Some of Benford’s most notable research, which features heavily in his novels, includes his work on gravitational lensing, plasma physics and wormholes. When I’m writing about physics, and office politics in academia - I know that well.” I find that it comes very easily if you know what you’re trying to say. “I know plenty of authors who hate the writing process and say it’s painful for them - that’s not me. “Writing, for me, comes naturally, because I’m writing about a subject which I know and love,” said Benford. In 1971, when Benford was 30, he celebrated his first succession of major accomplishments in both of his chosen fields - he published his first novel, “Deeper Than the Darkness,” and was hired at UCI as a physics and astronomy professor.īenford, acclaimed for his meticulously accurate “hard science” approach to science fiction, credits his academic background for the success of his novels. For years, he worked simultaneously on selling sci-fi shorts to genre magazines and pursuing a doctorate in physics from UCSD. He didn’t publish his first short story until he was 24, then a graduate student at UC San Diego. Throughout his undergraduate years at the University of Oklahoma, Benford wrote short stories as a hobby, never expecting writing to be anything more than a part-time job.
“My dad replied, ‘Son, you want to grow up, and you want to write science fiction? You know you can’t do both.’” “I remember being a young boy, and going up to my father and telling him, ‘Dad, I want to grow up and be a science fiction writer,’” said Benford. Ever since he was a child in Mobile, he knew that he wanted to write science fiction. Benford, a charismatic and self-assured Alabama native, has never known a life devoid of either writing or physics. The lecture, hosted by UCI’s Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication, was the second installment in a three-part series on writing tips for students participating in National Novel Writing Month this November.ĭr.
Benford, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow who taught at UCI from 1971 to 2006, returned to campus last Tuesday to discuss his life as an astrophysicist and author, and to advise UCI students who hope to emulate his unconventional path. His first piece of advice for aspiring sci-fi writers: “Write about what you know - and if you don’t know anything, that’s what universities are for.” His second and favorite piece of advice: “drink lots of coffee - it makes you smart.”ĭr. Gregory Benford has picked up a couple of things about writing science fiction. Over a career spanning half a century and producing thirty acclaimed novels, UCI Physics Professor Emeritus Dr. The Wire: A column dedicated to science and technology
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