A Lee Martinez has authored of ten acclaimed novels including Divine Misfortune, Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest,and Chasing the Moon. For his debut novel Gil’s All Fright Diner, he won the Alex Award, which is given to adult fiction that possesses special appeal to younger readers.
Martinez’s work mixes dynamic world-building with whimsical, hilarious, and touching storytelling. Martinez’s The Automatic Detectiveis one of my favourite books. It’s a noir crime thriller about a robot designed to destroy humanity, but he just doesn’t feel like it, so he drives a cab. But the work succeeds because it’s far more than just wacky—it’s got heart, and characters we can love.
In this episode of MF GALAXY, Martinez discusses:
The reasons why so many fans and teachers of so-called literary fictiondismiss the importance of plot His approach to characterisationon the invention versus reflection spectrum The skillset required for effective revision, and the dangers of excessive revision What it’s like working with an editor The Dallas Fortworth writers’ workshop he frequents and why he does His approach to wordplay and literary style, including the creation of dialogue, and The art of world-buildingvs. the excesses of “world-porn,”and the world-building approach Martinez used in the robot-noir novel The Automatic Detective
We began by discussing the craft of plotting and the dangers of hewing too closely to an outline.
To download the special PATRONS-ONLY edition of this episode with A Lee Martinez, visit MF GALAXY.org and click the Patreon link on the right. Sponsor the show for a dollar or more per episode and access all extended edition podcasts and bonus videos. In this extended episode, Martinez discusses his business advice for writers, and the real reason to attend book signings.
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