Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Salute to Anne McCaffrey -- RIP

Pern - First Fall
Anne McCaffrey

RIP Anne McCaffrey. This amazing author wrote nearly 100 science fiction and fantasy books. She inspired me as a writer and world builder. When I heard today that she had died from a massive stroke, I cried. Today's blog is a brief tribute to her.

Anne was a trailblazer. She was the first woman to win a Hugo and a Nebula. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2006, along with Frank Herbert, the writer of Dune.

She was often asked for advice about writing, and one piece became famous. On her blog, she posted this: "First -- keep reading. Writers are readers. Writers are also people who can't not write. Second, follow Heinlein's rules for getting published: 1. Write it. 2. Finish it. 3. Send it out. 4. Keep sending it out until someone sends you a check. There are variations on that, but that's basically what works."

Have you read her Dragonriders of Pern books? Has Anne inspired you in some way? I invite you to share with us.

It is a sad day for us, but on Pern, the dragons are rejoicing, calling their MasterHarper home...

3 comments:

Nerine Dorman said...

Anne is one of the reasons why I started writing. And while I may have outgrown her Dragonriders books when it comes to my current preference in reading material, I love Pern and cut my teeth writing fics set in this world. I always loved Anne for telling avid ficcers to "play nicely" in Pern. The White Dragon was the first of her books that I read, and I really enjoyed the earlier books--so much so that I've read them all at least two or three times. The highest praise I've received from fans who occasionally (still) email me out of the blue to comment that I've done Anne justice.

Kayelle Allen said...

Nerine, what a great compliment to receive. Thank you for sharing your story.

Savanna Kougar said...

While I didn't read all of her books as a kid, the ones I did read were inspiring and imaginative, especially in terms of world building. I fell in love with dragons because of Anne McCaffrey.