A New Wave Writing Approach

“Writing's like gambling. Unpredictable and sporadic successes make you more addicted, not less.” – M. John Harrison

Born in England on this date in 1945, Harrison is both an author and literary critic and widely considered one of the late 20^th century’s major stylists in the Fantasy and Science Fiction genres. 

Among his best-known works are Climbers and the Kefahuchi Tract trilogy, which consists of Light (2002), Nova Swing (2006) and Empty Space (2012).

Harrison’s writing career began by writing reviews and short fiction for New Worlds magazine, starting at age 20.  By age 22 he had been appointed the magazine’s books editor, and for the next 10 years he served as both an editor and a writer and was one of the leading “New Wave” writers during the late 1960s and 1970s. 

Since 1991, Harrison has reviewed fiction and nonfiction for such major publications as The Guardian, the London Times Literary Supplement and The New York Times and has become a much sought-after member of panels and juries on both writing and film.  He also has taught creative writing courses in colleges in both England and Wales. 

“A good ground rule for writing in any genre is, start with a form, then undermine its confidence in itself,” he advises.  “Ask what it's afraid of, what it's trying to hide - then write that.”

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