We’re pleased to publish this very special Q&A with legendary SF novelist and screenwriter David Gerrold, who shares with us his history with Analog as well as his early inspirations. Check out David’s novella “Ganny Goes to War” in our [March/April issue, on sale now!]
Analog Editor: What is your history with Analog?
David Gerrold: I have a long personal history with Analog. My first year of high school was at Van Nuys High. The library was a good place to hang out at lunch time and they had a subscription to Astounding. I started working my way through every issue they had. Astounding represented (to me) the high point of science fiction magazines. It introduced me to so many great stories and writers, that it became a goal. It was decades before I sold a story to the magazine, but that was one of the high points of my career.
This story was a sequel to an earlier piece where Ganny knit a spaceship out of cables and plastic sheeting. I suspect that construction of habitats in space would probably use a lot more fabricated materials than metal. So that was the spark. But once I’d written about how to build the ship, I began to wonder about the interplanetary politics, the economics, and how it all might work where everything is light minutes away from everything else. I think that’s part of the effect that reading Astounding/Analog had on me—I want to know how things work, especially in science fiction.
AE: Who or what are your greatest influences and inspirations?
DG: The science fiction that was available to me in my teen years, the great stories and books of the 40s and 50s, were a profound influence. They taught me to think outside the limits of my own life. Heinlein, Leinster, Clarke, Sturgeon, and so many others taught me to think about what’s on the other side of the sky and what’s on the other side of tomorrow. Their stories taught me to think about how things work and how they sometimes don’t. But more important, their stories were about heroes with personal integrity, intelligence, and a commitment to build a better world. That’s not a bad education for anybody, but it’s really powerful for any weird little kid like I was.
The theme that spoke most strongly to me in all those stories was “can-do.” That was the role model—that no matter what the universe threw at me, I would find a way to survive and succeed. I think that’s the heart of great science fiction. The writer creates a fantastic problem, then creates someone who can solve it.
I have several projects I’m working on right now, mostly finishing up series that I’ve started. Plus one autobiographical pieced that I’ve been working on for a long time.
Astounding represented (to me) the high point of science fiction magazines. It introduced me to so many great stories and writers, that it became a goal.
AE: What careers have you had and how do they affect your writing?
DG: I don’t have a degree in any specific science, but my high school had college level courses in math, physics, biology, and chemistry. I was fascinated by the biology courses and that showed up in my War Against The Chtorr series. Later, I had subscriptions to every science magazine that hit the stands—Omni, Scientific American, Discover, Science, and at least half a dozen more. I never missed an issue. I clipped articles. It wasn’t just that if you’re a science fiction writer, you have to know your science—it was more than that. I wanted to know how everything worked. I’m still that way. I’m amazed and delighted at how far technology has progressed in the last half-century and what it’s made possible to learn about both the macro and micro worlds.
One of the most interesting careers I’ve had was as a trainer in personal effectiveness courses. I learned so much from the various participants, I learned so much about people, that it shifted my perceptions of what’s possible. People can be amazingly good if they’re given even half a chance. But the best career I’ve ever had was being Sean’s dad.
AE: What are you reading right now?
DG: Right now, I am reading through the works of Matthew Hughes, who writes like a reinvention of Jack Vance. He’s marvelous. I’m also enjoying (very much) the novels of K.I. Parker, and the stories of Alaya Dawn Johnson and Charlie Jane Anders. I should also acknowledge that C.J. Cherryh is one of the most intelligent writers I’ve ever read. Wow.
AE: How can our readers follow you and your writing? (IE: Social media handles, website URL…)
DG: I can be found on Facebook, and I have a patreon page where I share thoughts, essays, articles, stories, puns, limericks, and a short story every Friday. I also publish pieces of works in progress, photos, and occasional videos. That link is www.Patreon.com/DavidGerrold. People can subscribe for free, or they can pay a little more for the story of the week. (I also do a Tuesday night zoom session for people who write. That’s also a patreon subscription.)
The Astounding Analog Companion 
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