Writing the Uncanny: Author Interview and Writing Tips from Jeff VanderMeer.

In this episode of our podcast for writers (who take craft too seriously), take a journey into the uncanny with award-winning author Jeff VanderMeer where we explore his multiple novel universes and discuss his fantastic writing craft book, Wonderbook.

Along the way, Jeff discusses writing techniques for crafting the uncanny using layers, diving into the psychology of characters, and writing about the natural world.

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:00) - Southern Reach and Borne Universes
• (03:30) - Making the Uncanny Believable
• (18:20) - Making the Alien Relatable
• (30:00) - Wonderbook
• (39:55) - Absolution
• (47:14) - Uncanny Genre
• (57:30) - What's Next?

Jeff's Information:

Jeff VanderMeer's bestselling, critically acclaimed novels include the Borne trilogy (Borne, The Strange Bird, and Dead Astronauts) and the Southern Reach series (Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance, Absolution, and the forthcoming Abdication). Annihilation won the Nebula Award and the Shirley Jackson Award and was adapted into a major motion picture by Alex Garland, starring Natalie Portman. The Southern Reach series has been translated into more than thirty languages and was a finalist for the Hugo Award. VanderMeer, a popular public speaker, has given talks at MIT, Columbia, Yale, the Guggenheim, and Vanderbilt. He recently had the honor of delivering the John Hersey Memorial Address (Key West Literary Seminar) and the Walter Harding Lecture at SUNY Geneseo. Called "the weird Thoreau" by The New Yorker, VanderMeer has had major environmental nonfiction appear in Time, The Nation, the Los Angeles Times, and Esquire, among other publications.
https://jeffvandermeer.com

Jeff's Books:

1. Annihilation (or Audiobook)
2. Authority (or Audiobook)
3. Acceptance (or Audiobook)
4. Wonderbook (or Audiobook)
5. Borne (or Audiobook)
6. Dead Astronauts (or Audiobook)
7. Hummingbird Salamander (or Audiobook)

Jeff's headshot photo credit: Azhar Khan

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