# Heinlein Letter: Sturgeon's Writer's Block



## J-Sun (Oct 3, 2012)

Letters of Note: The Heinlein Maneuver

Pretty amazing.


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## Abernovo (Oct 3, 2012)

That's brilliant, J-Sun. Perhaps a lesson for us all somewhere in there. The friendliness and charity were so obvious in the letter.

Thanks for sharing it.


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## Dante DiBenedetto (Oct 3, 2012)

And, how! Thanks for sharing


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## DrMclony (Oct 3, 2012)

Fantastic! Thank you for sharing this.

I love this line: Almost all writers need cross-pollenation


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## J-Sun (Oct 3, 2012)

You're all very welcome - glad you enjoyed it.


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## Dozmonic (Oct 3, 2012)

Good find, great read and a nice insight into an inquisitive mind


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## Connavar (Oct 15, 2012)

Thanks J-Sun i like to see the man behind one of my fav authors like this.  Pretty nice seeing the generosity, the will to help someone in need.

Also very interesting how how he came up with ideas, to see how an author works like with story ideas.


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## Kapelvig (Oct 16, 2012)

Wow. Some great ideas there, and what a great letter to receive!


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## Robjwhite (Oct 17, 2012)

Really interesting read, thank you very much for sharing!


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## mythmaker (Nov 1, 2012)

This is really fantastic.  It reminds you - writers don't need to be competitive and collaboration can be such a creative thing.  When talent meets talent, the horizons can really widen.  And when genius meets genius...well, I suppose that's when magic happens.

There was a time that writers needed to be competitive, or so it felt.  Competing for publishing deals; competing for bookshelf space.  But with the internet and self publishing, hopefully that is changing.  I love this letter, and this relationship because it is creative and a meeting of minds. Wonderful.

One day, I'll find some talent (maybe even genius) to collaborate with me and my efforts and then I'll get somewhere!!


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## Southern Geologist (Jan 10, 2013)

What a wonderful letter.  Thanks for sharing this.

I must say, as a small 'L' libertarian with a twisted sense of humor I find this story idea delightful:

"Mmm...Sturgeonish ideas—Well, here's one that might be Campbellish: a  society where there are no criminal offences, just civil offences, i.e.,  there is a price on everything, you can look it up in the catalog and  pay the price. You want to shoot your neighbor? Go ahead and shoot the  *******. He has a definite economic rating; deposit the money with the  local clearing house within 24 hrs.; they will pay the widow. Morality  would consist in not trying to get away with anything without paying for  it. Good manners would consist in so behaving that no one would be  willing to pay your listed price to kill you. Of course if your  valuation is low and your manners are crude, your survival probabilities  are low, too."

I also loved this:  "You could get a Campbell-style story out of doubting the most sacred of  sacred cows—except big business, of course; John does not tolerate  outright heresy."  

And this, as a cat lover (I didn't know Heinlein was a fan of cats!): "What exact knowledge of how human beings work can enable a man always to make other people happier simply by his own presence?

Cats  have made a racket and a good thing out of this knowledge for seven  thousand years without even bothering to flatter the recipient of the  pleasure."


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## J-Sun (Jan 11, 2013)

Glad you enjoyed it! And as far as Heinlein and cats, there's a few pieces and, of them, _The Door Into Summer_ may be one of the most clearly pro-cat tails - er, tales.


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## Stephen4444 (Jan 11, 2013)

Amazing.... I'm struck with the ideas that were presented. They were all original. Most writers today, expand on someone else's ideas. What fantasy writer does not write in the world of Tolkien. These are true giants, originators. Most writers don't come up with ideas like this in a lifetime.


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## TheDustyZebra (Jan 11, 2013)

I've read this before, but always forget about it eventually, so thanks for bringing it back around!

I wonder how many of those ideas have been written, and how many times, since that came out? It always makes me want to go write some of them, myself. Especially that pay-as-you-go one. How many books came out of that idea, and how many of them are in a box in my house somewhere, waiting for me to read them?


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