter & have now worked up to ‘Sky & Space’ an Australian astronomy magazine – as well as having the odd SF tale published. Its a lot of work – but also a lot of fun and yep, I’d definitely recomend that people give it a try ..
The best writers of Science fact articles; the people’s I admire and the giants on whose shoulders I stand on – Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, James B. Kaler, Patrick Moore, Stephen Baxter (he wrote Science fact as well) and yes, Phil Plait too!
If folks, esp. the BA, don’t mind I’m going to link the thread to a writer’s group site that I belong to as well …
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* Funny didn’t realise I was leaking!! Come to think of it, I’d better NOT be!