by L. Ron Hubbard
With over 250 published works of fiction totaling over four million words in every popular genre, L. Ron Hubbard is one of the most accomplished and prolific writers of the twentieth century. In 1980 and in celebration of fifty years as a professional writer, he penned the internationally acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Battlefield Earth, a 428,750-word science fiction epic written in just eight months. That he would return a year later to write the 1.2 million word, ten-volume Mission Earth in eight months—with each volume becoming a New York Times bestseller—bears testament to him as a master storyteller.
Promoting the release of Battlefield Earth, which was partly set in and around Denver, Colorado, Mr. Hubbard conducted an interview with the Rocky Mountain News published February 20, 1983. The following article contains excerpts of this interview. In it, Mr. Hubbard provides invaluable insight into the art and craft of writing, the role of science fiction in society, how he viewed himself as a writer and offers some sound advice for aspiring writers everywhere.