Richard L. Rubin has been writing science fiction and fantasy since 2008. His flash fiction story To Soar like a Bird was selected as the February 2018 Dark Fiction selection at Eastern Iowa Review. His short story sci-fi thriller Robbery on Antares VI is available on Amazon. Science fiction stories written by him also appear in the Aurora Wolf journal of science fiction and fantasy, and Broadswords and Blasters magazine. In a previous life he worked as an appellate lawyer, defending several clients facing the death penalty in California. Richard is an Associate Member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Susanne. Richard’s website is at: richardlrubin.com.How long have you been writing and what got you started?
I’ve been writing off and on for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always enjoyed science fiction and fantasy. But I really began to really get focused in 2008 as I began phasing out my appellate law practice with an eye towards retirement.
What is your favorite type of fiction and who are your favorite authors?
Definitely science fiction and fantasy. Harlan Ellison, Philip K. Dick, George R.R. Martin—all masters of the short story.
How do you measure success when it comes to your writing?
Selling my stories. The amount of money one gets paid for a short story doesn’t really mean anything in terms of spending power, but moving up towards professional pay levels means something positive in terms of your craft and the size of the audience one reaches.
What tips do you have for finding time to write?
Start writing early in the day. Close the door. Ignore the phone and other distractions. Get to work. When I was practicing law, which mostly involved writing long appellate briefs, I knew that often I wouldn’t accomplish everything I planned to do on a given day, but the thing I got to first would definitely get done, or at least some good progress would be made on that project.
Do you favor the traditional route or self-publishing?
Traditional. I’ve self-published one short story, Robbery on Antares VI, on Amazon as an experiment and to get established. But my main focus is on getting short stories published in magazines and anthologies.
Traditional. I’ve self-published one short story, Robbery on Antares VI, on Amazon as an experiment and to get established. But my main focus is on getting short stories published in magazines and anthologies.
What do you think the publishing industry will look like twenty-five years from now?
Certainly there will be far less publishing on paper. The ease of self-publishing and the number of hobbyist writers will make it easier to get published and reach an audience, but harder to actually make a living as a full-time professional writer.
Are you an outliner or discovery writer? Or somewhere in between?
I don’t outline, but I do have a mental picture as to how the story will go before I dive in. I sometimes write the ending first in order to have a sense of direction. The ending may change as the story progresses, but at least I know I’m not writing myself into a corner.
How do you deal with rejections?
I try to maintain perspective but it does bother me, especially if I was particularly optimistic about a certain market or if the story was deliberately written with that market in mind. But the main thing is to get the story submitted somewhere else as fast as possible.
Do you ever get criticism from family or friends who don’t understand your passion?
No. Reactions have been generally positive, although I suspect that some acquaintances who say they will read one of my stories—even the ones that are available online for free— never actually follow through.
What book are you reading right now?
Neuromancer by William Gibson. Gibson was recently named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and I figured it was time to revisit his seminal work, first published in 1984. Gibson’s vision of a high tech post-apocalyptic future included landline payphones and typewriters, but the edgy plotting, characters and banter set the stage for a whole new sub-genre of science fiction.
