276: There's a Line We Can't Cross

Dayton Ward and David R. George III: How to Write Star Trek Novels. For almost the entire history of Star Trek, novels have played a part in many people's experience of the fandom. They are a way to go beyond what we see on the screen, and Star Trek fiction novels now account for scores more adventures than the television shows and films. But how does a Star Trek novel come to be, and what goes into the writing of a Star Trek adventure in book form? In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson are joined by veteran Star Trek authors Dayton Ward and David R. George III to discuss how to write Star Trek novels. We talk about how they got their start in writing, the process of how a Trek novel is published, how writing tie-in fiction differs from writing original fiction, how they approach writing the established characters, working with CBS licensing, and what is required for someone to become a Star Trek author. We wrap up by talking about what projects they currently have on the go, and where they can be found online. In the news segment, we report on a new Discovery novel coming in December, a schedule change for The Autobiography of Mr. Spock, and a new Voyager Mirror Universe comic coming from IDW. We also review the sixth and final issue of The Q Conflict, as well as respond to listener feedback from The Babel Conference for Literary Treks 274: An Old Man in the Park Feeding Pigeons. News DSC: Dead Endless Announced (00:02:37) Autobiography of Mr. Spock in 2020 (00:05:57) Voyager Mirror Universe Comic Announced (00:08:29) The Q Conflict #6 Comic Review (00:11:30) Listener Feedback (00:26:17) Feature: Dayton Ward and David R. George III Getting Started (00:30:48) Star Trek Books Process (00:39:37) Keeping Up with Continuity (00:45:20) Painting a Star Trek Picture (00:54:32) Writing Characters (01:01:25) Pushing the Envelope (01:06:31) Working with CBS Licensing (01:12:09) How to Get Published (01:18:37) What's in the Works (01:38:14) Final Thoughts (01:43:47) Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson Guests Dayton Ward David R. George III Production Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer)