My Life As A Writer: Brian Niemeier Interviewed On The Monastery w/ Mildra The Monk

Friend of the Retreat (and my editor) Brian Niemeier appeared on The Monestary today with Mildra the Monk.

This ain't a short episode you can listen to over your coffee or lunch break. This is one you put on when you're on a long commute where you can listen with your attention focused on it instead of whatever repetitive task you're on.

This episode gets into the blatant historical revisionism of Science Fiction as a genre away from its roots in the Pulps, starting with John Campbell's ghettoization of the genre out of popular acceptance and visibility with his "Big Men With Screwdrivers" version of Muh Literary Realisms that killed the Romance of Scientific Romance (which is what Science Fiction really is).

There's also a good segment spent on Mecha, both as in the entertainment business and in the genre itself and its variations. Super vs. Real, Spikey vs. Stompy, design paradigms in both meta and in-setting approaches, etc. are all addressed. Great value right there. Brian's specific approach to how he's handling Combat Frame XSeed is quite the insight.